DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My desire is to educate and provide individuals with the necessary tools, information, and motivation to understand and manage their needs independently or with caregiver support on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of the setting, condition, and acute/chronicity of their situation, being able to meet my patient’s needs by examining personal and functional goals, I hope to set my patients up for success and belief to continue on their own. Though I do not have a specific desired setting, I would love to work with individuals of all ages and abilities on orthopedic impairments and conditions. Regardless of injury, disorder, disease, or deficit, all musculoskeletal deficits involve neurological component and vice versa. Being able to incorporate and be mindful of motor learning, coordination deficits, biomechanics, and many other factors will help me to provide holistic care and consider all aspects of my patient’s recovery.

Areas of Interest

• Orthopedics, Fine-Arts Rehabilitation and Injury Risk Reduction (Dance, etc), Burns, Pregnancy Populations, Pelvic Health, Neurological and orthopedic interface

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Career Plan

Past Experience:

• May 2018: Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology Dance Science; Texas A&M University. Undergraduate Research Scholar
• 2018: PT Aide at Carell Clinic (Dallas, TX)
• 2019: Medical Practice Manager (Conroe, TX)
• 2020: Fitness Manager and Personal Trainer at TruFit Athletic Clubs, (College Station, TX)
• August 2020: Enrollment in UNC-Chapel Hill DPT Program

Clinical Experience

• Clinical Affiliation 1: 2021 – UNC Hospital | Acute Care Ortho/Trauma and General Medicine (8 weeks, 320 hours)
• Clinical Affliliation 2: 2022 – Veterans Affairs Hospital Durham | Outpatient Orthopedics (8 weeks, 320 hours)
• Clinical Affiliation 3: 2022 – Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) – Burlington | Neuro / Community Care / Underserved / Interdisciplinary care (8 weeks, 320 hours)
• Integrated Clinical Experience Elective: with UNC Faculty member Josh Torrey, PT, DPT, OCS: | Outpatient Orthopedics (60 hours)
• Clinical Affiliation 4: 2023 – Upright Athlete | Outpatient Orthopedic Private Practice (16 weeks, 480 hours)

Future Plans

2023:

• Obtain licensure in TX by taking and passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) on July 23, 2023
• Graduate from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Doctorate of Physical Therapy on July 29, 2023
• August/September: Interview with several locations within the DFW, TX area and identify best fit for starting a job as a licensed PT. Setting ideally outpatient rehabilitation in an orthopedic/mixed setting.
• October-December: Obtain Certified Sports and Conditioning Specialist Certification (CSCS)

2024-2025 (1-2 yrs)

• Obtain Level 1 and 2 Dry Needling Certification
• Obtain Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC) from Hermann and Wallace to supplement orthopedic practice
• Establish connections with local dance companies and studios, hold workshops
• Involvement in local dance-related research
• Maintain involvement with APTA, other subsections of APTA, and IADMS

 2026 and beyond

• Obtain Orthopaedic Certified Specialist Certification (OCS)
• Obtain LLC to appropriately perform PT/maintenance on friends and family
• Take on management tasks in clinic to obtain managerial role
• Become a certified clinical instructor
• Obtain additional certifications/course experience in areas of interest (vestibular?)

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Self-Assessment:

• Strengths
  • Interdisciplinary Communication
  • Professionalism
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Exercise prescription, understanding, and creativity
  • Empathy
  • Managerial/ Leadership Experience
    • Teacher Scholar for Musculoskeletal 1 course
    • Fitness Manager for TruFit Athletic Clubs (gym setting)
    • Medical Practice Manager
    • President of student physical therapy organization, and committee chair of Allied Health organization
    • Pilates Instructor
    • Dance Teacher

• Areas for Professional Development
  • Proficiency with unbiased reasoning and practice
  • Rate of clinical reasoning and differential generation
  • Involvement in advocacy on local and national levels
  • Involvement in research
  • Confidence in abilities

Objectives

• Graduate from UNC- Chapel Hill with Doctorate of Physical Therapy Degree in August 2023.
• Pass the National Physical Therapy Licensure Exam in July 2023 in order to become a licensed physical therapist in Texas
• Obtain employment in an outpatient setting in Dallas, Texas by September 2023.
• Obtain Dry Needling Certification Level 1 in 2024
• Study for and obtain Orthopedic Certified Specialist Certification by 2025.

Specific Strategies

• Complete an ICE in orthopedics to continue to receive one on one assistance and critique
• Create a study plan and research optimal methods to prepare for NPTE.
• Seek jobs in various outpatient settings within the Fort Worth area through connections and clinics/healthcare systems of interest
• Maintain active American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) membership.
• Seek out continuing education through the Institute of Athletic Regeneration (IAR) Education systems to obtain Dry Needling Certification.
• Utilize connections and refine résumé and references to obtain interviews at multiple locations
• Seek out a mentorship relationship with an experienced physical therapist in a first job setting and maintain previous mentorship relationships to continue to refine my skills and guide my growth as a clinician.

Electives and Capstone:

• Fall 2022
  • Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment
  • Integrated Clinical Experience (Orthopedics)
• Spring 2023
  • Sports Elective
  • Teacher Scholar Program – Musculoskeletal 1

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Throughout our curriculum and in multiple supplemental experiences, I have had the opportunity to address some of the gaps that I have in understanding and implementing aspects of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It’s one thing as a healthcare provider, to be able to recognize and identify areas that need improvement in our system, but playing a part in making change and contributing to broad understanding is another. Some of these experiences included interprofessional discussions, conversations through my church, and multiple guest lecturers and topics within our very own DPT classes. Our conversations on bias in class allowed me to recognize my own personal bias that exists and how this might influence decisions, treatment, or practice as providers. Building these biases can be subconscious, and addressing these biases can take years of conscious effort. Another experience was a discussion with a man with HIV/AIDS who shared his experience in the healthcare setting. He discussed the hardships of his life in terms of how he has been treated and not treated because of the presence of his illness. This opened my eyes to our role as healthcare providers and the difference we can make in delivering high-quality care despite our lack of familiarity with an illness or condition. In these cases, it almost warrants for us to go above and beyond to provide care and promote an enhanced quality of life for these individuals. Lastly, a small discussion that I joined with 5 others, gave me the opportunity to discuss the word “disability”. One topic of discussion that was particularly interesting was that our society has been formed around a concept of “normal” that excludes and dissociates anyone who falls outside of this term “normal”. I cannot even begin to fathom the subconscious exclusion that society presumes upon those with hearing, vision, learning, or movement impairments. Is there an easy solution—not quite, and we have only begun to address these factors through enhanced awareness. But, beyond physical factors, our language and conversation regarding these topics also make a difference. The difficult thing is, trends change. For example, we discussed the concept of people-first language and how some groups are beginning to prefer differences in this. One contributor who studies social science in these particular areas talked about how some prefer to be called autistic individuals (proud to be), while others prefer to not have their “dis/ability” identified at all. Another, with a hearing impairment brought up the point, why does being hearing impaired have to be part of the way that you are identified at all? This really opened my eyes to be more bold with discussing these concepts with the individual to discover their own preferences, rather than assuming. While I don’t anticipate always approaching these concepts the right way, I hope to be open to continued conversations and actions to promote justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion as a healthcare provider.

Products:

• Capstone: Communication Surrounding Pathology in the Orthopedic Setting
  • This Capstone serves to target multiple areas of communication and education surrounding pathology in the orthopedic setting. This includes 4 handouts to enhance clinicians’ understanding of common pathologies and how to discuss and educate patients. My hope for others is similar to what I have found for myself; that these materials will help new clinicians with confidence in approaching these conversations with patients.
• Sports Elective Presentation: Pregnancy Considerations for the Active Individual
  • Update on current research for strength training, running, and other activity recommendations for pregnant individuals and athletes.
• Therapeutic Alliance Teacher Scholar Presentation (Musculoskeletal 1): Therapeutic Alliance
  • Teacher scholar presentation for Musculoskeletal 1 course. The presentation involves strategies to enhance therapeutic alliance with patients, benefits of a positive therapeutic alliance, and why this is important to consider.

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Reflective Statement

The past 3 years have been a whirlwind. Being almost halfway through my final rotation has made me more excited to work and establish myself as a physical therapist. My experience as a Teacher-Scholar for the first years, and entering my final rotation has shown me how much I have grown since my first year as a PT student. Each clinical, curricular project, and mentored experience has given me more confidence, knowledge, and skills, bringing me to where I am today. I certainly see areas where I would like to improve and learn more. However, I now feel that I have a large number of resources to help me succeed and continue to grow my base of knowledge. I owe a great number of thanks to the DPT faculty for their perseverance and love in supporting us as students, while also trying to navigate the adverse circumstances that the pandemic brought upon us. I would also like to thank my cohort, the 28 students who supported me, encouraged me, practiced with me, and challenged me throughout my 3 years. I am confident that these relationships will be lifelong! The next several years could look very different for all of us. Some of us might move, change settings, learn new passions, and obtain new certifications. My goal is to continually seek growth and be open-minded to change, in order to best serve the profession and the patients that I work with. I know that through UNC’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, I will have the resources I need to succeed in my career and beyond, for anything that life brings to me!

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