DPT Portfolios

 

Professional Goal Statement

It is my professional goal to graduate from UNC Chapel Hill and become a skilled clinician who is compassionate and confident in providing evidence based physical therapy services to my patients. My desire is to be a well-rounded physical therapist that can work with a wide variety of different patient populations. However, it is my intention to begin working in the acute or inpatient setting, treating patients with neurological conditions. I also intend to continue my education and hope to pursue a Neurologic Certified Specialist (NCS) certification in the future.

 

Career Plan

Past History:

• Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, UNCW, Summer 2014
• OTAGO certified, Fall 2016
• Presented a poster at the 2017 UNC Human Movement Science and Biomechanics Research Symposium – March 2017
• Clinical Rotations
  • General Acute Care clinical rotation with Greenville Health Care Systems- Hillcrest Memorial Hospital; Simpsonville, SC; Summer 2015 (8 weeks)
  • Home Health Care clinical rotation with UNC Hospital; Chapel Hill, NC; Spring 2016 (8 weeks)
  • Outpatient Orthopedic clinical rotation; Comprehensive Physical Therapy; Chapel Hill, NC; Summer 2016 (8 weeks).
  • Inpatient Neuro clinical rotation with UNC Hospital; Chapel Hill, NC; May 2017- July 2017 (12 weeks)

Current Goals:

• Sit for and pass Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy Examination, July 2017
• Earn Doctorate of Physical Therapy; UNC-Chapel Hill; August 2017
• Acquire job in acute care or inpatient setting working with patients with neurological injuries within first year of practice
• Become a clinical instructor, 2020
• Obtain Neurologic Certified Specialist (NCS) certification, 2022

 

Self Assessment

Strengths

• Strong communication skills with patients, mentors, and fellow students
• Open-mindedness about pursuing different settings of PT practice throughout my career
• Wide variety of clinical experience with various patient populations in different settings including: Outpatient orthopedics in private practice, general acute care in small hospital, and home health care.

Areas for further development

• Seek out mentorship for further development of clinical skills
• Continue staying up to date on evidence-based practice
• Understanding of billing, coding, and insurance reimbursement in different clinical settings

 

Special Areas of Interest:

• Interdisciplinary inpatient neurological patients
• Acute or Inpatient Stroke, SCI, or TBI
• Neurological ICU

 

Objectives:

• Pass the Federation of State Board of Physical Therapy Exam in July 2017
• Graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, summer 2017.
• Obtain first job at a hospital/clinic working with seasoned therapists to have the opportunity for further mentorship as a new therapist.
• Complete manuscript and submit for publication
• Present abstract from my Doctoral Capstone project at a national conference

 

Strategies for development needs and interests:

• Complete manuscript and submit for publication by December 2017
• Select a job in a hospital-based setting that emphasizes strong professional development and that promotes the use of evidence-based practice
• Determine the requirements for the NCS certification process
• Become member of the APTA Neurology Section to stay up to date on current research in my field of interest

 

Electives

• Research Elective
  • This course allowed me to gain a better understanding of research in physical therapy. I participated in data collection, processing, and analysis with individuals post-stroke. Mike Lewek was my mentor and helped me to synthesize the evidence and findings. I also worked alongside my research partner and fellow student Cristina Raiti. This study ultimately became my Doctoral Capstone Project.
• Advanced Orthopedic Elective
  • This course allowed me to gain a better understanding of orthopedic conditions based on the specific tissues that may be injured. For my final course paper, I chose to look into the common musculoskeletal complications that occur in patients post-stroke and the current evidence-based treatments.
• Integrated Clinical Experience Elective (60 hours)
  • I had the amazing opportunity to work in the clinic with Vicki Mercer to further develop my clinical skills specifically in patients with neurological injuries. This experience allowed me to gain more confidence in my ability to work with this patient population.

 

Product Examples

Samples of my work from the curriculum include:

1. Critically Appraised Topic on the effects of effects of COM-specific interventions on paretic limb propulsion in individuals post-stroke
2. Poster presentation that was presented at UNC’s Human Movement Science Research Symposium
3. Doctoral Capstone Project may be viewed here: https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/category/current-students-spring-of-2017/entry-level-students-current-students-spring-of-2017/doty-amanda/
4. Advanced Orthopedic Final Paper on Musculoskeletal complications in patients with hemiplegia/hemiparesis following a stroke

 

Reflective Statement

As I reflect on my time in the UNC physical therapy program, I can see how much I have grown both personally and professionally. The last three years have been both challenging and rewarding. Though there were definitely challenges balancing life as a student, wife, and mother, I am overwhelmed by the support of my wonderful family as well as my UNC PT family. I am truly thankful for the support from both my fellow classmates and the faculty who have made the last three years such a wonderful experience. I have been surrounded by amazing mentors throughout my education, and I am thankful for the guidance I have received from the UNC faculty as well as my clinical instructors.

As I begin my career as a physical therapist, I am excited to apply the knowledge I have learned during the last three years. However, I know that my journey as a student is not over, and I am dedicated to being a lifelong learner in order to offer my patients the best evidence-based care possible. I am excited to be a part of this wonderful profession and I know that I have been given the tools I need to advocate both for my patients and the profession as a whole. I am grateful for this experience and look forward to utilizing the skills bestowed on me by UNC Chapel Hill in the rehabilitation of patients with neurological conditions.

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