My Story: Physical Therapy

I am often asked some variation of the question… ‘How did you decide to become a PT?’ 

Here’s my story… 

In high school, I took a class called College and Career Planning because I needed an elective and this happened to fit into my schedule. For this class, I had to decide what I thought I wanted to do for my career, what the schooling entailed and what jobs were available. 

Initially, I thought I wanted to be a forensic photographer… yes, I watched A LOT of Law and Order. I quickly realized that this was not the route that I wanted to go but I had no idea what to explore next. 

My mom was in physical therapy at the time for a back injury and she suggested I look into becoming a PT. She said with my love of science and helping people, she thought it would be a good fit. I was tempted to ignore this idea because as a high school girl, I naturally thought my mom had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe it was my desperation to do well on the project or some deeper knowing but I took her advice. I researched it for the project, participated in the required observation hours, stayed on as a volunteer rehab aide, met a wonderful therapist Diane who served as a mentor, and fell in love with the profession. 

I went to the University of South Carolina for my freshman year of college, which turned out not to be the best fit for me. After that first year, I transferred to the University of Vermont, which was perfect for me! I was enrolled in the 3+3 program, 3 years of undergraduate work in Exercise and Movement Science and another 3 years of graduate work to earn my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I am so grateful for the wonderful professors that I had there as well as my supportive classmates who helped make it a great learning experience.

While how I practice physical therapy has changed over the years, I am grateful to say that I truly love the profession and am honored to be able to do the work that I do.