DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

Upon obtaining my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), I aspire to serve as a well-rounded practitioner with equal emphasis on evidence-based physical therapy (PT) and compassionate person-centered care. I am determined to continuously advance my academic knowledge, refine my clinical decision-making skills, enhance my cultural competency, improve my communication strategies, and individualize my approaches to patient care while embodying unwavering professionalism throughout all components. By challenging myself to consistently embrace personal and professional growth, I am optimizing my role as a healthcare provider to yield ideal practitioner-patient therapeutic alliances. With all future endeavors across various practice settings and patient populations, I will strive to emulate these characteristics. In relation to professional interests, I am captivated by the geriatric patient population in the practice setting of continuing care retirement facilities (CCRFs). Other prominent professional interests include working in the acute care, hospital setting which commonly presents the opportunity to work with the geriatric patient population. Pertaining to long-term professional goals, I hope to pursue advanced expertise in the PT profession ranging from becoming a Geriatric Certified Specialist (GCS) to becoming a certified clinical instructor with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Career Plan

Education

• August 2014 – May 2018: Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• August 2018 – July 2021: Doctor of Physical Therapy – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Elective Courses
    • Interdisciplinary Older Adult Theory and Practice (3 credits)
    • Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Intervention (3 credits)

Clinical Affiliations

• June – August 2019: Pivot Physical Therapy – Outpatient Orthopedic (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• March 2020: CaroMont Regional Medical Center – Acute Care (Gastonia, North Carolina)
• April – May 2021: Reynolds & Associates Physical Therapy – Geriatric-Specific (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
• May – July 2021: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center – Acute Care (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

Future Goals

• Complete the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in July 2021
• Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with my Doctor of Physical Therapy in July 2021
• Secure a full-time, physical therapy position in the acute care hospital setting, continuing care retirement facility setting, or any other clinical setting that challenges my skill set and clinical decision-making as a healthcare provider
• Become a Certified Clinical Instructor (CCI) within the American Physical Therapy Association
• Pursue continuing education opportunities and leadership opportunities within my employer organization

Self-Assessment

Strengths

• Strong interpersonal and interprofessional skills
• Steadfast positivity and adaptability in challenging and/or unpredictable situations
• Innovative problem-solving
• Consistent time management and organizational skills
• Refined communication skills
• Approach to person-centered care with unwavering professionalism, compassion, and clinical decision-making in the context of physical therapy practice
• Admirable passion for continuous learning and advancement of knowledge
• Ability to accept and integrate constructive feedback in a timely manner from classmates, professors, and clinical instructors

Areas for Professional Development

• Knowledge of policies and procedures for billing, coding, and reimbursement
• Knowledge of and experience with advocating for the physical therapy profession
• Confidence with clinical decision-making skills and plans of care, especially for patient populations, diagnoses/conditions, and practice settings that I have less experience with
• Knowledge of and familiarity with various interventions and outcome measures
• Confidence with identification and analysis of evidence-based research articles pertinent to how I individualize my evaluation and treatment strategies
• Knowledge of and familiarity with telehealth physical therapy, particularly in response to changes for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• Confidence with obtaining durable medical equipment and/or formulating letters of medical necessity
• Knowledge of financial resources and other aspects of health insurance

Career Objectives

• Obtain a competitive educational background in generalist physical therapy that can be easily applied across diagnoses and conditions, practice settings, and patient populations
• Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) to obtain licensure
• Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with my Doctor of Physical Therapy to begin practicing as a physical therapist
• Secure a full-time, physical therapy position with an employer that will mentor and guide my early years as a clinician
• Become a Certified Clinical Instructor (CCI) within the American Physical Therapy Association to continue the cycle of mentorship for future students

Specific Strategies for Success

• Attain “entry-level” status on WebCPI during the final clinical rotation
• Establish a regimented plan corresponding to calendar deadlines to ensure thorough study habits for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)
• Research available, full-time job opportunities for licensed physical therapists
• Establish a professional mentor relationship with a physical therapist who has advanced clinical knowledge, experience, and expertise

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The process of partaking in several justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion opportunities was extremely pivotal in further advancing my knowledge and awareness for current topics and movements. Through these opportunities, I was able to further enhance my cultural competency by challenging my perspectives and refining my approaches in all aspects pertaining to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As I approach all academic initiatives through a medium that is conducive to my learning style, I chose to address this initiative via review and reflection upon various evidence-based, peer-reviewed articles that provide insight into challenges regarding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within the context of healthcare and/or academia.

The evidence-based, peer-reviewed articles focused on how the content and delivery of stigmatizing versus neutral documentation in electronic medical records can affect providers’ clinical decision-making, how the underrepresentation of healthcare practitioners of minority races and/or ethnicities can affect training experiences, and how unconscious biases can affect decision-making skills of admissions committee members for graduate healthcare programs. As a future healthcare practitioner, I gained insight from reading these articles that is translatable to my professional career. With documentation, I have learned to be increasingly cognizant of how I interpret and describe all patients. With future professional endeavors, I have learned to further embrace my own Hispanic heritage to bring unique insight into interactions with patients and practitioners. With upcoming employment, I have learned to suggest integration of Implicit Association Tests (IATs) to academic admissions committees and/or hiring departments to minimize any biases. Despite learning from these justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion opportunities, the process of cultural competency exists upon a spectrum that is intended to be refined across one’s lifetime; therefore, I strive to continue to improve and learn.

Product Examples

• Capstone Project: Strategies for Fostering the Therapeutic Alliance with Older Adults
  • Link: https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/2021/04/15/strategies-for-fostering-the-therapeutic-alliance-with-older-adults-2/
• Advanced Orthopedic Assessment & Intervention Term Paper: Skin-Related Pathologies in the Geriatric Population
  • Link: PHYT 875 Advanced Orthopedic Assessment & Intervention Final Paper

Reflective Statement

The opportunity to pursue my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has been a long-standing dream of mine. Throughout high school and college, I strived to surpass all expectations to successfully become a Tar Heel. When I received my acceptance from UNC’s DPT program, I was overwhelmed with happiness! The acceptance re-affirmed that all my efforts were worth it; however, I was well-aware that being accepted to my dream DPT program was only the beginning of my journey.

Across the past three years of UNC’s DPT program, I have had the privilege of learning from the best professors, researchers, and/or clinicians in the physical therapy profession. These individuals have gone above and beyond to attend to my needs as a student, future clinician, and human being in addition to appropriately challenging me to step outside of my comfort zone. I am forever grateful for the knowledge, patience, and compassion these individuals have exhibited. In addition to the remarkable faculty and staff, UNC’s DPT program has graciously gifted me with an incredible group of classmates that have been nothing short of supportive, dependable, welcoming, and countless other things that have made the DPT program memorable. Outside of the program’s academic rigor, clinical rotations proved to be another opportunity for immense growth. With my clinical rotations ranging from a smaller, geriatric-specific private practice to a larger, level-one trauma center hospital, I was challenged to think and operate in different ways than I have ever done previously. Overall, the past three years spent at UNC’s DPT program have challenged me to celebrate my successes, recover from my setbacks, and acknowledge the incredible person and future clinician that Carolina has helped me to become. As always, it’s a great day to be a Tar Heel!

Comments RSS