It’s that time of year again. Hoodies, pumpkin spice everything, Halloween, and all the cozy vibes. Yes folks, it’s October. The best month in my opinion, but it’s also my birthday month so I may be biased.
However, October isn’t just my birthday month it’s also national physical therapy month! For some reason as this October rolled around I found myself doing a lot of reflecting on how I came into this profession. I don’t know, I’m celebrating the big 3-0 so maybe I’m feeling a little more introspective than normal.
The Fall weather wasn’t the only thing giving me those cozy vibes. Reflecting on my journey into this profession had me feeling pretty cozy too. So much so I thought I’d share it with you all, inspire you to remember your own, and encourage you to never forget your “why”.
What Movement Gave Me
I was always an active kid. I loved being outside, loved sports, and still do. At one point or another I tried pretty much everything. My poor parents had to be exhausted running me to a practice or game most days.
While I did play several sports, my first love was always soccer. As I got older I started dropping other sports and activities till basically only soccer remained. I did that shit aaallllll year round and I loved every second of it. I was just a kid having fun.
But soccer ended up being so much more than that. I met some of my closest friends through soccer. My best friend, who was the maid of honor at my wedding, was on the first soccer team I ever played on.
Soccer opened up doors for me that otherwise would’ve been shut. Through soccer I was able to earn an athletics scholarship to a school that otherwise would’ve been out of reach for me. A school where I met my husband. That scholarship opportunity also led me to Kansas City where I’ve been for over 10 years now. The place I now call home.
Had it not been for soccer, my life could have been extremely different. However, there would have been no soccer had it not been for my body’s ability to perform at that level. I don’t exactly remember when, or why, but at some point I became acutely aware of that. The human body fascinated me. I felt so thankful for it. I developed this deep appreciation for my body and all it had given me.
Choosing PT
I didn’t ever have “the moment” I chose to become a PT. I think I sort of just gradually got there. The appreciation for the human body definitely had me thinking I wanted to go into the medical profession. However, there was something about being a physician working in a doctor’s office all day that didn’t quite scratch that itch for me.
Going through all the work and time of medical school just to run room to room all day and only get five maybe ten minutes with a patient didn’t sound great. Something about it seemed slightly anti-climatic.
I do remember eating dinner at the kitchen table one night with my family. I was probably in late junior high or early high school. Somehow the topic of what kind of job I’d want to do someday came up.
“I think I want to do something in the medical field. But I’m not sure what.” I said. “I’ve looked at a bunch of different things, but nothing really jumps out at me.”
“For some reason, I could see you doing something like physical therapy.” My dad replied.
I knew what PT was. Although I’d been lucky enough in the injury department at that time that I’d never needed it. My dad’s comment sparked my curiosity. I began to do more of my own research on what physical therapy was all about. The more I learned, the more I loved it.
PT was in the medical field with lots of different options for specialization. It was more school, but not as much as medical school. You got to spend a good amount of time with your patients. There was high job security and at the time it was also touted as a profession with good pay and good work-life balance.
But what really hooked me was the whole preface of it. Heal your body with your body. You don’t need meds. Everything you need to get you healthy again is already there and PTs are the magicians that guide you how to do it. It’s like the fascination with the human body and feeling of gratitude towards my own body had become encapsulated into one profession. I was sold.
Remembering Your Why
There’s no doubt about it. Sometimes this profession can be tough. Some days you may regret even choosing it in the first place. I have those days too. But at some point, for some reason, you decided to go into PT. Maybe like me you came to that decision over time. Maybe you did have “the moment”. Whatever your story, you chose PT and I would guess it goes deeper than whatever money or lifestyle you thought it would bring you.
I’m not saying to ignore the bad days or the frustrating things about this profession. You can swim in those feelings of doubt or regret, but don’t drown in them. It’s always easier to focus on the bad, but letting those feelings overtake your outlook for too long is detrimental not only to you, but also your patients.
Don’t ever forget your why. Do whatever you need to do to help remember it. Maybe even write it down somewhere so you have it in front of you on the bad days. PT is an ever-changing profession on multiple fronts. Treatments, insurance, laws, patients, bosses, co-workers, or jobs will change at some point in time for all of us. But your “why” will always be there. It will be the one constant in your professional life to come back to. So cherish it, love it, and don’t forget it. What’s your why? Why did you choose PT? I’d love to read about it in the comments section!
Wishing you all a truly happy national PT month! Thank you for reading this week’s blog post. If you missed the last post you can read it here. Get connected with the rest of The PT Page community by following on Instagram and Threads @the_pt_page and hit subscribe below to get new posts sent directly to your inbox.
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