DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My aim is to become a competent and successful bilingual pediatric physical therapist.  I hope to use a combination of clinical experience, evidence-based practice, and my life experiences thus far to make a positive impact in the lives of my patients and their families through maximizing the functional mobility of my patients.

 

Objectives:

• Graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy
• Become a board certified physical therapist
• Complete a pediatric residency
• Become a Pediatric Clinical Specialist
• Become a Clinical Instructor
• Become fluent in Spanish

 

Career Plan

Past History

• Graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology and minors in Spanish and Psychology.
• Clinical Rotations:
  • Outpatient Orthopedics: 8 weeks at Craven Physical Therapy & Spine in New Bern, NC
  • Acute Pediatrics: 8 weeks at UNC Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC
  • NeuroTrauma ICU: 8 weeks at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC
  • Outpatient Pediatrics: 12 weeks at Duke Health in Durham, NC

Future Goals

• Graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in August 2017
• Travel to Guatemala in August 2017 for 8 weeks to improve my Spanish speaking ability and work in a long-term care facility with pediatric patients
• Find employment in a pediatric setting post-graduation to gain confidence and experience in the field
• Communicate fluently with my Spanish-speaking patients
• Complete a pediatric residency in the next 3-5 years
• Serve as a clinical instructor by 2022
• Work in a pediatric acute care setting serving patients in the NICU, PICU, and floor patients by 2025

 

Self-Assessment

Strengths:

• Years of experience working with children (swim, basketball, and volleyball coach, babysitter, camp counselor)
• Attended “Therapy Interventions for the Infant Born Preterm: NICU to Preschool” lecture series at VCU
• Experience translating for nurses and receptionists with Hispanic patients at UNC Children’s Hospital Specialty Clinic

Areas of Further Development:

• Further education of the Spanish language in order to develop a more fluid way of speaking to my Hispanic patients and their parents sans interpreter
• Involvement in pediatric volunteer opportunities
• Attendance of physical therapy conferences and networking opportunities
• Shadowing and clinical opportunities in the NICU and EI settings
• Understanding of EI and opportunities available for children with disabilities and their families

 

Special Strategies

• Find pediatric-specific volunteer and shadowing opportunities
• Take classes and read articles/novels in Spanish, go on international service trips, and spend time with Spanish-speaking people to increase my confidence in my conversational Spanish
• Attend lectures and conferences specifically for pediatric physical therapy
• Seek out translating opportunities in my community
• Find a good mentor at my first job who I feel comfortable asking questions to as I start treating more complex patients

 

Specific Outline

Electives:

• Advanced Pediatrics (Fall 2016)
• Advanced Medical Spanish (Spring 2017)
• Integrated Clinical Experience (Spring 2017)

Guatemala Trip – Medical Spanish Immersion program and long-term care facility volunteering (Summer/Fall 2017)

Capstone: I created a presentation in Spanish regarding techniques to improve respiratory function in patients with neuromotor delay.  I hope to present this topic to the physical therapists at Las Obras Hermano Pedro during my time volunteering there in September/October 2017.

Key Players:

• Dana McCarty has served as my advisor for my capstone project and the person I have turned to for all my questions regarding the job search, resumes, and cover letters.
• Lisa Johnston has served as my connection to the long-term care facility in Guatemala at which I am planning on volunteering.
• Kristen Montgomery was one of my clinical instructors at UNC Children’s Hospital and has served as a mentor throughout the rest of my physical therapy schooling.

Job Search: I am looking for employment in facilities that have good opportunities for mentorship for new graduates in the pediatric setting.

 

Product Examples

• Capstone project – One can view my capstone project at this website: https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/category/current-students-spring-of-2017/entry-level-students-current-students-spring-of-2017/smith-chloe/
• Pediatrics Assignment – This assignment asked us to investigate 4 different pediatric diagnoses and create a plan of care that addressed care coordination, family related instruction, and direct procedural interventions for a patient with each of these conditions. Smith_Peds Assignment

 

Reflective Statement

Coming into PT school, I had no idea what to expect.  I remember telling a friend before school started that I wasn’t sure what area of PT I was interested in but that I didn’t want to work in pediatrics and I didn’t want to work in a hospital.  Naturally, I then fell in love with acute care pediatrics during a clinical rotation in a hospital setting, and that has guided my intended career path extensively.  I absolutely love the positive attitudes and the determination of my pediatric patients and I look forward to working with kids full-time.

These past 3 years have been some of the most challenging yet the most rewarding years of my life.  I have grown both personally and professionally in so many ways.  I could not be more thankful for my professors, fellow classmates, and incredible clinical instructors who have made this experience so worthwhile.  I have learned more than I could have imagined and I very much look forward to put my preparation into practice.

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