In one sentence, physical therapists optimize function and movement to its maximum potential, before and or after an injury.

We are a Doctoral profession that undergoes 3 intense years of graduate school, followed by continuing education to understand how to help the body properly heal itself. We do this to become the number 1 doctor patients run to when pain is keeping them from doing what they love to do. Let’s face it: unless it’s a traumatic emergency situation, pain will not drive you to see any doctor. Pain is always present, but when pain becomes a roadblock to your favorite activities, that is when you will seek out help. Physical therapists are the best doctors around for those musculoskeletal problems.

Physical therapy is an extensive field which I like comparing to martial arts. Fighting is fighting, however martial arts is a specific type of combat, and within martial arts there are different subsets and specialties such as karate, jiu...

“A commitment to service, a desire to add value, and a love of teaching” – according to Gary Vaynerchuk, in his new book, Crushing It, these are three characteristics that today’s greatest entrepreneurs and influencers share. However, I believe these traits not only apply to great entrepreneurs but should also be applied to us as future physical therapists, business owners, and healthcare professionals. As Pre-PTs, it is our duty to develop and live out these characteristics on a daily basis, not just for ourselves, but for our future patients. Personally, coaching basketball has allowed me to practice these core values. It gave me the opportunity to practice and enhance many skills necessary as a future physical therapist. 

1. A Commitment to Service

Coach: One of the biggest lessons I learned as a coach is that the most important pre-requisite for leadership is a commitment to serve. As a coach, service boils down to two...

As I look back on my pre-physical therapy journey that began in three years ago, I realized that many big decisions had to occur to get where I am today as a second year PT student. Most those decisions resulted in early action in which a simple thought or an idea lead to a plan of steps that were implemented into some sort of action plan that favored “premature” activity instead of “on-time” activity. As a mentor to Pre-PT students, I have always emphasize the importance of being early in anything they do. An important saying that one of my mentors, Greg, also says is that “speed wins”. No matter what task you have at hand, you are already winning if you have an early head start than your peers.

1. Make the Leap to Apply Early

One major “speed wins” decision that I am glad I took early action on was applying early to physical therapy school, specifically early decision.  During the beginning of my junior year of undergrad, I...

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” The day starts as early as 4:30 in morning. First thing I do is take a sip of coffee and check my agenda to see what I wrote from the night before. I use my agenda as my “playbook” and follow through with the plays to score or defend the best I know how. By holding myself accountable, I am able to finish everything I wrote down. I see that I have my chemistry test at 8:30am, lower extremity assessment quiz at 10am, and from 11:00-11:45am, I will be preparing for a upper extremity assessment practical. I know I’m ready for all of them because I have prepared myself for any and all questions that the professor asks about the covered content. Oh- and I have a therapeutic modality quiz the next day.

Scanning my agenda again, I see I have a meeting for the Kinesiology club at noon. I go over the PowerPoint that will be presented and revise if needed.  I add that I will talk to the club about volunteer opportunities in...