DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement:

My professional goal is to become a highly skilled physical therapist who delivers holistic, evidence-based care tailored to each individual. Upon graduating from UNC’s DPT program, I plan to pursue a career in either inpatient rehabilitation or outpatient orthopedics/sports. These settings align with my passion(s) for integrating principles of nutrition, movement science, and injury prevention and recovery into patient care across the lifespan. Ultimately, I strive to empower individuals with the knowledge, confidence, and autonomy needed to expedite their recovery and return to their desired activities and goals.

 

Career Path:

• Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences – North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC (2017-2020)
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC (2022-2025)
• Clinical Experience
  • 200+hrs as a PT technician at Pivot Physical Therapy (2021-2022)
  • UNC Main Hospital, Chapel Hill NC – acute care rotation (2023)
  • BreakThrough Physical Therapy, Sanford NC – underserved outpatient orthopedics rotation (2024)
  • UNC Hillsborough Hospital, Hillsborough NC – acute inpatient rehabilitation rotation (2024)
  • University Physical Therapy, Durham NC – outpatient orthopedics experience (2024)
  • Cary Orthopedics, Cary NC – outpatient orthopedics rotation (2025)
• Electives
  • PHYT875: Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment
  • PHYT870: Integrated Clinical Experience in outpatient orthopedics
  • PHYT872: Teacher Scholar for Musculoskeletal I course
  • PUBH610: Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals

 

Self-Assessment:

Strengths:

• Willingness to adapt, learn, and grow as a skilled clinician to best serve the community of which I serve
• Collaboration among multidisciplinary team to optimize plans of care
• Foundation in sports and nutrition science

Areas for Professional Development:

• Proficiency in clinical reasoning to design appropriate, holistic exercise programs for diverse and complex patient populations/diagnoses
• Experience delegating responsibilities and providing appropriate oversight of support staff (e.g., PTAs, PT techs, etc)
• Knowledge in healthcare policy and insurance regulations

 

Objectives:

• Graduate with Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (2025)
• Sit for and pass the NPTE (2025)
• Obtain licensure and first job (2025)
• Become a clinical instructor (2030)
• Consider pursuing additional certifications such as dry needling, athletic training/strength and conditioning specialist, etc. (2030)

 

Timeline/Strategies to Achieve Professional Goals:

• Establish and maintain a systematic study plan to adequately prepare for NPTE
• Update professional resume and actively seek out job opportunities and learning experiences of interest
• Seek out and make use of clinical mentors to continue developing skills and expertise
• Attend continuing education events and conferences to stay up-to-date with current evidence-based research and clinical application
• Consider exploring various practice settings to develop a well-rounded clinical foundation and clarify my long-term specialization

 

Interprofessional Education Activities:

Since Fall 2023, I have participated in a variety of interprofessional events and immersion experiences as a member of the IPEP Distinguished Scholars Program. Examples of events I attended are linked below. These opportunities allowed me to engage meaningfully with students from diverse healthcare fields i.e., occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, social work, dentistry, etc. Through shared learning and collaboration, I was able to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the nuances of each discipline’s expertise, perspectives, and thought processes. These experiences have helped me strengthen essential skills–such as leadership, conflict management, teamwork, and relationship building–that I hope to translate into my future practice to support effective communication and collaboration between both colleagues and patients.

Examples of Attended Interprofessional Events: 

• IPE Neurology Case-Based Learning with Medicine and Allied Health Sciences – October 8, 2023
• IPE Interprofessional Geriatrics Immersion Experience – February 1-2, 2024
• IPE Telehealth Standardized Patient Encounter – March 19, 2024

 

Product Examples:

Capstone Project: PHYT723 Advanced Manual Supplemental Materials

• Advanced Manual Techniques: Study Guide
• Clinical Prediction Rules: Cheat Sheets
• HEP Series

Inpatient Rehabilitation Inservice Topic

• Food for Thought: Role of Nutrition in Chronic Pain Management & PT Intervention

 

Reflective Statement:

As I reflect on my time in UNC’s DPT program, I am overjoyed with how much I have grown–both personally and professionally. While there were certainly many ups and downs, I am incredibly grateful for the lifelong friendships, mentorships, experiences, and lessons that I will carry with me into my career as a physical therapist. The combination of rigorous academic coursework, clinical rotations, and various interprofessional experiences has allowed me to gain a broader perspective and meaningful exposure to diverse patient populations and practice settings that I may not have otherwise encountered. As a result, I have gained a love for treating both neurologic and sport-specific conditions and the unique challenge with helping each patient regain autonomy and independence while working toward their specific goals. While at this time I’m not certain which specific specialization I will pursue, I am confident that the experiences and knowledge I have gained throughout my education and clinical training will guide me toward a fulfilling and impactful professional career.

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