It’s Tuesday so you know what time it is: Life as a PT time!

It’s time to meet another friend of mine, Stephanie, PT, DPT!

Stephanie is an Acute Care physical therapist in New York. She received her DPT in 2019, and is another healthcare hero that has been helping rehabilitate COVID patients during this global pandemic. When Stephanie is not in the hospital, she uses her blog and Instagram to inspire and assist in leading the next generation of DPTs: she offers help for pre-PTs, current PT students, AND new grads!

How did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in physical therapy?

I decided I wanted to be a PT after realizing the incredible impact PTs can have on their patients. Prior to applying, I had experience working with children with developmental disabilities of all ages in pediatrics outpatient as well as volunteering in a subacute nursing facility. I got to know so many patients and see their improvements overtime and it was absolutely rewarding to witness! Being a PT, I can spend significant time, one on one, really understanding my patient and their goals AND help them get there.I graduated with my DPT in 2019 and have been practicing in Acute Care for 7 months. It has been so incredibly rewarding and I don’t feel as if I “worked” a day yet.

What was your favorite part of PT school?

My favorite part of PT school was clinicals! This is where everything we learned was FINALLY put into practice and we were really able to see the results our treatments can have on patients. It was what kept me going and pushing through the gruesome studying and tests because I could not wait to have patients to call my own. 

What type of setting do you work in/What does a typical day look like?

I currently work in Acute Care. A typical day starts with chart reviewing each patient and prioritizing the list for the day based off if they are a new evaluation or are a soon to be discharge or have any other pertinent needs. Next I head up to the floors, chat with the nurses, NPs, MDs, etc for patient updates and start seeing patients! Some days I see a few patients, write a few notes, continue seeing patients and so forth. However, on other days like today, I was able to see all of my patients on my list but one, before lunch and spent the PM writing notes and returning to the one patient (however this kind of day is rare).

Do you have any specialty certifications?

I do not! But maybe one day…

What is your favorite thing about the PT profession/your job?

I love being able to spend time with my patients that are typically longer periods of times than some doctors and nurses (time spent in the room). Because of this, I can truly problem solve and sometimes find the root of someones problem, pain, etc. There have been times where PT has been able to pick up neuro or other changes, alert the medical team, only to find out this person was having a stroke or have a new diagnosis of something like Parkinson’s for example. The body’s reaction to activity can really tell you a lot about a patient, especially when you know their baseline or what their function was a week or even a month ago!

What advice do you have for pre-PT or current DPT students?

My favorite question!!! If you know me, you know I say this often. Stay in your lane. Focus on yourself, your goals, your statistics, your grades, your study habits, what you want to do, and how you want to do it. Do not worry about anyone else. You are the clinician working with the patient in the future and because of this, work on your clinical reasoning skills, rapport building skills and communication skills. Also school sucks, its tough but its worth it. It’ll go by faster than you think and once you get past all of the tests, projects and quizzes, your excitement and passion will return!!

A super big thank you to Stephanie for sharing her experiences with us, and for all of the hard work she is doing during COVID-19. To connect with Stephanie, she can be reached via email at dptsteph@gmail.com, on her blog, or on Instagram!

If you are a practicing PT and would like to be featured in my next post, please shoot me an email at hello@thecurlyclinician.com! If you missed the last “Life as a PT” post, you’ve got to check it out! Stay tuned for the next PT that will be featured!