DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement:

My goal as a professional moving into my career as a physical therapist post-graduation is to provide empathetic, patient-focused care with evidence-based interventions and careful attention to establishing patient rapport. I would love to work in an outpatient orthopedic setting with a variety of ages and diagnoses so that I can expand my knowledge and experience with patients of all presentations. My long-term dream population would consist of pediatric athletes, as I have a passion for providing injury prevention education and increasing body awareness in young athletes. I also plan to incorporate nutritional education into my practice, as I believe this is an underutilized tool in the outpatient realm of physical therapy. I would love to obtain certifications such as CSCS and dry needling while also participating in continuing education programs to help further my expertise in strength training, sports, female-athletes, and nutrition.

Career Plan:

Education:

• BA in Exercise & Sport Science – Fitness Professional; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – May 2019
• Doctorate of Physical Therapy; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – July 2024

Clinical Experience:

• Clinical Affiliation I: Moore Regional Hospital, Pinehurst, NC (June 2022-August 2022)
  • Acute Care – Post-Operative Orthopedic focus
• Clinical Affiliation II: Abilitation’s Children’s Therapy, Raleigh, NC (February 2023-April 2023)
  • Outpatient Pediatrics (Private)
• Clinical Affiliation III: NC Center for Physical Therapy, Durham, NC (April 2023-June 2023)
  • Outpatient Orthopedics (Private)
• Clinical Affiliation IV: UNC Therapy Services – NW Cary, Cary, NC (April 2024-July 2024)
  • Outpatient Orthopedics (Hospital-Based)

Electives:

• Fall 2023
  • Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment
  • Child and Family Assessment
• Spring 2024:
  • Topics in Sports Physical Therapy
  • Integrated Clinical Experience with Dr. Megna Mishra (60 hours)

Self-Assessment:

• Strengths:
  • Patient Rapport
  • Exercise Prescription and Cueing
  • Communication
  • Professional Behavior

• Areas for Professional Development:
  • PT advocacy
  • Honing manual techniques
  • Honing billing skills and insurance intricacies
  • Increasing confidence with higher complexity patient care

Objectives:

• Graduate from UNC DPT program in July of 2024
• Pass NPTE board exam in October of 2024
• Obtain my CSCS certification in the fall of 2024
• Obtain my dry needling certification
• Obtain my sports PT certification through Evidence in Motion
• Obtain my sports nutrition and performance enhancement certification through Evidence in Motion
• Increase my knowledge in sports nutrition, caring for female-specific athletes and return to sport protocols

Specific Strategies:

• Participate in the Final Frontier study course to prepare for the NPTE
• Review the Scorebuilders book and practice exams to prepare for the NPTE
• Begin to job search and interview for jobs in the outpatient orthopedic or sports setting
• Find a clinician that aligns with my interests to learn from and serve as a mentor when beginning my career as a therapist
• Use the study plan and guide provided to study for and pass the CSCS exam
• Continue to research and find continuing education courses and certifications that align with my passions and allow me to become more educated and specialized in my patient care

Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

During my time in the UNC Physical Therapy program, I was provided with many chances to be exposed to and engage in discussions and activities related to DEI. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the Exploratory Day this spring that allowed prospective students from all across the state to come and explore our program. This day was exciting and fostered many conversations amongst my classmates and future students/applicants about what our program offered, mental health, financial resources, and so much more. Our DEI committee did an incredible job putting this day together and I am very happy I got the chance to participate as it allowed me to reflect on my own experiences in the program and talk about why I am so excited to go into this profession.

I also was able to join a virtual session during Health Equity Research Week labeled: Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Support Systems for Transition-Aged Adults with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities in North Carolina. During this session, we discussed the program Work Together NC. This program aims to help increase resources for transition programs and housing as well as increasing employment opportunities for those with disabilities in North Carolina. Learning about this program was incredibly interesting and I hope to be able to reference this program and others such as the TEACCH Autism Program through UNC in the future when working with patients and their families.

Interprofessional Education Activities:

Throughout classes and clinical experiences, I was able to be exposed to plentiful interprofessional opportunities which I have found incredibly helpful to my time in PT school and in my future career. Recently, I was able to participate in a virtual session with SLP and OT students where we discussed resume building and interview skills and we were able to provide feedback on our resumes and brainstorm how to answer behavioral interviewing questions. I was also fortunate enough to be able to attend the Combined Sections Meeting in Boston this year where I sat in on a session discussing the connections between strength and conditioning professionals and sports physical therapists. I found this session particularly interesting as I have a background in personal training/strength coaching, and I loved hearing how these two professions can work hand in hand and help the athlete return to sport at the highest level. Lastly, during my clinical experience at Abilitation’s Children’s Therapy, I worked alongside speech and occupational therapists each day as we typically treated the same patients and would report progress to each other before and after each session. I found that having access to these clinicians was irreplaceable as it helped teach me how to handle behavioral issues with pediatric patients and showed me the benefits of allowing patients to have off days while meeting them where they are instead of forcing a pre-planned treatment session on them.

Product Examples:

• Capstone: Nutrition’s Impact on Muscle Mass in Menopausal Women
  • Presentation: Nutrition_menopause capstone – Edge final
  • Patient education handout: Menopause nutrition infographic (2)
• Inservice on Bertolloti’s Syndrome for NC Center for PT staff: Bertolotti’s Syndrome
• Patient education brochure on Torticollis: TorticollisInfographic_Edge
• Topic in Sports Presentation: Hamstring Injury Prevention & the Impact of Strength and Conditioning on Injury Risk Reduction: Hamstring Injury Prevention and the Impact of Strength and Conditioning on Injury Risk Reduction

Reflective Statement:

Reflecting on my time as a student in the UNC Physical Therapy program these last three years, I am filled with so much joy and pride. I feel incredibly proud of myself and all my classmates for persevering and getting through the difficult lows and the incredible highs throughout this program. I have met some of my very best friends these last three years and I have met mentors that I will feel comfortable and confident to call on in my future years as a clinician.

Coming into PT school, I was confident that I was making the right decision for my future, and I am walking away feeling that same way. I came in with an idea of what and how I wanted to practice, and I am walking away with so many more interests. While I still find myself drawn to orthopedics and sports physical therapy, I have also found a passion in the intersection of nutrition and recovery, women’s health, female athletes, and pediatrics.

Thanks to UNC and the DPT program, I have become more confident in myself and my abilities, and I have grown into a professional that I am so excited to take into the working world! Carolina has been a huge part of my life since I was a little girl, and I am thankful that I chose to stay here and complete this program in Chapel Hill. UNC has been home to so many of my best memories since becoming a student here in 2015 and getting three more years to experience the joy that exudes from this place was the biggest blessing! I couldn’t thank UNC enough for allowing me to grow into the woman I am today and for fostering my love for sports, exercise, nutrition, good coffee, long walks through campus and for bringing me my favorite people in the world. After seven years, I am officially signing off as a Tar Heel and I get to do it as Dr. Edge! Go Heels always!

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