DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement: I seek to be a physical therapist that positively impacts my patients’ rehabilitation experience and lives by providing patient-centered, evidence-based care. As a clinician, my practice will based in the compassion, empathy, kindness, and respect I hold for all of my patients, while reflecting the knowledge and skills I have developed through my education and clinical experiences. I hope to empower my patients to be confident in their mobility, helping them to achieve their goals and participate in activities that are meaningful to them. After receiving my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from UNC-Chapel Hill, I hope to work in a hospital setting, where I will collaborate with other providers, patients, and families to ensure high-quality care that puts the patient’s goals and needs first.

Career Plan:

• Education
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, May 2021
    • Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science
    • Minors in Neuroscience and Anthropology
  • Clinical Rotations:
    • Clinical Rotation I (8 weeks): Outpatient Orthopedics – Hillsborough, NC
      • University Physical Therapy, 2023
    • Clinical Rotation II (8 weeks): Acute Care – Raleigh, NC
      • WakeMed Raleigh Campus, 2024
    • Clinical Rotation III (8 weeks): Outpatient Pediatrics – Durham, NC
      • Duke Lenox Baker Children’s Hospital, 2024
    • Clinical Rotation IV (12 weeks): Acute Burns – Chapel Hill, NC
      • UNC Hospitals, Jaycee Burn Center, 2025
  • Electives
    • Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment, Fall 2024
    • Teaching Scholar: Intro to PT Intervention, Fall 2024
    • Spanish for Healthcare Professionals, Fall 2024
  • Professional Development
    • Student Physical Therapy Association Service Chair
  • Product Examples:
    • Chemotherapy Activity Guidelines for Oncology Patients Receiving Inpatient PT Services
    • In-Service Presentation: Optimizing Functional Independence in a Pediatric Patient with Visual Impairment and CP
    • Capstone Project:
      • Patient/Caregiver Educational Video Resource for Pediatric Burn Patients 
      • Literature Review on Patient Education Factors Associated with Adherence in Pediatric Burn Patients 
  • Future Goals:
    • July 2025: National Physical Therapy Examination
    • August 2025: Graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from UNC Chapel Hill
    • 2025: Obtain job in the triangle in NC as an acute care PT

Self-Assessment

Strengths:

• Compassion and respect for all patients, families, and caregivers
• Highly motivated to grow professionally, seeking to develop knowledge and skillset
• Effective communication with patients, families, colleagues, and interprofessional staff

Areas for Professional Development:

• Increased knowledge in insurance, funding sources, and billing to
• Continued research and remaining up to date with new literature to provide best evidence-based care
• Expanded community outreach and engagement in advocacy efforts to improve access to PT services
• Improved efficiency in documentation to optimize productivity

Objectives:

• Graduate from UNC Chapel Hill with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in August 2025
• Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination in July 2025
• Obtain employment in the acute setting in the triangle area in NC by late August of 2025
• Become a clinical instructor by 2029

Timeline/Strategies

• Pass comprehensive examination in March 2025 to qualify to sit for July 2025 board examination (completed)
• Successfully complete required four clinical rotations, improving my knowledge and clinical skill set in acute care, outpatient orthopedics, pediatric, and burns PT (by July 2025)
• Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (by July 2025)
• Graduate from UNC Doctor of Physical Therapy program (by August 2025)
• Obtain PT licensure to practice in state of North Carolina (by August/September 2025)
• Obtain employment in the acute setting in NC triangle area (by August/September 2025)
• Complete continuing education courses in topics that facilitate my growth as a PT, filling any gaps I recognize in my practice

Interprofessional Education Activities (IPE)

During my time at UNC, I was provided several opportunities to engage in interprofessional education activities. These experiences include organizing an interprofessional acute therapy case for first year OT and PT students, and participating in neurological and geriatrics case studies with interprofessional teams of students. These experiences highlighted the unique perspectives each profession brings when approaching patient care, emphasizing the importance of collaborating to provide optimal care to the patient. Through these experiences, I developed my ability to effectively communicate with other providers, confidently sharing the knowledge I have regarding the patient scenario, while respectfully listening and learning as they shared their insights on the case. These activities demonstrated to me that interprofessional collaboration is key in ensuring all patient needs are recognized and met, with most effective care delivered by a team that maintains mutual respect for all parties involved.

Reflective Statement

Ever since I was little, I have known I wanted to work in healthcare, where I could use my compassion and love of science to help others. At first, I thought this meant becoming a nurse or a physician, but when I shadowed a physical therapist in undergrad and saw firsthand the positive impact that PTs have on their patient’s lives, I knew this was the profession I wanted to pursue. Throughout completion of UNC’s rigorous academic coursework, I have expanded my clinical knowledge, developed my clinical reasoning, prepared to deliver current best evidence-based practice. My clinical rotations have given me the opportunity to collaborate with interprofessional teams and engage with diverse patient populations, where I had to be adaptable, creative, and empathetic to best help my patients optimize their mobility and achieve their goals. The relationships I developed with the patients and families I served during my clinical rotations further reinforced the passion that I feel to pursue PT, as I was able to facilitate their progress towards the goals they established, helping them lead more fulfilling lives by being able to perform the activities and participate in the events they desired.

This program has prepared me to serve my patients and my community, providing me with the tools to become a competent provider, who is an advocate for their patients and enters every patient encounter with respect, compassion, and a growth mindset. I seek to collaborate with my colleagues to contribute to the overall success of the practice I work with. I am committed to contributing to the advancement of the profession through engagement in critical discussion with colleagues, advocating for the profession, and staying up-to-date with current best evidenced practice. I am grateful for the opportunities provided to me by UNC’s DPT program, the wisdom shared by the esteemed faculty, and the lifelong connections made with my peers. As I enter the profession as a new PT, I will strive to bring positivity into my patient’s lives by helping them achieve their goals and fulfill my role in accomplishing the APTA’s vision statement of transforming society and improving the human experience through movement optimization.

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