What's the Difference Between a Physical Therapist and a Physician's Assistant?
Olivia
Karegeannes
Why did I become interested in this field?
Ever since I’ve been little, I have always been interested in the health sciences. When I was 15 years old, during a soccer game I dislocated my knee and tore my MCL. This injury did not require surgery, but it did cause me to have to go to physical therapy for two months. I was at the clinic two days a week for 1-2 hours at a time. I had normal exercise therapy and TENS therapy, which is an electric therapy that stimulates the muscles to start contracting. Spending that much time with the therapists and seeing what they do to help a patient opened my eyes. After that experience, it made me really appreciate what a physical therapist does. Being the injury-prone person that I am, last year I sprained my ankle terribly, to the point that I was out of playing soccer for about two months. It also brought me back to physical therapy. This really helped me see physical therapy again, but for a different body part. Then for my Junior interim project, I went to a physical therapy office for two weeks, and I loved it! I was able to see the physical therapist’s day-to-day work. I learned more about the inside and the cons of being a physical therapist.
My Summer Job
Not only do I know physical therapy from the patient’s perspective, but also the therapist’s. After my interim at the physical therapists at the office offered me a job there to work as a PT Technician. Over the summer I worked approximately 100 hours. This experienced was phenomenal! Being a physical therapy aide has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in health care. I love helping patients, the relationships I’ve made, and the wealth of knowledge I have gained. Going into this experience, I had no idea how much physical therapy meant to the therapists, and how much they cared about the patients. One patient told me that when they come into the physical therapy office, they don’t feel like a patient of the therapist, but they feel like their friend. When a therapist is working on their patients, they also interact with the patient and ask them about their day.