Grad's guide to graduate admissions essays - Colleen Reding 2015
University of Southern California - Division of biokinesiology and physical therapy
Medicine/nursing/health
Describe your decision making process in choosing physical therapy as a career choice versus other health care careers.
As I stepped into the clinic, the sobering sight of the scarred, stitched, and bandaged residual limbs of soldiers elicited a sorrowful lump in my throat. A second later, a soldier sprinted by me on the indoor track, precariously rounding the curves and regaining control of his stride with surprising deftness in his two “Cheetah Blade” prosthetic feet. Throughout the bustling clinic, physical therapists and doctors looked on with pride, and fellow soldiers and patients cheered with aspiring admiration. The knot of unwanted pity in my throat vanished in a gasp of excitement.
well- avoiding clichés.These soldiers did not seek pity. Humbly and bravely, they sought support while striving to regain the highest degree of functional independence possible. For the next few weeks at the Amputee Clinic of the Military Advanced Training Center (MATC) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, I witnessed and partook in such support.
The patients and physical therapists in the MATC invigorated me daily, stoking a passion to pursue a career in which I could empower patients to recover. Although only a small demographic within the patient population, the soldiers at Walter Reed in conjunction with their physical therapists highlighted both the importance of a strong therapist-patient relationship and a creative holistic approach to problem solving, as well as the appeal of the altruistic drive behind physical therapy.
The unique and multifaceted medical conditions of these soldiers require several months, potentially years, of treatment. During those months, the physical therapist invests time and energy into developing a relationship with the patient in order to understand better the patient’s needs and goals. My experience in the MATC taught me how a therapist plays a continuous role throughout most of the healing process, as opposed to merely prescribing a quick-fix treatment.
This fall, as a Physical Education teacher in a school for children with special needs, I have been forming just such relationships with children on the autism spectrum. As with PT patients, these children experience a complex combination of conditions including self-regulation challenges in executive functioning, proprioception, and social anxiety. Additionally, in concert with the goals of physical therapy, the mission of our unique school involves providing these children with tools to function healthily and relatively independently in daily personal and social life.
As in grade school academia, the development of an authentic personal relationship between the therapist and the person seeking therapy underscores not only the altruistic nature of PT in which the therapist strives to help those in need, but also the inventive problem solving involved in treating a PT patient. Determining how most effectively to treat a patient, or to instruct a child on the autism spectrum, requires a comprehensive understanding of the individual’s past experiences, his or her current physical, mental, and emotional conditions, and his or her aspirations for the future.
As I spend time with my students, I channel the discipline and attention to detail that I developed while studying undergraduate physics to scrutinize student reactions and interactions in order to tailor my lesson plans to the students’ needs. From eye movements and focus when throwing and catching a football, to reactions after missing a free throw, each action and response informs me as to how I can better serve the individual students and the class as a whole.
The physical therapists at Walter Reed introduced me to this holistic approach to treating individuals whose conditions span several medical fields. In addition to time in the Amputee Clinic, I witnessed and assisted with biomedical-PT research that aims to develop and to improve equipment and treatment methods. In the Center for Performance and Clinical Research, organizing data for a study on the effects of prosthetic use on metabolic rate during physical activity and observing appointments of patients who use the Computer Animated Research Environment (CAREN) exposed me to the breadth of innovation in this field of medicine.
The therapists’ flexibility, creativity, and collaboration fueled by a genuine desire to serve the wounded soldiers continue to inspire me as I address the daily challenges of children with unique neurological, emotional, and physical needs in hopes of applying a similar work ethic as a physical therapist.
