Job Shadow Report For my first job shadow, I decided to go to the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Manhattan. I job shadowed Dr. Chad Joyce, but was also able to see how everyone and everything else in his practice worked. My plan is to attend college in order to be a physical therapist, so job shadowing multiple physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and physical therapy techs was just what I needed. While I was there, I got to work with patients and actually help them do their exercises. All of the patients were very welcoming and were more than willing to tell me about their injuries and the rehab they’ve gone through to recover. Patients range from children, to elderly people, to K-State athletes. I also was lucky enough to try out the DARI Machine they recently got. The DARI is a large green screen that requires you to do multiple, very specific, stretches and movements in front of it. It then records and calculates your results in order to give you a very detailed report of what areas of your body are problematic. Although I have already researched the schooling required, Dr. Joyce informed me a little more about what it takes to become a physical therapist. The main reason I chose to job shadow here is because I really wanted to be sure about what I was getting into before I fully committed to becoming a physical therapist. I also did my career report over becoming a physical therapist. For my second job shadow, I chose to shadow Dr. Larry Wyckoff at the Blackwell Animal Hospital. I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was little, but have since changed my mind. This is not the career I did my career report over, however, I really wanted to get first hand experience and make sure I wouldn’t regret not becoming a veterinarian in the future. As soon as I got there, I was able to watch a pig castration. I also got to see multiple spays, a dog teeth cleaning, and blood being drawn from multiple dogs. I was able to go on a farm call to a cow who had prolapsed after giving birth. As soon as we arrived, we were able to give the cow a shot and get her up and moving again. Throughout my job shadow, I learned how poorly some people take care of their animals. I also learned how many euthanasias veterinarians have to do a day, and this was very saddening to me. Dr. Wyckoff actually discouraged me from becoming a veterinarian. He said the amount of schooling and crazy things/people you have to deal with just aren’t worth it. While I was in Blackwell, my main goal was to make sure I didn’t want to be a vet. I love animals, but I could never do surgeries or euthanize them. Overall, I’d say this job shadow was very eye-opening and reassured my decision to not become a vet.
Career Report For the last few years, I’ve known that I wanted to go into the medical field, specifically to major in physical therapy. I plan to go to Kansas State University and get my bachelors in science. Then, I hope to be accepted into the University of Kansas Physical Therapy School. I actually have an aunt that is a physical therapist and works for a practice in Manhattan. I’ve talked to her a lot about the schooling, what it takes, and what it’s like in the workforce. One profession Career Cruising matched me with was an athletic trainer. This is very similar to physical therapy because it also deals with many of the same injuries and requires almost identical schooling. I am very interested in physical therapy because I don’t want a job where I sit at a desk all day. I want to be able to be active and help people every day. At Kansas State, I will already have a majority of my general education college classes completed through dual credit with Cowley College. This includes sociology, psychology, public speaking, statistics, college algebra, personal finance, and more. In addition to these, I will also have to take a few more math classes, along with lots of science courses next year. I enjoy science and learning about it, so my science classes shouldn’t be an issue. I hope to graduate from Kansas State with my bachelors in only three years since I’ve already taken many of the required courses. At KU, I will have to complete sixty credit hours over the course of three years. Some of the classes will include neuroscience, anatomy, kinesiology, and clinical work. After three years at KU, I will graduate with my doctorate and be out in the real world. However, in order to complete all of my schooling, it will cost quite a bit of money. My tuition for K-State will cost around $11,000 per year. This doesn’t even include housing. It will cost an additional $8,000 per year to live in the residence hall. However, I plan on renting an apartment to live in while at K-State. I also plan to apply for as many scholarships as possible to cut down the cost. My tuition for the University of Kansas' PT School will also cost around $11,000 per year, not including housing. I will get in-state tuition for both schools, so that will help with the cost. Even with scholarships and financial aid, I will still be in debt after I am done with college. After I graduate, I plan to stay in Kansas somewhere and work for a large practice. In general, the demand for physical therapists is very high and is supposed to continue rising over the next few years. The median salary for a physical therapist in Kansas is about $80,000. In the United States as a whole, the median salary for a physical therapist is around $82,000. If I were to stay in Kansas, my starting salary would be about $60,000, but could also rise to $105,000 throughout my career.
Reflective Essay~The Big Change Within the last year, I’ve changed an amazing amount as a person; for the better. I went from being the girl who depended on others for happiness to the girl who lived fearlessly and unapologetically. Throughout my sophomore and junior year, I was in a relationship that everyone, excluding myself, knew was no good. Constantly being controlled and judged for the things I did was not enjoyable. It even came to the point where I lost friends, including my best friend since childhood, because my boyfriend didn’t like them. I began to hang out with the people he was friends with because I had pushed away everyone who cared. In hindsight, it’s clear I lost my way there for a while. Finally, I took a big step to better myself. Deciding to end the relationship and cut all ties with my now ex-boyfriend was the best decision I’ve ever made. I wasn’t the slightest upset when it was all said and done. In fact, I was happier than ever. At that point in time, it was like I could feel myself changing as a person. Finally, I got my best friend back and felt terrible for not being there for her like she had been for me all along. Eventually, I began to build up relationships with the people I should’ve kept in my life all along. I ran to the people I let go of, and when they should’ve given up on me, they were my rock. No one in their right mind would’ve stuck around so long, but the people who truly cared about me did. My family was there for me, and I grew much closer to them and began spending more time with the people I realized truly matter. I’ll never forget how all these people, my best friends to this day, were willing to do anything for me. That’s the kind of friend I became. I started to go out and have fun with my friends without being worried about someone else’s opinion. I became a better friend, a better daughter, and a better person in general. Looking back now, I am ashamed at the girl I used to be. I didn’t know my self-worth and put myself through things I should’ve never put up with. I feel as though I wasted a big part of my life being unhappy for no reason. I would never go back to how I was before. Now, I’m independent and don’t live for pleasing others. Once I figured out that my happiness is the most important thing in my life, I instantly became a happier person. I wish I could go back and re-do a few things to avoid unhappiness. Although, I’m not a person who likes changes, I underwent the biggest change of my life, and I’m not the same person I was a year ago. I’ve overcome challenges that I never thought I would be able to. The moment I decided I was the most important thing in my life, was the moment I began living again.