My Philosophy

1. Why are you in your profession? Explain your vision. (200+ words)
Physical therapy is my chosen profession, because they dedicate their lives to helping people.
My vision is to one day become a physical therapist, so I can change lives for the better.
When patients are injured, they are not living their best life. Their injury is affecting them in
all aspects of life. When these patients come to physical therapy, their quality of life will
change. They will be able to execute activities that they were unable to do before. Alcalde
and his associates (2017), conducted a study to see the effects of an aquatic physiotherapy
program on pain, functional capacity, and the quality of life in senior citizens with knee
osteoarthritis. Due to how recent this article is, the data is still being collected, but it is
expected that the participants will have improved their quality of life, by improving their
functional capacity (Alcalde et. al., 2017). If I get rejected by the physical therapy schools
that I applied too, I will be tenacious by not giving up. I will not let those rejections change
my mind about becoming a physical therapist. This also show my inner strength. It takes a lot
of courage to reapply to the very program that rejected you the first time. I am the maker of
my own destiny, and I cant rely on people to make my dreams come true. (227)
In a study conducted by Moffitt and Mohr (2015), participants that received the motivation
intervention had a higher rate of success compared to the participants that did not receive the
intervention. There are several ways to promote motivation, and I am going to motivate my
patients by providing a treatment plan that is challenging for them, having transparency, and
by emphasizing their progress. By keeping their rehabilitation plan challenging, patients will
always be striving to improve. Having transparency with your patients is an important step
into creating strong relationships. Informing your patient on why their rehabilitation plan is
programmed in a certain way, will open up communication between the patient and myself.
This will help with motivation because the patient will be invested in their rehabilitation
program. By commenting on their progress, patients will be motivated to continue, because
their hard work is paying off. (211)

2. What do you teach? Explain your mission & values. (300+ words)
Instructing my patients on how to perform their exercises on their rehabilitation plan will
increase their movement and overall function in the injured area. As their range of movement
increases, they will have an easier time executing everyday activates. When patients have the
ability to execute everyday activities without the same difficulty as before, their outlook on
life changes. I want to improve the quality of life on every patient that I encounter. Schrder
and his associates (2012), conducted a study comparing two different types of treatment
methods on participants with osteoporosis. Throughout their treatment, participants had less
back pain and had improvements in their daily lives (Schrder et. al., 2012). These two
changes had a positive impact on the participants quality of life. When participants can
transfer the skills, they have learned in treatment to everyday actives, I have completed my
mission. My core values are communication, transferable skills, team work, and knowledge.
By creating strong relationships, we will be able to work together to create a custom-made
rehabilitation plan. The patient will be able to say when they do not like a particular exercise.
I believe that with the right rehabilitation plan, patients will have an easier time performing
everyday activities, improving their quality of life. Satink and his colleagues (2016),
conducted a study to see how stroke survivors managed their lives. When participants were
able to perform everyday activities, they had a chance to experience, develop adaptive self-
management skills, and they had the ability to be in charge of their daily lives (Satink et. al.,
2016). This shows that performing everyday activities, is an important factor in developing
self-management skills (Satink et. al., 2016). Physical therapy is a team oriented job,
everybody has to do their part to accomplish the desired outcome. Physical therapy is a
profession that is continuously changing. To make sure that I am using up to date exercises, I
need to attend conferences and read scientific journals. (324)

3. How do you measure your effectiveness? Explain your measures. (300+ words)
I measure my effectiveness by asking myself these four questions. Has the patient increased
their range of motion? Do they have an easier time doing everyday activities? Have I
provided a workout that is tailored to the patient? Have I provided enough information to
inform the patient about their treatment? If the patient has regained almost all of their
mobility back, they will be able to do live out their life with little to no restrictions. In some
cases, its not possible for a patient to regain all their mobility back, as their therapist I have
to make sure that I communicate that clearly to my patient. In order to have transparency
between the client and myself, I have to make sure that the patient knows everything about
their rehabilitation plan. Being transparent will establish a level of trust between the patient
and myself. In a study conducted by Kelley and her associates (2015), it emphasized the
importance of having open communication for shared decision making. In physical therapy,
my patient should trust me enough to communicate their likes and dislikes for certain
exercises. Depending on the clients reasoning for the dislike, we may be able to come to an
agreement on different exercise that works the same muscles. This will ensure that their
rehabilitation plan is tailored to their skill set. Svedmark and his colleagues (2016),
conducted a study to see if the effects of treatment differed between tailored and nontailored
treatment. The results between these two treatment plans were essentially the same, but the
tailored treatment participants, had a higher quality of work (Svedmark et. al., 2016). So, if it
is feasible, put together a rehabilitation plan that the client likes. They will have more
motivation to do their workouts in and out of the physical therapists office. (300)

4. How do you plan to demonstrate your faith in your future profession? (200+ words)
My faith plays a big part in everything. Not only do I have to adhere to the ethical standards
of physical therapists, but the bible has shaped my own ethical standards. I will not turn
someone away based off of their injury. Everyone that comes into my office is going to
receive the best service that I can offer them. Not only do I want to help them physically, but
I also want to help them mentally. In the verse, 1st Thessalonians 5:11, it says, therefore
encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. Aside from helping
them heal from injury, it is my job to build my client up. If they are in a bad place mentally,
their rehabilitation process will take longer. By the time my client finishes their session, they
will have complete trust in their injury and themselves. I hope that my actions are Christlike.
When my clients or coworkers describe my personality to other people, I want them to
describe me as a Christian. I may not be able to openly talk about my religion to my clients,
but if they ask a religious question, I am going to answer it. My answer could turn some
towards God, I am not going to let an opportunity like that go to waste. (221)
 References
Alcalde, G. E., Fonseca, A. C., Bscoa, T. F., Gonalves, M. R., Bernardo, G. C., Pianna, B., & ...
Bscoa, T. F. (2017). Effect of aquatic physical therapy on pain perception, functional
capacity and quality of life in older people with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a
randomized controlled trial. Trials, 181-6. doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2061-x
Kelley, M., James, C., Alessi Kraft, S., Korngiebel, D., Wijangco, I., Rosenthal, E., & ... Lee, S.
S. (2015). Patient Perspectives on the Learning Health System: The Importance of Trust
and Shared Decision Making. American Journal Of Bioethics, 15(9), 4-17.
doi:10.1080/15265161.2015.1062163
Satink, T., Josephsson, S., Zajec, J., Cup, E. C., de Swart, B. M., & Nijhuis-van der Sanden, M.
G. (2016). Self-management develops through doing of everyday activities--a
longitudinal qualitative study of stroke survivors during two years post-stroke. BMC
Neurology, 161-13. doi:10.1186/s12883-016-0739-4
Schrder, G., Knauerhase, A., Kundt, G., & Schober, H. (2012). Effects of physical therapy on
quality of life in osteoporosis patients -- a randomized clinical trial. Health & Quality Of
Life Outcomes, 10(1), 101-108. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-10-101
Svedmark, ., Djupsjbacka, M., Hger, C., Jull, G., & Bjrklund, M. (2016). Is tailored
treatment superior to nontailored treatment for pain and disability in women with non-
specific neck pain? A randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 171-
14. doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1263-9