Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Joseph's Personal Statement


Personal Statement
My career decision to pursue a graduate study in Physical Therapy at the University of Utah is a manifestation of personal, academic and professional goals and interests. My undergraduate training, coupled with my volunteer experience, has cemented my personal goal of becoming a Physical Therapist. These experiences have tested my sense of dedication as an individual and as a student, making me an ideal candidate for admission to the U.
My personal traits make me an ideal candidate for Utah’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. In addition to my self-assertiveness, creativity, analytical style, flexibility, and my ambitiousness; I am detail-oriented, thorough, and enjoy working in a team-oriented capacity that maximize quality of care a patient receives. These skills are vital in areas such as developing innovative and creative care plan strategies such as assisting the patient with redesigning or modifying an existing dwelling unit for maximum accessibility. One aspect of physical therapy that I enjoy the most is helping people overcome functional limitations resulting from physical injuries, especially those related to sports. I particularly enjoy working with the patient to make them stronger, relieve their pain, and help them to regain use of an affected limb. I believe that my strong sense of dedication and patience is an important asset that is useful to patients receiving physical therapy care. In addition, the physical therapist must interact with family members by teaching them how to be supportive of the patient and to help assure their safety. An attribute that I possess that is invaluable in this respect is my profound love of working with people, especially to improve their morale and physical well-being.

My academic achievements are indications of my readiness to take on the challenge of entering and successfully mastering the requirements of graduate study in physical therapy. In spring 2014, I will be graduating from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. While accomplishing these academic goals, I have been exposed to the various challenges and opportunities of a career in physical therapy, which further mobilized my decision to undertake graduate study in physical therapy at the U. The bachelor’s program exposed me to many of the important theories and concepts related to physical health, which cemented my interest, adding to my desire to pursue a graduate degree in this field. More importantly, I have seen first-hand how physical therapy can make a difference in the lives of others. In high school, I twice suffered a patellar dislocation while playing basketball. With the help of my school’s athletic trainer, I was able to compete again less than a week later, but I still had to go in for treatment until the season was over. Spending time in the training room and watching as other student-athletes came in for training impacted my life greatly, and I immediately knew that helping injured athletes recover was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I immediately signed up for my trainer’s Sports Medicine class in which I was able to shadow and eventually assist our trainer as she worked with other athletes. I was fascinated. These experiences have provided me with invaluable hands-on understanding of the responsibilities of a physical therapist and stimulated a strong desire to pursue a lifelong career in physical therapy.

Finally, my immediate goal is to gain admission to Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of Utah and to successfully fulfill the requirements of the program. I would then like to work in the hospital setting to gain experience and then later undertake my own physical therapy practice serving the active and athletic population. I am confident that my tenure at the U will be a successful one because of the college’s position as a top tier institution. I hope that
you will consider me for an interview so that I can personally share with you my love for helping others. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to join you in the year 2014

Joseph is the son of Ralph & Diana Sanchez, grandson of Wayne & JoAnn Warrington

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