As a first-generation college graduate in my family, my primary goal has always been to find a stable career that can support my parents, who struggle financially. Healthcare seemed like a logical choice for stability while also finding a career where I could do what I love: provide care for those who need it. Eventually, I chose to pursue physical therapy, where I could combine education and healthcare into a single field and have more personal connections with the patients. Although I’ve seen many patients through my previous experiences in clinics and hospitals, one patient’s case remains distinctly in my memories. This patient has Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, and her husband has dedicated the rest of his life to caring for his wife and bringing her to PT to alleviate her pains. Her physical therapist understood that her condition would vary and that there would not be a steady improvement, only the slowing of her symptoms. The PT showed me that although some patients would likely not fully recover, they still came diligently to physical therapy to raise their quality of life. To most, palliative care encompasses medication, hospitalization, or at-home care, but I realized that an outpatient physical therapy clinic could also be a step in palliative care, where patients could learn to use their bodies more comfortably. During one session, this patient, who usually remained quiet and disconnected, began to move on her own again and grow talkative. Only moments earlier, she had been unmoving and staring into space, but something appeared to “click” in her mind, and she could follow the PT’s instructions and move her body more efficiently and smoothly than I’d ever seen. I want to have more experiences like this, where I can create an encouraging environment where patients are comfortable and willing to progress despite other factors holding them back. That patient and her physical therapist widened my views of physical therapy and healthcare. One important message from the first physical therapist I shadowed was that sometimes, all I needed to do was to talk to them and find out their interests. Creating trust and good rapport with patients is the first step to being an excellent physical therapist. Following my first experience in a clinic, I’ve had multiple work experiences and volunteer experiences where I learned to communicate with various people. Outside of physical therapy, my tutoring experience taught me how to educate my students while adapting to their needs rather than attempting to fit all the students into a single box. I molded and adapted to suit their needs, not just educationally but also emotionally. After taking on tutoring, I’ve noticed that my skills have also grown in the clinic. Noticing the application of my skills in the physical therapy field proves that I’m still learning and that learning never stops. I will continue to improve and find better ways to help my future patients. My goals as a physical therapist are shaped around my impression of my first mentor, showing me how important a good mentor and instructor is. I want to become a mentor to the future generations of women in healthcare by demonstrating that we, as the next generation of healthcare providers, can create a change in the system and work toward providing care for those in need, starting with the most basic form of care, which is communication. I also want to leave a lasting impression on my mentees, as my mentor did on me, and shape their mentality toward patient care and physical therapy.

As a first-generation college graduate in my family, my first goal has always been to find a career that is stable and can support my family and me until retirement, including my parents, who continue, even now, to struggle financially. Through different experiences in school and volunteering, I found kinesiology and physical therapy. I spent learning about the physiological and biomechanical effects of exercise on the body, and after my first internship at a physical therapy clinic, I knew that there would not be another career choice for me. Although I’ve seen many patients through my previous experiences in clinics and hospitals, one patient’s case remains distinctly in my memories. This patient has Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, and her husband has dedicated the rest of his life to caring for his wife and bringing her to PT to alleviate her pains. Her physical therapist understood that her condition would vary and that there would not be a steady improvement, only the slowing of her symptoms. The PT showed me that although some of these patients would not ever have a full recovery, they still came diligently to physical therapy to raise their quality of life. Most of those patients understood and accepted their condition but have not given up because they believe in their therapist. To most, palliative care encompasses medication, hospitalization, or at-home care, but I came to realize that an outpatient physical therapy clinic could also be a step in palliative care, where patients could learn to use their bodies more comfortably. During one session, this patient, who usually remained quiet and disconnected, began to move on her own again and grow talkative. Only moments earlier, she had been unmoving and staring into space, but something appeared to just “click” in her mind, and she was able to follow the PT’s instructions and move her body much more easily than I’d ever seen, compared to her previous sessions. Her physical therapist refused to be discouraged and talked to her throughout every session, and in this case, something that her physical therapist said had triggered a memory and caused her to grow excited and lucid. I want to have more experiences like this, where I can create an encouraging environment where patients are comfortable and willing to progress, despite other factors holding them back. That patient and her physical therapist widened my views on physical therapy and healthcare as a whole. One important message from the first physical therapist that I shadowed was that sometimes, all I needed to do was to talk to them and find out their interests. Creating trust and good rapport with patients is the first step to being a good physical therapist. Following my first experience in a clinic, I’ve had multiple work experiences and volunteer experiences where I learned to communicate with various people. Outside of physical therapy, my tutoring experience was the best in teaching me how to educate my students while adapting to their needs, rather than attempting to fit all the students into a single box. I molded and adapted to fit their needs, not just educationally but also emotionally. After taking on tutoring, I’ve noticed that my skills have also grown in the clinic. Noticing the application of my skills in the physical therapy field proves to me that I’m still learning and that learning never stops. I will continue to improve and find better ways to help my future patients.