Thoughts from Recent Grads [6/18/2020]
Last month, Thursdays were dedicated to professionals who work in close proximity to the mental health field. This month, as many are graduating from high school, college, graduate school, tech/trade schools, and beyond, the features will be recent graduates! We'll hear about their recent accomplishment, what advice they have for others, and what is next for them.
If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please feel free to tag them below, message me on Facebook, or email at neurolawgical@gmail.com. Should there be more people than Thursdays in the month, they can be featured on another day. I'd rather have more than enough people!
**Below are five questions that the grad was asked to respond to. Answers are the individual's and have not been changed in any form.**
This week's recent graduate is Beth! Beth must have been a great student in school because she was able to answer these and get them back to me within three hours!!
1. Tell us about the schooling you just completed (type, level, area of study, projects or papers you completed, internships, other experiences, length of time, intensity).
I just graduated from Widener University in Chester, PA with my doctorate in physical therapy. It’s a 3 year, intensive program but I loved it! I had the opportunity to participate in our program’s pro bono Chester Community Clinic, serve on the student run clinic board , and was able to travel to numerous student run and national conferences to learn more and promote pro bono services. Myself and two classmates even got to present our research at the national physical therapy conference in Washington, D.C.!
2. What did you go into the program hoping to learn about or better understand? What kinds of skills did you hope to acquire or further develop?
I always knew that I wanted to be a physical therapist, so heading to PT school was super exciting. I remember hoping to learn how all the different aspects of the patients presentation (pain, symptoms, patterns, any disability) fit together and then how to best and efficiently help them return to their baseline and complete their goals. The body and its anatomy has always been and area of interest for me so learning more about that was also exciting.
3. What was the most valuable aspect of the program?
I loved my time working for and in our Chester Community Clinic and with the patients, students, and faculty. This working in the clinic was an experience that helped me learn about so many aspects of physical therapy, and taught me that pro bono work is something special to me. The clinic also helped me travel to conferences to learn more about our profession and network with other student run pro bono clinics.
4. Tell us about what is next for you now that you have completed the program. If going on to further schooling, how does this program connect with that? If going on to (or already employed) how does this program connect with your current position?
Up next for me is my licensing boards at the end of July, and lots of job searching for me! The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed some of my new job searches but it is promising that PT’s will be needed in the next coming months, and in the meantime, I’ll be found studying for my boards!
5. What advice would you give to future students going for the program you completed?
PT school is difficult, so be prepared! It’s also filled with such great learning opportunities, friends, and studying. Most importantly, you have the ability to impact your patients lives and help them get back to what they want to be doing in their lives. Participate in as much as you can, and really take advantage of all of the different learning opportunities you might come across. And have fun!
Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your achievements Beth! I hope your job search and licensing go well!
(Photo Credit: Redbubble website & On Target News)