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Becoming a Physical Therapist

Morgan Robinson Grand Canyon University SCI-150: Critical Analyses in Science Professor Socia October 17, 2021

2 What Does It Take? For the first 16 years of my life, I indulged myself in gymnastics. During that time, I sprained each ankle three times, broke two of my toes, and now have lasting pain in my knees and wrists. Naturally, I went to physical therapy to help with my injuries, and over time, they progressively became less discomforting. These frequent physical therapy visits came to be like a second sport to me, something that I could do to keep myself moving in new ways, all while training my body to be healthier and ultimately happier. The processes of strength training muscles and learning to rehabilitate the body interest me in such a way that I could see myself spending the rest of my life helping and giving back to others the same way my physical therapist assisted me. Now that I am officially on the road to becoming a certified physical therapist, it feels to me like my childhood dreams are finally coming true, but there are still steps that need to be taken within the next four years to continue my path to success. After graduating Grand Canyon University, I will be required to get my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and after extensive research, the top three schools that I would be ecstatic to be accepted into are the University of Utah, University of Colorado-Denver, and University of Washington. My decision to apply for these schools was based off four categories: location, if past students felt their degree was worth their time and money, if the professors cared about their students, and the overall cost of attendance. All three schools are based somewhere in the Western United States, which will make me closer to my forever home, Alaska, and in turn make traveling back and forth less expensive and shorter. According to the website Niche, at the University of Utah, 75% of students felt that the degree they studied for was worth the time and money they spent, and an average of 81% of students felt the professors were engaging, easy to understand, cared about their students’ success, and helped them connect to future opportunities

3 (University of Utah, 2021). At the University of Colorado-Denver, 67% of students felt that the degree they studied for was worth their time and money, while an average of 72% of students felt the same positivity of the professors. Also, at the University of Denver Colorado, 50% of students spent less than $25,000 on their doctorate degree (University of Colorado Denver, 2021), while at the University of Utah 70% of the student body spent between $25,000 and $75,000 (University of Utah, 2021). Finally, at the University of Washington, 74% of students felt this school was worth their time and money, approximately 87% of students felt the same appreciations of the professors, and 33% of students spent between $25,000 and $50,000, while 26% of students spent between $75,000 and $100,000 (University of Washington, 2021). In order to get into physical therapy graduate school, students must take the GRE (graduate record examination), which is a standardized test used to measure a students abstract thinking in analytical writing, mathematics, and vocabulary. On average students will receive a score of 300, but a competitive score would be above 329. As for GPA (grade point average), an average GPA is around 3.5, but in order to stand out a student will need a GPA of 3.8 or higher. All three chosen graduates’ school will require listed physical therapy experience, at minimum 25 hours, but more competitively a student should have 250+ hours. All three schools require 3-4 letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a writing sample. They all also require similar prerequisite course programs and take their applications through PTCAS. However, since COVID started, the University of Colorado Denver no longer requires a GRE test, while the University of Washington requires the GRE, but does not have a minimum competitive score. Also dissimilarly, the University of Utah requires at least 100 hours of direct observation under a licensed clinical PT, the University of Colorado Denver requires 45 hours of direct observation

4 under a licensed PT, and the University of Washington only requires 25 hours (but including volunteer experience). After reviewing a multitude of student responses on the website Niche and from each schools dedicated page, I learned that all three school has a similar lifestyle. Almost all the students had positive words to say about the professors and the campus itself, while the only backlash was from possible unfriendliness (which would be based on a single individuals personal experience, and there will always be someone who is unhappy with something in their life). After graduating, I will start working as a physical therapist at one of the clinics in my hometown in Alaska. Physical therapy basically has standard working hours, where the doctor’s day starts at 7:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. The blog “A Day in The Life of a Physical Therapist Loving Their Job” by Mas Medical Staffing says that even though a PT might not start seeing patients until 8:00 AM, they are usually the first person in the building to set up a schedule for the day. After a PT is done seeing patients for the day, he/she will have to write up patient reviews and take care of any other business needed (helping the front desk with scheduling, meetings, etc.) before heading home (Mas Medical Staffing, 2018). To me, a day like this seems like something I will never get tired of, which makes me believe I will love living a life in this career. To be sure of that though, this summer I will start shadowing a PT and getting as many hours as I can in the field, plus, extended experience hours will help me stand out on my graduate school applications. In conclusion, after these first four years working to get my bachelor’s degree, I will for sure be applying to get my Doctorates in Physical Therapy from the University of Utah, University of Colorado Denver, and University of Washington. I will make sure to stay on top of my grades in order to graduate GCU with a 3.8 GPA, and study hard to take the GRE. During the

5 summer before my senior year, I will submit my PTCAS application in order to stay ahead of my deadlines and make early admission to my school of choice. Plus, if being a physical therapist doesn’t work out and I decide not to go to graduate school, I can still be an athletic trainer, a PT aid or assistant, and many others. After learning all this information, it is safe to say I am excited for my future in the medical field.

6 References University of Utah. (2021). Niche.com Inc. https://www.niche.com/graduate-schools/universityof-utah/ University of Colorado Denver. (2021). Niche.com inc. https://www.niche.com/graduateschools/university-of-colorado-denver/ University of Washington. (2021). Niche.com inc. https://www.niche.com/graduateschools/university-of-washington/ Mas Medical Staffing. (2018, September 25). A day in the life of a physical therapist who loves their job. Our blog. https://www.masmedicalstaffing.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-aphysical-therapist/ University of Utah. (n.d) Learn.org. https://learn.org/browseby/company/University_of_Utah.html Physical therapy centralized application service. (2019, July 2). APTA. http://www.ptcas.org/Fees/ Application Instructions. (2021). The university of Utah. https://health.utah.edu/physical-therapyathletic-training/degree-programs/physical-therapy/admissions/application-instructions Mittal, Rohit (2021). The top 100 best physical therapy schools in the US. Stilt. https://www.stilt.com/blog/2018/01/top-100-physical-therapy-schools-united-states/ Best physical therapy programs. (2020). US news and world report. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/physical-therapyrankings University policy 5-130: criminal and other background checks on university employees. (2017, October 17). Regulations library. The university of Utah.

7 https://regulations.utah.edu/human-resources/5-130.php Perspective DPT students. (2021). University of Colorado physical therapy school of medicine. CU Anschutz. https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/physical-therapy-program/educationprograms/doctor-of-physical-therapy University of Denver return on investment for a degree. (n.d.). College factual. https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/university-of-denver/outcomes/return-oninvestment/ Sokanu (2018). Physical therapist salary in Alaska. Career explorer. https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/physical-therapist/salary/alaska/ PT-grad the future of physical therapy. (2020). Physical therapy graduate. http://physicaltherapygraduate.com/school/university-of-coloradodenver/#.YWzfFtnMLt1 Doctor of physical therapy. (2021). University of Washington. https://www.physicaltherapy.uw.edu/admissions...