I don’t think I’ve “made it”, or that I’ve accomplished any enormous honorable goals so far. I actually think I’m only at step 2 of 6 in my career. With that said, I can still appreciate where I’ve come in life, and can thank the many people that helped me move further in my career. Throughout the past couple of years, I’ve had very influential moments that molded my mindset toward my career. Below are the top 5 influential moments that guided me in my current career path in no particular order:

1. George Davies’s Podcast Episode

If you’re not a physical therapist or in the rehab world, you wont recognize his name. However, I recommend EVERYONE listen to his podcast episode here: link. I’ve had the privilege of being mentored by him during my residency, and let me tell you this: You have never met a person like him, and you never will. George’s career is beyond astonishing, but it did not come easy. Even this 70 minute episode doesn’t fully cover what he has accomplished in his life so far, but it does teach a person about being motivated, hard work, overcoming challenges, and making your own opportunities. His full bio is here: link. I learned that you have to set high standards and never let anyone lower them…amongst many other things. Seriously, 70 minutes well-spent.

Additionally, below are a few of my favorite episodes (but they’re all good).

Ross Nakaji: link

Amy Arundale: link

J.W. Matheson: link

John Dewitt: link

2. My Professor Told Me Stop Working

Physical therapy school was REALLY challenging for me. For some, academics and clinical skills come natural, but I felt I had to put a lot of effort into it. Additionally, since the age 16, I never held less than 2 jobs. Working was engraved into me at a young age for many reasons. One semester, a professor told me I had not turned in a paper that was up to par with the requirements, and gave me one last chance to complete it before I would receive less than 80% (considered failing in physical therapy school). I thought it was a minor issue because I felt I had not understood the grading criteria and purpose of the paper, but she was adamant that I needed to switch up my current lifestyle to pass PT school. She recommended I quit my job, and told me it is impossible to work during PT school. This filled me with self-doubt along with the stress of failing PT school; I was faced with a dilemma. It wasn’t about quitting my job, it was about changing my beliefs, habits, and work ethic. As many of my friends know, I am stubborn. This led me to continue working and to pick up even more hours, just because she said it was impossible. I passed physical therapy school, and from that day on I told myself I would never let anyone change my fundamental beliefs and self-confidence. I’ll never stop working! I learned not to let anyone tell me something is impossible.

3. APTA’s Sports Section Award Ceremony 2017

For physical therapists, there is a massive annual conference called Combined Sections Meeting (17,000 in attendance in 2018). I attended my first one during my second year of PT school. As I was looking at the schedule, I noticed an optional late night event on the schedule that I wanted to check out. Long story short, the night came and none of my friends wanted to go with me. All my friends had no interest (I don’t blame them), and decided to go out to the bars instead. I ended up going alone, and it was probably THE MOST influential moment of my career. Again, not many non-healthcare professionals or non-sports PTs will recognize these names, but I was sitting behind George Davies, Kevin Wilks, Erik Meira, J.W. Matheson, Rob Manske, Joe Black, Walt Jenkins, Blaise Williams, Bryan Heiderscheit, Amy Arundale, Barbara Hoogenbaam, and many other sports PT giants. It was mind blowing to me that I was in the same room as them. It was at that ceremony that I found out I was underperforming and being outworked. It was also where I found out all their willingness to help. Since then, the sports section members have gone above and beyond to help me with anything and everything in my academic, professional, and personal life. I learned to always always always just show up, and that you are never working as hard as you think you are.

4. Residency Interviews

Workplace culture is a big topic nowadays, and often times you will feel you don’t fit in. In PT school, I definitely felt I did not fit in with my cohort except for my small group. This wasn’t them, it really was me. I am difficult, I am stubborn, and I can be pretty abrasive ( I like to call it passionate). Self-reflection led me to being aware, and working on all those things; it was never and will never be their faults. However, I felt my goals did not align with most, and felt out of place when asking people to attend certain events, pursue certain goals, and to discuss certain topics. When I attended the sports section award ceremony above, that’s when I felt there was a place for everyone; it’s where I found my tribe. The second time I felt this way was on residency interviews. I met amazing people who I felt had the same mindset and goals as me. At that stage, there really was no act being put on by any of us. It was us being genuine, trying to find the right fit; residency is a huge sacrifice and commitment. Although we were competing against each other for scarce spots, it was impossible not to root for all of them. Through that process, I’ve met lifelong friends I can reach out to for help, support, and just a pure good time. Those interviews taught me to find your tribe, it’s out there if you look.

5. Negotiating My First PT Job

Physical Therapy is notoriously known for a terrible salary to student debt ratio. Most jobs do not pay well, and most jobs say they have a “new grad pay” for new graduates. Without getting into the numbers and business side of PT, I was not a fan of this for many reasons. When I applied for some jobs, many of them offered 20% lower than I had wanted since I was a new grad. They continuously gave me the “new grad” speech, and I simply did not cave in. I came back with solid numbers and calculations for a fair counter-offer considering all factors. I ended up applying for 8 jobs. Of those 6, 2 were not hiring, 1 was not a good fit culture-wise, and 2 had too low of offers. All this took place over 3 months while I was studying for boards. The last place to get back to me offered what I was looking for, and I took the job. I learned that you should never feel pressured into a contract, to just be patient, never settle, and to advocate for yourself. Months later a big name facility also contacted me with interest even as a new grad. This also taught me that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain when you simply just put in effort and take action.  Many of the jobs that gave me an offer listed a certain number of years, requirements, and certs that I did not have, but I knew I could meet their expectations. I hope this teaches others to go out on a limb and just ask, while also be fair, humble, and within reason.

 

 

A lot of great learning moments so far, and I’ll continue to put myself in a good position to learn from others.