DPT  Know

“APTA’s vision for physical therapy is ‘transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience’. How will you embody this vision as a future physical therapist?"

 

For me it took a lot of brainstorming and drafts to get a draft of my essay that I was proud of. 

What the question is essentially asking is how will you as a physical therapist demonstrate, carry out, or embody the APTA’s vision?  

 

 

 

-How will you help others by promoting movement? 

-How will you as a physical therapist transform society?

- What are some ways you will help patients with prevention?

-How will you help your community?

-What changes would you like to make in the physical therapy profession?

-How will you stay actively involved with new education for physical therapists?

-How will you stay up to date with law changes that are being made that influence the physical therapy profession as a whole? Will you be actively involved in advocating?

- What are your dreams/goals as a physical therapist?

-How have past experiences with physical therapy influenced the type of physical therapist you want to be for your patients?

- What experiences have led you to this point of wanting to be a PT ?

-What have you learned from physical therapists that you have interacted with that you want to implement as a physical therapist?

-How is the type of physical therapist you want to become important to the APTA’s vision statement? (characteristics you have etc.)

- Why is prevention and movement important for patients?

-What are current issues that patients are facing that you would like to change to better their care?

 

These are just some things to think about and ask yourself when brainstorming about your essay. 

Lets say you don’t know exactly what you want to do. What past experiences in physical therapy do you have that makes you so passionate about this profession? How will you do the same thing that you have seen other therapists do for patients, but in your own way? Put your passion in to this essay. I bet there is some vision of the type of therapist you want to be! Use it let it fuel your essay!

I also looked at the APTA website and read up more on their vision I tried to hit the key points of what their vision statement is about. I brainstormed about how I would embody them. You can find more information here: http://www.apta.org/Vision/

 

 

 

 

1. Intro: I wrote about (extremely brief) my own experience as a physical therapy patient . I also included how the therapist I worked with really inspired me.

2. How my mentors inspired me to change the physical therapy profession. What need as a physical therapist I wanted to fulfill. Because I was involved with their research I saw what “need” there is in the physical therapy profession. I stated what the need was.

3. . I wrote about how I wanted to advocate and change things.

4. I wrote briefly about my experience as a rehab aide and how observing helped me prepare for my future career. 

5. Through all this I figured out what KIND of physical therapist I wanted to be for my patients and wrote about that too.

 

I tried not to be so “ I had an injury so it influenced me to be a PT” . Many applicants have been exposed to PT through this. Although I was a patient once, it wasn’t only this that made me passionate about the career. It was a multitude of things that shaped my vision of what I wanted my career to look like. 

When I first began my essay, I lost my voice in it writing more about what I learned from everything as opposed to HOW am I going to be as a physical therapist. Remember your career as a physical therapist is your own so have your own vision for where you want to take your career. Don’t lose your voice in the essay. It helps to have a voice in your essay, so that the admissions committee reading your essay gets to know who you are! You are more than just an injury, you are embarking on a journey to change lives! What makes you so passionate about being on this journey?

 

I hope this helps you develop some solid, absolutely amazing essays! I am sure you all will do great. And as always contact me if you have any questions!