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.

The Waiting Game

Well, I think I finally did it. My application is done. Well, mostly. PTCAS is a tedious son of a gun, and it has not made me feel any better about my chances of getting into PT school. After I pay my $405 fee to them, they will calculate my GPA. It's quite possible the might just tell me my GPA is too low to apply since they calculate repeated courses into the GPA. In which case I'm out $405, not getting into PT school, and probably crying a little. Ok, two of those three things will probably happen. I'll let you choose which two you think it is.

A little thing that irritated me today was a character limit in an essay. I wrote this beautiful essay detailing why I wanted to attend Oakland University. I hit submit thinking I was golden and then this ever-so-pleasant box popped up and said that I was 500 characters over the limit. LIMIT?! Wondering why I was never informed of the limit, I grudgingly tried to take out extra words. I shortened physical therapy to 'PT' and Oakland University to 'OU.' I HATED putting abbreviations in my essay, but there was really no way I could take anything out. Irritating. For Realz.

Luckily, the application is done though. I can get this pestering thing off my shoulder and into the interwebs to be judged and critiqued by everyone. Slightly unnerving, but that is what the world is about I guess. Being a little unnerved and hoping things work out in the end. Maybe that's just how I live my life, but who knows. So now it's your turn. Please send prayers, good wishes, juju, or whatever it is you worship and praise my way. I need all the thoughts and encouragement you got!

My goals for this next week (aside from building an awesome house community and starting classes off on a good foot) are to finish my GVSU application (they don't take PTCAS), as well as try to get my PT to verify my hours and my professor to write me a letter of recommendation.

Looking out

Today seems like the perfect day for a little blogging, no? I wish I would've had this started earlier to tell you every detail from my observation in a special needs school. Since this is the path of physical therapy that I've chosen to take, I figured it would be best to shadow in this setting. I got a hold of the local special needs school, and after some phone calls, emails, and a background check (clean, thank you very much,) I was on my way to job shadowing!

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this experience. In my previous shadowing experiences, I had mostly just been able to watch, not do. I've never been one to stand around and watch people while I sit there doing nothing, so I was hoping this experience would be different in that aspect. I really appreciated the work that I saw in my previous encounters in physical therapy, but I just was not a huge fan of standing around all the time!

The school that I was shadowing at was state-of-the-art by no one's standards. Some of the equipment was outdated, but the therapists obviously had to make do with what they had. Luckily for the school, they could not have chosen a better therapist for the job. The PT I shadowed was simply amazing at what she did. She worked so well with the children, and the way they responded was simply extraordinary. I've never really looked up to anyone in a professional aspect, but this PT was sure to change that.

The first thing we did was take a tour of the facility. As small as it was, there was still things I needed to know about the place, and the PT really made me feel comfortable with the school. She also introduced me to the staff (all very wonderful people) and started to introduce me to the kids. She gave me a background about each student in the school that she worked on. There was a range of kids there. Some were born the way they were. Some, however, got that way from neglect or abuse from their parents. It was incredibly sad to see the kids like that and know that someone could do that to them, but I was relieved by the fact that they were now receiving such excellent care at this school.

From the very first day I was there, the PT had no qualms about me working with the students. Helping hands were never something she would turn down, and she was always very quick to remind me how nice it was to have an extra set of arms around to lift and move some of the kids who could not do it themselves. It came as much relief to see that the PT was so wiling to let me help when I could.

One of the first things I remember doing at the school was helping a child use a gate trainer. If you can imagine a walker that a baby would use, (Chicco DJ Baby Walker, Splash) you can kind of get the idea of a gate trainer. It helps the students learn the basic muscle control of walking without allowing them to fall down and hurt themselves. I asked a lot about the kind of goals that the PT would set with the students. I wasn't quite sure where her therapy was going, but was shocked to learn that her ultimate goal for this student was to walk! Right now, he could only roll on the ground and walk with the gate trainer. She was very confident, however, that he would be able to walk someday. She mentioned that goals are very long-term for these students since they aren't simply healing something, but reteaching a behavior. It takes time for the muscle to get that memory that is required to walk. This is one thing I am really excited about for my future. To be able to take a child that can barely crawl and get him to the point where he can take steps on his own! It seems incredibly rewarding.

After the gate trainer, the PT showed me some stretches that she did on the kids to loosen their muscle tone. I think we did only one 1:1 session helping a student who was in a wheelchair learn to grasp a ball and transfer it to his other hand. A seemingly mundane task, but can be made super fun when you're working with this group of kids.

I absolutely loved that first day at the school. Can't wait to write about the days that come! Leave me some feedback!

Ridin' Along

I set up my first job shadowing experience over semester break last year. I called the physical therapy place in my local town, and they were more than willing to show me the ropes. I was definitely nervous, but excited in the days leading up to it. I wasn't sure at all what to expect which is where most of my nerves came from. I'm not really a huge fan of the unknown.

Well, the day had come. I wasn't super excited about spending my entire Christmas break waking up at six in the morning to make it to the PT place by seven, but I felt a little bit better knowing that I was going to be able to finally get some real experience in the field since my only real experience with physical therapy was internet research and a paper I wrote in my business writing class.

I really liked the facility. It was just a small place above the doctor's office, but it seemed to be a place I would like to work at. I've never really been a fan of big, impersonal places, so the small setting really attracted me to this place. The PTs and PT aides there were phenomenal. They were great with their patients and really seemed to make the patients feel cared for. That was one of my favorite things about the place. They new all of their patients names and a lot of their life story. One of the cool things about PT is you kind of just get to chill with the people while you're doing work on them. If they have to spend 10 minutes on the bike, then that is ten minutes you get to talk with them.

Some of those people had some pretty amazing stories. There was a 93 year old women that came in with a new hip she needed to get used to. She called it a "minor blip" in her life. She told me the story of her and her husband who had been married for 70-some years and how they met. That was really awesome to hear. She seriously did not look her age, but to see her so happy and full of life really made me stop and think. Experiences like this happened several times throughout the week. We had some cranky people come through (and there are always going to be cranky people in life), but the good definitely outweighed the bad that week I was there.

One thing I didn't like about my experience there, was the fact that I just had to stand there, literally. I wasn't really allowed to do anything (not that I expected to be), but it got a little boring just standing there sometimes. I was talking to a patient once, and he told me that he thought i was a security guard at first. It got better as the week progressed and the PTs and their aides got to know me more, but that was really my only peeve about the experience (well, aside from the early mornings).

Overall, this was a really positive experience for me. At first it seemed a little strange that I was required to shadow a PT before I even applied for school, but it makes sense now. They want to make sure this is what you want. PT is not a glorious career. It's not something you pursue for the money, but something you have to truly want. This shadowing experience definitely pushed me forward in my career and got me even more excited about the idea of being a physical therapist some day soon.

My application essay

Ok, so I need some feedback. I'm going to post my essay for my PT application below. I would appreciate some feedback (be it grammar, content, whatever). Feel free to comment, tweet me, message me, call me, or whatever you want to get your feedback to me! Thanks for following everybody, I appreciate it!

Prompt:

• Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?

My response:

     Although I did not originally start out pursuing a career in physical therapy, my life experiences have eventually led me to this path. I have always considered myself a strong leader, and, through my leadership, I have become a very people-oriented person. Becoming a resident advisor for freshman students for three years during my undergraduate schooling has really helped me fine-tune these traits. I have grown to love working with people and helping them grow to become a better individual. This love for helping my residents experience growth certainly has helped my decision to pursue a career as a a physical therapist. Coupled with my personal characteristics, several experiences in the field have proved great motivating factors to pursue this career path.
    My first job shadowing experience was an incredibly positive one. I worked in a local orthopaedic physical therapy office. The staff was very good with their patients and very knowledgable of the field. The physical therapist made sure I understood each and every aspect of what she was doing. This first observation experience definitely led me to look further into this career.
    As a physical therapist, I hope to work with the special education community. I became aware of this specialized physical therapy during my volunteering with the Special Olympics Michigan State Summer Games. For two years, I got to work with the kids, and help them excel in their respective sports. The positive feedback I received from the children was incredible. I felt immediately connected with this type of work.Volunteering at this event was probably my biggest motivating factor in choosing physical therapy.
     After the summer games, I contacted the local special education center and set up a job shadowing opportunity. Observing in this setting has really fueled my passion for this career. I could not help but go home with a smile everyday when working with those children. Whether it was helping one of the students learn to walk or training a student to use a powered wheelchair, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and joy in the work I had helped with that day. Having such a positive experience in physical therapy has only reinforced my belief that this is what I want to do the rest of my life.
    To me, physical therapy seems like an obvious fit. I have always been drawn toward the healthcare field, and physical therapy gives me the opportunity to experience that. The patient base that is seen by a physical therapist also fits my desire to experience long-term growth and build a personal relationship with my patients. I truly cannot wait to become a part of this field.

This is the completely unedited, unrevised version, so feel free to comment, I won't be offended! Also, the limit is 4500 characters, and I am currently sitting just under 3000!

Pit Stop

I really wish I would've started this a long time ago. I'm just backtracking right now, and hopefully I will be caught up soon. Today I wanted to talk about my experience with PT schools so far. I have only actually visited one of the schools I am applying at. Mostly because they were the only ones who were willing to really work around my schedule instead of the other way around.

Last summer when I was in the process of switching my major to physical therapy, I decided to try and visit some of the PT schools in Michigan (CMU, Wayne State, UMich-Flint, GVSU, Oakland). I looked at websites, sent some emails, and made some phone calls. In the end, most of the schools gave me the dates of their physical therapy seminars which almost always conflicted with some important thing in my life. Central, however, was willing to schedule a private, personal tour of their physical therapy school and also take a look at my grades and see what I needed to do before I applied. Awesome, someone was taking the time to make me want to go to their school instead of just going because I had to!

So Holly and I packed up the car and headed to Mt. Pleasant to check things out. I was a little nervous when I got there simply because we had been told meet some guy named Clint in some lobby in some building. I had no idea what he looked like and no way to get a hold of him other than just sitting around waiting for him to show up. There were a couple other people in the lobby, and, even though I was tempted to ask which one was Clint, none of them really looked like a Clint, so I figured I would just wait for said Clint to come find me.

Well find me, Clint did, because no sooner than the minute I had given up hope and was ready to just hit up Soaring Eagle and gamble my woes away, Clint showed up and introduced himself. He was a very tall man (not that that is really relevant to the story, but he was.) We followed him back to his office where he started pulling up all sorts of facts and figures about PT. Probably one of my favorite facts he brought up was the stress level of physical therapists. Turns out that in a CNN Money article ranked physical therapy as the #2 least stressful job in America (You can find the article here!)

Next came the tour part. We got the grand tour when it came to the Health Sciences Building at CMU. The building itself was under construction as they were adding another wing or something. It was a really neat place though. Clint showed us a bunch of the rooms (The ones that weren't occupied at the time, anyway). They had a pool for hydrotherapy and a bunch of rooms with models and stuff. The rooms were pretty up-to-date technology wise, and apparently they have this really awesome virtual reality lab, but we weren't able to go in it since it was being used. All in all, I really enjoyed the building and facilities.

I'm sure the other schools have really great facilities and really great people, but just the fact that CMU took the time to make it about me really made me feel great about the program as a whole. One thing I've been spoiled with at Ferris is the fact that I can always get a hold of someone when I need to talk to them, so that has become a pretty important aspect of my grad school search.

Just in the last week or two, I was feeling a little down about my chances of getting into schools, so I decided to email a few people. I included my resume and all my stats and asked the advisors if they could look at my stats and my resume and see what they thought. Well, aside from the schools that didn't respond, I got a pretty typical response from everyone, "We get hundreds of requests such as this. At this time we can't really help you. Good luck." Ok, well that's nice and everything, but didn't sit well with me.

When CMU's email came back, it was really simple, "Ted, please call me today. Here is my direct line: (989) something something something" Signed by none other than the famous Clint! By now, I'm seriously starting to love this guy. After playing some phone tag for a day or two, I finally got a hold of him and we had a really honest chat about my application and what I can do to improve it. Obviously, he said my weakest point was my GPA. I knew I needed to work on that, but when you have 100+ credits, even a 4.0 in a class barely budges the GPA. I told him I was retaking some classes and he said that would really improve my stuff. When I told him my GRE score, he got REALLY excited and exclaimed "That's LEGIT!" It was the highlight of the phone call for sure. He finished the phone call by saying that I could give him a call anytime I needed anything. Not only did he say these things, but he sounded very genuine when he said them. He made me feel a ton better about grad school (for that day anyway. I'm generally a nervous wreck when it comes to getting into grad school.)

I didn't really mean to make this a post bragging about Central or anything, but they are the only ones who have taken the time to make me want to go there. So if anyone out there knows Clint, give him a big high five for me or something. Hopefully, I'll be able to get into Central! The application is due October 17th for that school, so Fire Up Chips!

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