Apr 20 2017

Huber, Elizabeth

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Professional Goal Statement

  • My professional goal is to be a physical therapist who has a well-rounded education in order to be able to treat various types of patients at different points in my career. My goal is to graduate the UNC-Chapel Hill DPT program in August of 2017 and work in North Carolina for at least a few years upon graduating. I hope to promote wellness, confidence, and mobility in patients with both neurological and orthopedic deficits and specifically plan to focus on treating the geriatric population with accompanying cognitive/memory deficits. I also plan to utilize my proficiency in Spanish by working in an area where there is a large Latino population and also by taking part in medical missions both internationally and locally in order to reach Latino communities who may not have as much access to physical therapy.

 

Career Plan 

Past experience:

  • BA in Exercise Sport Science, Sport Administration and BA in Psychology, both from UNC-Chapel Hill (2008-2012)
  • Experience as PT tech in outpatient orthopedic clinic in Winston-Salem (2012-2013)
  • English teacher in the Dominican Republic, gaining thorough experience conversing and interacting in Spanish and also increasing my level of cultural competence (2013-2014)
  • Experience as PT tech in skilled nursing facility in Winston-Salem (2014)

Clinical experience:

  • UNC-Chapel Hill DPT Program (2014-2017)
    • Clinical I: Scotland Memorial Hospital Outpatient Orthopedics, Laurinburg, NC, Underserved (2015)
    • Clinical II: Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, Inpatient Rehabilitation (2016)
    • Clinical III: Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, Acute Care (2016)
    • Clinical IV: Carolinas Rehabilitation, Concord, NC, Inpatient Rehabilitation (2017)

Future goals:

  • Graduate Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at UNC-Chapel Hill (Aug 2017)
  • Sit for NPTE (Oct 2017)
  • Backpack around South America and refresh my Spanish speaking skills (Nov-Dec 2017)
  • Obtain first employment opportunity as PT in inpatient rehab or acute care setting and find a supportive, valuable mentor who has similar clinical interests as I do (January 2018)
  • Become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) in order to rehabilitate dogs as a part-time job (2018)
  • Consider getting a specialization based on newly-gained interests/expertise after year 1 (January 2019-2020)
  • Become a CI for the first time (January 2021)
  • Present at a minimum of one conference and/or guest lecture a class at a nearby PT program (January 2019-2021)
  • Lead a service trip with fellow PTs to a developing country to perform PT evaluations and give HEPs to individuals with limited access to healthcare (2020-2021). Ultimately, I may want to partner up with the Rehabilitation Association of the Dominican Republic (where I volunteered for a semester while in college) to create a more advanced physical therapy program than what exists now for Dominicans who want to be educated and licensed to practice PT in their country.

 

Self-Assessment

  • Strengths
    • Communication skills
    • Spanish fluency
    • Respect and compassion for all individuals, regardless of cultural or economical background
    • Experience in teaching and coaching
    • Clinical experience in outpatient orthopedics, inpatient rehab, and acute care
  • Areas of Further Development
    • Increase clinical experience
    • Expand knowledge of evidence-based interventions for various patient populations
    • Manual therapy skills

 

Outline

  • Electives
    • Fall 2016: Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Intervention (PHYT 875)
    • Spring 2017: Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention (PHYT 885)
  • Capstone
    • I created a Voicethread presentation that investigates the clinical efficacy of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) in improving gait among various patient populations including those who have had a stroke and those who have Parkinson disease. My capstone project was a continuation of the Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) that I completed in our Evidence Based Practice II course earlier this school year in which I performed an appraisal of literature regarding the effects of RAS on gait parameters of patients with hemiparesis, specifically. You can find links to both of these projects below.
  • Committee Members and Capstone Advisor
    • Haley Steele, PT: Haley was one of my Capstone Committee members, as well as my clinical instructor for my acute care rotation last year. I credit her with being the first to encourage me to investigate the many ways that music and rhythmic cueing can be utilized in physical therapy. I already had a passion for music, but she encouraged me to combine that passion with my passion for physical therapy.
    • Carol Giuliani, PT, PhD FAPTA: Also a Capstone Committee member, Carol provided valuable feedback and suggestions for my Capstone topic and presentation. She also has been the faculty member who has sparked my interest for working with the geriatric population in the future. I have enjoyed working alongside her at many fall prevention courses and patient screenings.
    • Karen McCulloch, PT, PhD, NCS: Kmac has been my advisor for the Capstone project and, like my committee members, provided constant feedback. She also has been a wonderful professor in the many neuro courses I took throughout the program, and her passion for neurorehabilitation has been an inspiration to me.


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Reflective Statement

PT school has been a time of significant growth for me–not just in my knowledge and education, but, more importantly, in my perspective on life, my perseverance through trials, and my compassion for others who are also experiencing trials. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to study at UNC, learn from our many talented professors, and soon graduate with a strong foundation that will hopefully carry me far in this career. I do not yet know in what specific area I will work, nor do I think I will stay in only one area for my entire career, but I am certain that regardless of where I find myself, my passion and energy will be focused on using whatever knowledge and skills I have gained over the last three years to serve and better each patient’s life to the best of my ability.

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