Parsa Hamran

Junior Noor Davis participates in an interactive gadget showcase. The “PT Moves Me” presentation was held in Jefferson’s college and career center by Marymount University. It went over how to get involved in physical therapy and the importance of it, and after, they showed off physical therapy tools. “I have a lot of family members who have gone to physical therapy [from] sports injuries or broken bones,” Davis said. “Understanding the profession and how to become a physical therapist is very interesting to me.”

Whether it’s from a sport, medical procedure, accident or another reason, physical therapy is a common step taken with injuries. Founded in 1921, the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) mission is to build a community that advances physical therapy as a profession. “PT Moves Me” is an initiative by APTA which aims to raise awareness about careers in physical therapy and encourage students to consider it as a career option. To share the impact and significance of physical therapy, APTA shared their program with Jefferson in the college and career center on March 4, during 8th period.

“We had a presentation on how to become a physical therapist,” junior Noor Davis, who attended the presentation, said. “[We also talked about] the steps to become a physical therapist, what it means to be one and we watched videos on [patient] journeys. [After], we worked with medical equipment to better understand [physical therapy].”

The presentation focused on many different aspects. It pushed past the basics of physical therapy and towards the end, concentrated more on daily routines.

“I’m interested in going into the hospital,” physical therapy student at Marymount University Chloe White said. “For the hospital, you’re seeing maybe eight patients a day max, because [their conditions] are so critical. I might go check [on my patient and if] they just came out of a procedure, I need to wait a couple hours and come see them later.”

Some students, on the other hand, are more interested in the practical application of physical therapy in their career. 

“I’m interested in performing arts physical therapy,” physical therapy student at Marymount University Taylor Barnes said. “If I’m working with Broadway, I will travel with them; wherever they’re going, I’ll be backstage. That work-life balance could be a little challenging for some. Especially if you have a family, you’re always gone on the road [while] your family is home.”

After the presentation, the student recruitment team played videos of the journeys of patients doing physical therapy.

“[Watching a patient reach their goal] is what I think is the most rewarding thing about physical therapy,” Barnes said. “When a patient comes in, they’re not able to walk like they used to, they’re not able to use their limbs or talk like they used to. Then you’re able to help them get back to their goal. [For example, a patient] came in not able to walk and now she’s [running] a marathon.”

In physical therapy, there are many tools used to help assist the treatment and recovery of a patient. Gadgets help with data and tracking, accelerated recovery and creating customized care for patients.

“Blaze pods are usually [for] balance training,” White said. “[They’re also used for] neuro patients and coordination [improvement].”

64% of Americans have either seen a physical therapist or are currently seeing one. With a percentage this high, learning about physical therapy is crucial to have a better understanding of a common part of life.

“I liked how [physical therapy] has different sub-genres,” junior Ishika Chichili said. “You can treat burn patients, [for example], and not just [patients] with joint issues.”