DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

After graduating from UNC’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and becoming a licensed clinician, I plan to start working as an outpatient orthopedics physical therapist with the hopes of also getting certified as a vestibular PT within the next 5 years. I have discovered that orthopedics and vestibular rehab very often go hand in hand, and I have developed a deep passion for both. I want to help my patients fully participate in their meaningful daily activities whether that be competitive sports, chasing grandchildren around, or going on a daily walk with your dog. I want to be a physical therapist who treats every patient with compassion and dignity and uses a holistic approach to their care. I hope to build my patients’ autonomy and self-efficacy through education and transparency.

Interests: vestibular conditions, balance impairments, geriatrics

Career Plan

Past Accomplishments

• Graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in May of 2021
  • Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science
  • Minor in Neuroscience

Future Plans

• 2024
  • Pass the NCPTE in July
  • Graduate from UNC’s DPT program in July
  • Begin working as a physical therapist in outpatient orthopedics
• 2026 and beyond
  • Obtain Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS)
  • Pursue advanced training in vestibular rehabilitation
  • Become a clinical instructor

Clinical Experience

• UNC Spine Center in Chapel Hill, NC; June-August 2022 (8 weeks)
  • Outpatient Orthopedics
• UNC Chatham Rehabilitation in Pittsboro, NC; February-April 2023 (8 weeks)
  • Outpatient Neuro
• Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord, NC; April-June 2023 (8 weeks)
  • Acute Care- underserved population
• Breakthrough PT in Durham, NC; April-July 2024 (12 weeks)
  • Outpatient orthopedics

Self-Assessment

• Strengths
  • Efficient and thorough documentation
  • Developing a therapeutic alliance and patient rapport
  • Transparent communication with patients, family members and caregivers
  • Patient education
  • Organized and detail-oriented
  • Determined and strong work ethic
• Areas for Professional Development
  • Involvement in the APTA
  • Improved involvement in local community outreach
  • Billing and reimbursement
  • Staying up to date on current evidence based practice

Objectives

• Obtain Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from UNC Chapel Hill in July of 2024.
• Pass the NCPTE in July of 2024 and obtain physical therapy licensure in North Carolina.
• Successfully obtain a full-time position as an outpatient orthopedic physical therapist.
• Sit for the OCS Board Certification Exam by 2028.
• Improve in reading and interpreting literature so that I can provide evidence-based care to my future patients.

Specific Strategies

• Make a study plan for the NCPTE and stick to it to the best of my ability.
• Enroll in the necessary coursework to complete the UNC-Chapel Hill DPT curriculum.
• Complete a 12-week clinical rotation in outpatient orthopedics.
• Start researching job openings and reach out to potential employers during my final clinical rotation.
• Read one recent physical therapy paper of high quality evidence each week to contribute to my dedication of career-long learning and to stay informed of evidence-based practice.

Electives

• Fall 2023
  • PHYT 875- Advanced Orthopedic Assessment
  • PHYT 870- Integrated Clinical Experience
• Spring 2024
  • PHYT 872- Teacher Scholar
  • PHYT 874- Topics in Sports Physical Therapy

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Events

Throughout my time at UNC, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about diversity and inclusion (specifically in the context of healthcare but also life in general) and participate in DEI events. Before starting UNC’s DPT program, we were challenged to read a book called Blindspot. This novel very pivotal in making me aware of my own personal biases and in educating me on how to acknowledge these biases and work toward not letting these biases influence my clinical practice. I also had the opportunity to volunteer with a free sport’s physical clinic during my third year where we administered physicals to high schoolers who would not otherwise be able to play their sport due to a lack of access to receive a sports physical. This experience allowed me to see the importance that free clinics of all kinds have on increasing health care service inclusion for people in our community. In addition, I attended a lecture on access to health care for African American pregnant women of low socioeconomic status and how we as health care workers can maximize their access to health care. It was very eye opening to hear about the many specific challenges they face in health care in regard to accessing and receiving high quality health care, and I learned so much about how we can practically help our patients who are struggling to access health care. I want to implement all of the things I learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion during my time at UNC into my clinical practice, to work toward minimizing the influence of my biases and increasing access to physical therapy and other health care services.

Interprofessional Education (IPE)

Throughout this program and during my clinical education rotations, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other health care professionals to maximize patient care. During our first year we worked together with the Occupational Therapy program to discuss patient cases and come up with an appropriate plan of care for each case study. I learned a lot about the differences between PT and OT but how they can work together to administer high quality, individualized patient care. During my acute care rotation, I had the opportunity to co-treat with OT and work with them to accomplish our goals for the session and meet our patient’s needs. I also grew in my interdisciplinary communication skills. I learned how to update the nurses on our patients’ conditions in a way that was thorough but concise and discussed plans of care with doctors, nurses, social workers, family members, caregivers, etc. Interdisciplinary care is so important to ensure that our patients are treated wholistically, and that their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health is being cared for. I want to take what I learned into my outpatient orthopedic practice so that I can advocate for my patients in any way they need and collaborate with PCPs, surgeons, etc. to make the best plan of care for each patient.

Product Examples

• Capstone: Patient Education Brochures for Common Vestibular Conditions
  • Advisor: Rachel Donnelly, PT, DPT
  • Vestibular Conditions Patient Education Brochures
• Inservice Presentation to Atrium Health Cabarrus Rehab Staff: Evaluating and Treating Patients with Meniere’s Disease
  • Meniere’s Disease Handout
• Education Handout: Rule of 2’s for Vestibular Rehab HEP

Reflective Statement

As I reflect on my time in UNC’s DPT program, I am full of gratitude, pride, and joy. It was a challenging 3 years but having a great faculty and great classmates made it so enjoyable in the midst of great challenge and difficulty at times. The relationships I formed with my classmates are truly priceless to me and I am so thankful for the positivity and encouragement we shared with each other. I am also incredibly thankful for the mentorship I received from faculty members and my clinical instructors. You all helped shaped me into the clinician I am becoming, and I feel that this program prepared us well to be well rounded entry level physical therapists. I hope to return to the program in the future either as a clinical instructor or a class presenter of lecture material.

 

Comments RSS