Chief Operating Officer - West, U S PHYSICAL THERAPY INC
Why I Chose a Career in Physical Therapy
To learn more about a career in physical therapy please visit: www.apta.org/ProspectiveStudents.
About Graham P.t.
In a 2014 interview, Graham P.t., Chief Operating Officer - West at U.S. Physical Therapy, discussed his path to a career in physical therapy. He stated that he chose the profession due to his own childhood injuries and limited access to care while growing up on a reservation, where he said his family had to drive at least 100 miles to see a physical therapist. He described the field as a blend of science and exercise that allowed for more patient time than he experienced in medicine. P.t. advised prospective students to shadow in various practice settings, including acute care, skilled nursing, and home health, to understand the field's diversity. He emphasized the importance of understanding one's motivations before committing to the rigorous three-year graduate program, calling the profession "very rewarding" and noting that physical therapists are "needed" and can "make a difference in the world."
Transcript (5 segments)
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Graham P.t.0:06
Growing up I had a lot of injuries. I interacted with a lot of physical therapy and physical therapists, and they taught me a lot about myself. Just being around them, learning about what they do and how they do it, got me interested in the field. I decided when I was about 11 that PT is what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something that incorporated science, patient care, and working within the healthcare system. For whatever reason, I didn't have a passion for medicine; I didn't want to be a physician. I was fortunate enough to play collegiate football, so I had the athletic exercise background. The blend of science with exercise just seemed like a great fit. I did a year of medicine and realized that's not what I wanted. I wanted much more patient time. I didn't want to diagnose a pathology and not be able to treat my patient for more than 20 minutes. So I went back to my public health background and worked for a year, and then decided physical therapy was what I wanted to do.
I chose PT because of my experience growing up very early on a reservation. I had an injury myself at a very young age, and most of my family had a lot of injuries. There's really no access to it out there. We had to drive at least 100 miles just to see a PT that would be there one to two times a week maybe. So it became an interesting thing for me to pursue that and possibly expand opportunities for people in rural areas.
As a physical therapist, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. If you look at healthcare and our role, physical therapists are needed, and your impact will always be required. It's something you live after. I remember after my Gates class, every one of my classmates said the same thing: when we went to the malls, when we were waiting for a bus or driving, we just watched people walk by and say, 'Oh, they need a lift' or 'They need to change shoes.' It's something that you live every day. There are so many different avenues you can explore. Not only can you be a practicing licensed physical therapist, but you can go into academia, you can go into research, being a practicing clinical clinician, and also the mentorship piece. There are so many different areas you can go into so you can be involved with the patients and making a difference in their lives, but you can also meet your goals as a career-minded professional.
I think it would be important for students who are interested in physical therapy to go ahead and shadow in all the practice settings that we have. Do an acute care hospital, do a skilled nursing facility, do home health, inpatient rehab. Do as much as you can to see the diversity that's out there and see if any one of those suits your interest. If so, then go ahead and pursue it, because it's important to understand and be sure that you're ready to commit, not only financially but also commit your time and effort for three years on top of attaining an undergraduate degree.
If I were to give advice to another student, I would have them really think about why they're applying to physical therapy school, why they're going to join this profession. It's a really hard profession; school's not a joke. It's very rewarding, but I think if they realize why they're doing it, it's going to make school that much easier and their life in physical therapy that much better. Enjoying your profession, enjoying what you do is important, but also knowing that you're going to actually be able to do it when you get out. That's one of the great things about PT: it's a growing profession and it's needed. I like it, so for me it's the perfect match.