DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement:

After graduating from UNC and entering the workforce as a licensed physical therapist, I hope to never lose the mindset of being a “student”. My goals include working in an outpatient orthopedic clinic that has a mentorship program that will help me develop into a seasoned clinician. I also wish to one day own and operate a physical therapy clinic focused on the wholistic care and wellness of patients that will promote interdisciplinary collaboration to best treat each patient.

Career Plan:

Past Accomplishments

• Graduated from NC State University in May, 2020
  • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Operations and Supply Chain Management
  • Minor in Biological Sciences

Clinical Experiences:

Advanced PT Solutions, Fayetteville, NC

• Outpatient Orthopedics, 8 weeks

UNC Main Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC

• Acute Care, Cardiovascular service, 8 weeks

UNC Home Health, Chapel Hill, NC

• Post-op and hospital discharge patients with a variety of diagnoses, 8 weeks

Duke Health Douglas Street, Durham, NC

• Outpatient Orthopedics, 12 weeks

1^st Year After Graduation

• Work as a Physical Therapist at an Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic
• Find a mentor to help me grow as a therapist
• Explore CEU opportunities and stay up to date on continuing education requirements
• Attend one state or national PT conference

5 Years After Graduation

• Obtain a further specialization to help diversify my PT skill set
• Begin looking for opportunities to buy in to a Private PT practice and work towards a leadership role.
• Sit for the OCS Exam
• Become a Clinical Instructor

10 Years After Graduation

• Own a PT practice and act in a leadership role in management of the clinic and mentorship of young PTs.

Self Assessment:

Strengths

• Relating to different populations of people
• Clinical Reasoning
• Adaptation when things don’t go as planned
• Safety when interacting with patients
• Collaboration with co-workers

Areas for Professional Development

• Continually seeking out evidence to incorporate into practice
• Becoming more familiar with a diverse set of diagnoses and interventions
• Billing, insurance, and administrative details
• Knowledge of resources to provide patients outside of the clinic

Objectives and Goals:

• Pass the NPTE boards and become a licensed physical therapist
• Graduate with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in July, 2023
• Continue to grow into a well-rounded physical therapist through my remaining education: specifically, ICE, capstone, and remaining rotations
• Become gainfully employed at a physical therapy clinic with a mentorship program for new graduates to continue to grow as a clinician
• Seek out mentor to advise me in growing my own business to open a private practice in the future

Specific Strategies:

• Prepare for boards by enrolling in a supplementary Boards review course, taking practice NPTE exams, reviewing course material.
• Apply for PT positions in the Triangle and Piedmont areas during spring semester and my final clinical rotation.
• Pursue continuing education in the areas of geriatrics, orthopedic assessment and intervention, dry needling, or TMJ.
• Maintain an active professional network of PTs and other providers to collaborate as necessary.

Elective Courses

• Integrated Clinical Education (ICE) in Orthopedic Setting, 1 credit
• Advanced Orthopedics Elective, 2 credits
• Advanced Sports Elective, 2 credits
• Teacher Scholar for Musculoskeletal I, 1 credit

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reflection

Throughout our DPT curriculum at Carolina, diversity, equity, and inclusion has been an emphasis. In our very first semester we talked about the health disparities that are becoming more prevalent in the geriatric developmental disability population. Our medical treatment of development disabilities is improving every year, increasing the life expectancy of these patients. This has created a gap in knowledge of how to best treat older patients with developmental disabilities. Dedicating an entire class session to this population was just the beginning of our program’s dedication to educating future physical therapists about underserved populations.

One such population that has kept my attention as I began working with more patients if people with a low health literacy and education level. The chance to educate patients about their own health condition and healthier habits for the future is one of the things that drew me to physical therapy while still an undergraduate. While working in acute care at UNC main hospital we had a number of patients who had almost no concept of their own health status, or how their unhealthy life style choices contributed to the event that put them in the hospital. I was working on a cardiopulmonary floor where many patients had conditions caused by smoking, poor diet, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, or poorly controlled diabetes. Talking with these patients so often helped reinforce that people can’t know the things they aren’t taught. Poorer populations and people living in rural areas may have less access to good schools (especially higher education). When entire populations are under-educated there is very little positive information sharing passed down between generations. As physical therapists we have the time to spend with patients, answering questions, and explaining concepts that doctors and other healthcare professionals can’t take the time to discuss.

People often think of inclusion in the terms of race and gender, but I have learned that inclusion goes so much deeper than superficial characteristics. I want to make it a personal goal in my practice of physical therapy to make sure every patient has access to information about their own body and health and that they are able to understand why our recommendations are helping them heal and become stronger. I think we even have the unique opportunity to go one step beyond and help to educate and clarify about other medical conditions, within our scope of practice of course. Basic information about anatomy, sleep, and nutrition can go a long way in improving a patients understanding of their own health and body systems to promote healthy life style choices in the future, preventing greater health declines.

Sample Work

Link to Capstone Project Website: https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/2023/04/20/slap-repair-protocols-and-intervention/

Business Plan: Business Plan Layout

Inservice Presentation presented to UNC Home Health PT/PTAs: Outcome Measures for the Non-Ambulatory Patient

Modified Sternal Precautions Infographic for Patients with Low Health Literacy: Do’s and Don’t after Heart Surgery

Personal Growth Reflection

Reflecting on the past 3 years of physical therapy school, I can’t help but think about how much I have grown as a student, clinician, and also as a person. Beginning PT school in a pandemic was nothing short of a challenge and while there were some thing we certainly missed out on, I learned lessons that couldn’t have been reproduced in any other environment. I had to develop the self-discipline to stay attentive in long zoom lectures and stay on top of the material when much of it was learned at home. I feel I grew a lot in my desire to be an independent learner. It would have been much easier to go through the motions just to pass the classes, but seeking additional information and finding resources for yourself are very important skills I will utilize throughout my entire career.

Additionally, I believe I’ve become a more compassionate person and provider. Working with such a broad population of people has a certain way of teaching you how to relate to every person in some little way. I make it a personal goal of mine to make each patient smile at least once during each appointment. Most of our patients are in pain and lead a harder life than I have ever experienced. I make a point to find some way to brighten their day, even in a small way.

In the future I hope to continue to be a lifelong learner, and compassionate clinician, providing the best care to every patient I encounter. I want to seek continuing education to earn my OCS specialty, and take courses to specialize in areas that are often overlooked, like TMD. I have loved being a student in the DPT program at UNC and the lessons I’ve earned here will last a lifetime.

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