The Clinical Experience

Hard to believe it has been over a year since I've put anything down here. Was never really sure how much anyone would care about this blog, but judging from the amount of page views this blog gets, there's a lot of people out there curious about what it takes to become a physical therapist. Seems most of my views come from people looking for application help, so for those of you out there filling out your PTCAS and want some input, shoot me an email or drop a comment. I'm more than willing to answer your questions or give you some feedback.

So here I am in my 4th semester of PT school. This is just about the halfway point of my schooling career. I've got lots of classes under my belt, but even more importantly, I've finally gotten the opportunity to be in the clinic. I recently completed my six-week clinical rotation in December. The setting was an outpatient clinic that dealt mainly with patients with low-back and neck injuries. I was able to see the occasional shoulder, hip, and knee patient as well.

Some tips for those of you entering the clinic.

Don't be intimidated - especially if it is your first clinical, your instructor knows what to expect of you (and it's not much). Obviously be aware of the PT basics (MMT, goniometry, and a basic exam), but don't sweat the big stuff. That is why you are in the clinic. I think I would've gotten much more from the experience if I didn't spend the first week and a half trying to decide my place. Just jump in and get your feet wet.

Ask questions - If your CI didn't want to answer your questions, they probably wouldn't have chosen to be a CI. If you're unsure of a technique or diagnosis, just ask. You must, of course, be aware of the appropriate time to ask questions. It may or may not be okay to ask things in front of patients or during the busiest hour of the day. You're there to learn, though, so soak it up.

Try, Touch, Feel - This is what is so important about the clinic. You have been practicing these techniques on you fairly healthy classmates for a few semesters. Now it is time to get into the nitty gritty of our profession. You'll be amazed when you feel a knot in someones back or tight suboccipitals like you've never seen. Try the techniques too! If you're uncomfortable, ask your CI if you can practice on them first. They will help you get it down before you go cranking on a patients frozen shoulder.

Those are just a few of the basics of getting started on a clinical rotation. I think now is the time when a lot of you out there are waiting for acceptance letters, so good luck! Keep checking PTCAS and checking back here for updates.

Ted

Stuck in the Roundabout

Applying to and getting accepted into grad school is no easy feat. Trust me, I've been through the torture these past few months. I can flat out say I don't have the best GPA in the pool. Why should I worry though? All I hear are the constant drone of "colleges want a 'well-rounded' student," always ending with the dreadful tagline, "You'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about." Let me be the first to say: shenanigans.

Maybe it's not every school. Maybe it's not every major. Heck, maybe it's just me and I'm not quite as well-rounded as I think I am. I've applied to twelve schools. TWELVE! (Soon to be 14, but who's counting.) Out of those 12 schools, I have been accepted to one. ONE! What does that mean for me, and, more importantly, the poor undergrads as a whole: Maybe being well-rounded isn't the most important. I think it's a factor, don't get me wrong, but it seems there are other factors at play here that I just missed the boat on.

As mentioned earlier, my GPA could definitely be improved. Especially after PTCAS averaged out my retakes. "Don't worry!" they told me. My GRE scores are pretty competitive, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more involved than me. (Ok, I'm not the most involved, but my campus involvement is pretty impressive). I do the volunteer work. I had the observation. What is my downfall? GPA! My poor, pitiful GPA gets me rejected to all the schools I had hoped to be accepted into.

So, my word to the wise: Keep your GPA up! Do good on your GRE! After that, your stuff is icing on the cake. Yes, get involved. No, don't be a social outcast, but find that balance. Don't let your GPA suffer because you want to be in 15 different student organizations. At the end of the day, school's will be judging you on that GPA. Maybe not all programs. Maybe not all schools, but it seems to be a common theme in the medical/health field.

Feel free to debate this with me. I'd really like to hear your experiences and some proof for the other side!

In other news, I have sent my application in for the University of North Dakota Physical Therapy program. They don't use the PTCAS system, so my GPA will be much higher, and I will be facing less applicants! Fingers crossed!

The Waiting Game

Hey all,

I realize I haven't posted in a while, but the PT world has been pretty quiet for me. Here's where I stand so far:

AT Still University of Health Sciences

AZ - Application put on hold

Central Michigan University

MI- Still waiting; should be soon

Chatham University

PA- waitlisted; still hoping for a spot

Drexel

PA- rejected

Franklin Pierce University

NH

Concord Campus

NH- decided not to apply

Hampton University

VA- haven't heard anything!

Oakland University

MI- waiting; should hear in Feb.

Touro College

NY

Bay Shore (Long Island)

NY- accepted; paid $1,000 deposit to hold my seat

University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

MD- haven't heard anything

Wayne State University

MI- waiting; should hear in Feb.

I also decided to apply to the University of Illinois- Chicago and Grand Valley State University, but both programs have also rejected me.

It's been a tough road, but there is still lots of hope out there. I've been accepted to Touro College in NY. I am very excited to have an option. My only reservations with that school are mainly the costs associated. Not only is tuition more expensive, but cost of living in NY is a lot higher than I would like. Then there is always the money associated with traveling home. All things you have to consider when deciding on a grad school. I also have not visited the campus yet. I would have liked to get to know the program a little better before I committed with a deposit, but timing prevented that. I've heard good and bad things about the program, so we will see! In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me!

A fork in the road...

I never thought for one second that I would even consider declining an offer to grad school, especially without a backup plan in place, but here I am, struggling with the possibility. A school in New York has offered me a position in their DPT program. After the party balloons and confetti fell to the ground after that news, I was left with a decision I would really rather not make.

You see, the real snag here is that this school in New York has given me only 4 weeks to decide if I want to go there or not. That decision, coupled with a check for $1,000 they are asking for, has left me feeling rather ill about the whole situation. New York is kind of far away. It probably would be a cool place to be for a little bit, but it is far away. And it's expensive. It would probably amount to about 20k or more in debt above what most other schools would cost me. Did I mention New York is kinda far away? I'm a homebody....

Another thing that is slowing me from throwing a grand at this school was the absolutely amazing interview I had at another school in Pittsburgh. The actual interview part went well I thought, but everything about the school just really felt right to me. It seemed like a place that was a really good fit for me, and I could totally see myself being a part of that program. The city and the school were both great. I think that the interview went well, but who is to say that I was one of the top 36 people they want for their school? I had a good feeling, but I'm not sure it was good enough to not accept the offer to the school in NY. I can always rescind my offer, but then I'm out $1,000. Probably not a huge deal in the long run, but a big enough deal to put me in this predicament.

I still have 5 or 6 schools that have not contacted me yet, so there is still quite a bit of hope that I could get into somewhere else, but the 3 rejection letters I got also drag a little bit of that hope away. The school I was accepted into in NY has a larger class size (70 people) and a slighter lower minimum GPA, sooo...I don't know. Just a lot of things to think about. I never thought being accepted into grad school could be so stressful!

My solution for now: Call the Pittsburgh school tomorrow and see if they are willing to give me an expedited answer. That would really ease my mind. So, for anyone who is still reading: I could use some advice as to what I should do. Or maybe, you just have an extra G lying around you could donate? :) Either way, I appreciate the responses and readers!

Peace.

It's been a while, and I need to write...

So, turns out applying to grad schools and doing the million other things that I do during the average day doesn't leave much room for blogging. For now, I'll give you the quick and dirty version of what I've been doing with my life in regards to physical therapy, because there has been quite a bit of news.

Shadowing:
I started shadowing at the local hospital by my school. It proved to be a really great experience, and I was able to see a lot of variety in the physical therapy field. The three PTs that I was able to work with were really great. They knew quite a bit about the field, and had really great hearts in their work. One of the therapists was from India, one from South Africa, and one from here in Michigan. The stories that they told me were great. I am really sad that I won't be hanging around them everyday now. Like I said, they just had the biggest hearts, and I like to surround myself with people with big hearts. The small-town atmosphere at the place was great. Every patient that came in knew about the therapists' lives and vice-versa. I think this really improved the actual therapy that was being given. The PTs knew what their patients were up to and how it affected the treatment that they were receiving. In regards to the variety I saw, it was pretty great. A lot of the patients were there for your typical orthopedic therapy. They had broken a hip, got a knee replacement, tore their rotator cuff or something along those lines. Those injuries are neat to treat and see progress, but they were mostly things I had already seen in my shadowing. Some of the newer things I got to see was the training of a prosthetic leg and a child with Pompe's disease (A disease that causes severe muscle weakness due to a missing enzyme in the body). I learned a little about something called the McKenzie method, which is a type of physical therapy that involves extension of the body to help "move" pain out of the body. It is really cool to see in action and is definitely something that I would be interested in learning more about later. All in all, it was a great opportunity, and I'm really glad that I was able to observe there.

Applications:
In the world of applications, I have added two schools to my list: University of Illinois- Chicago and Grand Valley State University. Those applications are done, and now I am just waiting (still) (not so patiently) to hear back from someone. A little bit of possible good news though: Chatam University in Pittsburgh emailed me saying that I was being placed into their 'priority' track. Basically, that means that I will have a sooner interview with them and will know sooner whether or not I got in. All depending on if they like me or not, of course. Still trying to be hopeful.

I probably could come up with a little more to say, but we can just leave it at that for now. I'll keep you updated as the offers roll in.... -_-

A little bit of ego never hurt anyone...

Sometimes, well, a lot of the time, I am not the nicest person to myself. I tend to beat myself up a lot. I have some scientific basis - we took a personality test in RA training, and one of my reoccurring traits was self-abusive -ok, not so scientific, but still proves the point. So what do I do when I'm feeling my lowest? I make other people tell me how great I am. That sounds narcissistic, maybe it is. But before you go thinking I'm some sort of crass a-hole, let me elaborate. I don't exactly walk up to the nearest person and demand a compliment of some sort - as fun as that may be, it is still socially unacceptable by most cultural standards. No, instead of that, I go back and read letters of recommendation that people have written for me over the years. As pathetic as it sounds, I don't think it's a bad idea. We can all use a pickmeup sometimes, and someone isn't always there to offer that to us. If you haven't done it before, I'm telling you to try it. Recommendation letters are written (usually and hopefully) to make you look like a really great person (and hopefully you are.), so this is usually the best place to find nice things written about yourself! Let go of that little self-centered guilt you might feel at first and just enjoy the letter for what it is: a positive representation of yourself.

Today, I really needed that uplifting feeling I get from a letter of recommendation. I was feeling a little doubtful about the competitiveness of my graduate school application and decided to go ahead and read one of the best (in my opinion) letters of recommendation that was written about me. To further indulge my egotistical side, I have posted it below for you, the blogosphere, to enjoy and feel good about me too!

August 15, 2011
To Whom It May Concern:

I would highly recommend Theodore DeChane (Ted) as a student for your Physical Therapy program.  Ted initiated coming to observe in the school setting where I worked.  He was professional and followed-up on his request.  When he observed with the severely impaired students, he took in that observation and asked if there were other chances for further observation not only with my students but also with other student groups (i.e. the Early Childhood Special Education students, students in the general education setting, etc).  Ted was eager to learn whatever he could from his observations.  He has a great curiosity and desire to learn more about the field of physical therapy and all the different settings in which a physical therapist can practice.

Ted was very relaxed and comfortable with the severely impaired students with which I work.  It was a joy to watch him interact with the students, help with their therapeutic play and joke around with those who could.  He was eager and willing to help with their play therapy and asked appropriate questions.  I was touched and surprised by the ease with which Ted interacted with the severely impaired students.  Most students who have come to observe at the MOISD are taken aback and intimidated by the severity of the students’ impairments.  Most prospective PT students tend to stand back (often against a wall), watch what I do, and get out of there as soon as possible.  Ted, on the other hand, was relaxed, interacting with the kids, and eager to help when able/appropriate during the therapy sessions.  The kids really took to Ted and enjoyed having him there to interact in their way with.

I was also impressed with the approach Ted took when deciding on Physical Therapy as an occupation.  Ted has looked into various medical fields and potential careers and has ruled out many, based on what they do and what his interests/strengths are.  He is not your typical student who is young and interested in PT “because they were injured in sports in 7th grade” or simply “because I like to work with people.”  I believe Ted will continue to use his discerning thought processes to help him become a strong physical therapist who has the critical thinking skills that are a necessity in our field.

Ted may not be the student with the highest grade point average who is applying to your school, but he has traits that are so important in our field.   So many of the students that I have seen have high grade point averages but sometimes are lacking in other critical areas of self-awareness, critical thinking skills, compassion and empathy.  As you know Physical Therapy is both an art and a science and Ted has demonstrated the ability to find that balance between the two.  Ted will also be a strong team-member not only in your program but also in the field.  He is flexible and able to adapt to change easily and is a hard worker who is eager to get involved and do his share of the work.

I strongly recommend you consider Theodore DeChane for your Physical Therapy program.  I would be happy to have him as a co-worker in the future and believe you will feel the same when you have the pleasure of getting to know him as well.

 Pretty great, huh? That's really all I needed to post about - it is late and my shift is more than half finished now! (yay). So enjoy yourself once in a while - go read a recommendation letter!

This is a DISASTER

This week, thus far, has been a rough one for me spiritually. Even with the actual payment (upwards of $800) and submission of my PTCAS application, I still am very discouraged about getting into a physical therapy school, preferably one that is not across the country (but i'll take what I can get). One of the most frustrating things in this whole situation is my desire for instant gratification. I'll chalk this one up to my generation, but my incredible need for a answer right now is getting in the way of me relaxing about the process being done. Realistically, I probably won't have an answer (good or bad) until sometime in late January or February, maybe later. Most likely, I will be a nervous wreck until then.

The thing I've done most today is think about things I wish I would have done differently. They tell us not to dwell on the past or wallow in our mistakes, but maybe some young, aspiring pre-PT student will be reading my blog and think, "Wow, I really wish there was some sort of list of things I might wish I had/had not done in my early undergraduate studies." Well, kiddo, here's to you:

1. Think about what you really want.

          One of the weakest things on my application is probably my observation hours. Since I switched to PT so late in the game, it was hard to accumulate hours in a short amount of time. I picked pharmacy for Lord knows what, and, although I don't consider it a waste of time, it sure would have been nice to know what I wanted from the get-go. Find something you love and go for it. Money and perks aside,  a career is a long-term commitment. Don't get stuck doing something you find absolutely dull.

2. Make that first (and second and third and fourth) year in college count.

          It is really easy to screw up your GPA. Standing at 99 credit hours right now, even a 4.0 in a class doesn't move my cumulative up very much. Getting good grades right off the bat is pretty important. Over-study for the first few tests and go from there. It is never OK to feel the first test out. Yeah, I did it a lot. My GPA isn't horrible, but it is something I wish would be a little more stronger for me.

3. Networking

          Meet anyone and everyone that you can. Eventually, I met someone who served on the selection committee for the GVSU PT school. She was a great resource for me and gave me great tips for what to say during the interview process. College gives you the opportunity to get to know a bunch of people. Find people that will benefit your career in some way, and you will go far!

4. Be confident! (and if you're not: get confident!)

          No matter what happens after college, you will eventually have to go through some sort of interview. One thing that really helped me get connected with the right people and the right opportunities. Be persistent and confident whenever you go into a situation. This will show people that you are the right person for the job.

Not an all-inclusive list, but certainly the few things that are really coming to mind right now. I'll just be sitting here waiting for a call or an email from some physical therapy school telling me they want me to come to campus for an interview. Maybe that will mean flying to Arizona, or driving to Virginia, but any little thing like that would certainly make me feel a little better about the process. Now please excuse me while I try to find some way to recover my monetary losses of the week.