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How Do I Write My PTCAS Essay (Personal Statement)?

The PT School application process is challenging, to say the least. But, it’s incredibly rewarding, because at the end of this process you’ll be on your way to starting your career and getting your dream job as a physical therapist.

One of the most important parts of the PT School application process is the personal statement , or the essay . Each year, the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service ( PTCAS ) sets a specific prompt for the personal statement. This personal statement is submitted to every school to which you apply. In short, it’s a chance for you to set yourself apart from the other applicants. So, how do you write your PTCAS essay ? Let’s dive in to learn more about this part of the application process, and learn more about our services to help you with your personal statement here !

What is a Personal Statement?

A Personal Statement is an essay that explains your background and allows you to describe yourself. It’s a common requirement for graduate schools and jobs, so it’s especially important for you to use the personal statement to explain why you want to pursue this opportunity.

A Personal Statement can be a general description of yourself or it can answer a specific prompt . It’s common for graduate schools to ask specific questions for the Personal Statement.¹ In this case, the Personal Statement is a chance for you to show the admissions committee who you are beyond the data in your application . In an essay format, you can expand upon your character, goals, and background, allowing the admissions committee to get to know you.

What Should I Know About a Physical Therapy Personal Statement?

PTCAS Personal Statement prompts can vary in topics, but ultimately they touch on the physical therapy profession. It’s important that you answer the PTCAS question in your essay. But you should also view this as an opportunity to describe yourself to the admissions committees. Keep in mind that these committees are reviewing hundreds, or even thousands, of applications each year. Use this opportunity to set yourself apart .

In your essay, you should explain why you want to become a physical therapist, but try to avoid using a common reason such as “I want to help people.” Show the admissions committee your passion for physical therapy and prove to them why you belong in physical therapy school and why you’re going to become a great physical therapist.

Above all, remember that through the 4,500 characters in your essay, you’re not just telling the admissions committees who you are… you’re showing them.

Contact us today with any questions or for help with your PT school personal statement!

Lab P. The Personal Statement // Purdue Writing Lab. Purdue Writing Lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/preparing_an_application/writing_the_personal_statement/index.html. Published 2020. Accessed July 26, 2020.

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing PT School Application Essays

Here are some pointers for writing essays when you apply to physical therapy school. Please know that there isn’t a single best way to write your essays and everyone will answer each prompt differently, so do what works for you!

Essays are challenging to write, especially without any guidance. I had about 10 revisions of each of the 7 essays I wrote, had several people read them each time, and still had trouble writing some of them.

How to Start Writing Your Essay

1. Organize Your Thoughts

Write down the essay prompt, either on a computer or by hand. Read it a couple times, even out loud, until you have a good idea of what it is asking.

Then write down any thoughts that came to mind. They can be related to the prompt, or you can just write down what you like about the physical therapy profession or any specific experiences that stand out to you.

It doesn’t matter if you’ll actually end up writing about them. Don’t worry about your grammar or if it is written well. Just write down all of your thoughts into bullet points, or just a few words or a sentence for each idea.

If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, there is a section at the end of this post just for you. There are a lot of questions that may help you come up with ideas for your essay, so go check them out!

2. Turn your ideas into paragraphs

Write more about each point that you wrote down. Try to form a paragraph and relate it back to the prompt. If you’re struggling on writing more than a sentence or two about the bullet point, then maybe one of your other ideas will be better to include in your essay.

3. Choose 2-3 things to talk about

Now that you’ve written as much as you can about each bullet point, you should start to see a general direction to keep writing your essay. What are your favorite topics? What ideas can relate to each other to make a cohesive essay? What ideas answer the prompt the best?

4. Form a Complete Essay

Now that you’ve chosen your favorite paragraphs, format them into one essay. Now you can add an introduction paragraph that briefly mentions these paragraphs and your overall topic. Then you can add a conclusion.

5. Edit Your Essay

Now that you have a complete essay, you can read it from beginning to end. If it doesn’t flow well between each paragraph, add some transition sentences. If you don’t answer the prompt very well, rewrite some sentences. Keep editing and rewording until the essay is finished.

How Do You Format Your Essay?

You can format your essay however you like! I recommend that you have an introduction, some body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, you don’t need your typical “5 paragraph” essay. Some supplemental essays may also have a shorter length, so you might only write two paragraphs.

You can indent each new paragraph, or just put a space between paragraphs instead of indenting, unless the school states that there is a specific way they want you to format your essay.

General Tips for PT School Essays

I know that writing your essays is not as simple as those 5 steps. It can take weeks and be mentally exhausting. However, I’ve included a bunch of tips to help guide you to writing a great essay.

• Be careful what you write about patients. If you choose to write about a patient, don’t include any specific personal information like their name, ethnicity, or occupation, or you will be violating HIPAA. Describing their general age, condition, gender, what setting you observed in, general occupation if it relates to your story, and what interventions were used is perfectly fine.
• Don’t use contractions.  I just did, but that’s besides the point! Contractions are too casual, so avoid them if possible.
• First-person speech.  It’s ok to say “I” and talk in first person. You’re writing about yourself, after all! Just make sure that you vary your sentence structure so that you don’t begin every sentence with “I”. There is never any reason to say “I think” in any sentence. It sounds unprofessional, so just delete it.
• Focus on the positives.  If you had any negative experiences, setbacks, or mistakes, don’t spend too much time writing about them. Explain yourself in a couple sentences, but focus on what you learned and how you’ve bettered yourself. Don’t dwell on the past, but try to focus on the positive results.
• Try to avoid clichés.  Almost everyone can write about how they want to be a physical therapist because they love to help people, or because they got injured and need physical therapy. You can briefly write these things, but you need to have other, more personal experiences that you can write about. Be sure to set yourself apart from others.
• Why have you chosen each school?  For supplemental essays for a specific school, make sure to mention why you want to go to their school, if it fits into the prompt. It’s good to show that you’ve done your research and are excited to attend their program for specific reasons.
• Answer the question.  It’s self-explanatory, but it’s so easy to get caught up in what you’re writing and go in a direction that doesn’t answer the original prompt. Make sure everything that appears in the essay helps to answer the prompt in some way.
• Have others read and edit your essay. Family members, friends, classmates, college writing center, or people on the Student Doctor Network Forums can all help your essay. It’s so beneficial to have an outside perspective on essays, especially because the admissions committee reading your essay won’t read it in the same way that you do. Try to have as many people critique your essay as possible.
• If you ask for help online, don’t post your entire essay for everyone on the internet to read. Make a new thread or comment on a current essay thread, and send an email directly to the person willing to read your essay. There are people that might steal your essay and use it as their own, so be careful who you send it to.
• Take a break from writing. Constantly thinking about your essay, rewriting, and editing is exhausting. It’s helpful to take a few days from working on your essay, and then come back to it with a fresh start.
• Try writing in different environments. I wrote mostly at home, but found that I got stuck with my writing. I started to write at coffee shops, which helped me be more productive. Try working at a library, outside, at a friend’s house, or in a different room in your own house.
• Essays can take weeks to write.  Make sure you start early enough so you aren’t stressed out from trying to meet an upcoming deadline. Start working on your essays as soon as possible.
• Be careful when writing multiple essays.  The PTCAS essay is sent to every school, so don’t copy and paste the same paragraphs into any supplemental essays. However, if two different schools have an essay prompt that is similar, then feel free to similar paragraphs.
• Essays are weighed differently by each school.  Some might not even read the PTCAS essay, others care more about their supplemental essays, or some schools do not care much about a well-written essay.
• Maximum character length.  You don’t have to write 4498 out of 4450 characters for your essay to be great.  Shorter is fine if you can get your point across. Aim for the character maximum, but it’s fine to have several hundred less than that.
• What if you wrote too much?  Worry about the essay length after you have written your thoughts down. When you are finalizing your essay, remove the repetitive information and anything that does not support the prompt, for starters. Then you can try rewording your sentences so they get straight to your point.

Tips for Specific Essays

If you’re stuck with writing your essays, see if you can answer these questions. You don’t need to answer all of them or any of them to write a great essay. A lot of these questions will overlap and be useful on other prompts, so make sure to read through everything if you need help.

Hopefully these questions will get you out of any writers block you may have.

PTCAS Essay

You can find the essay prompt on the PTCAS Essay page , or on their Facebook page once it is released. When I applied in 2014, the essay prompt was released in early June, and the PTCAS application opened in early July. This gave me an entire month to write my essay before I could even start my PTCAS application.

The essay prompt changes every year or every several years, so I can’t give great advice for this. These are some tips from past essays, so hopefully they help.

• How have your life experiences shaped who you are?
• What observation experiences can you talk about?
• Are there any patients that have influenced you?
• How has an experience impacted how you want to want to practice physical therapy?
• Who are the most influential people in your life?
• When did you know that you wanted to be a physical therapist?
• When have you been on a team or worked in a group? How was the team approach better than working by yourself?
• Where do you see the field of physical therapy going, and how do you fit into that picture?
• What sort of physical therapist to you see yourself being?
• How would you treat your future patients?
• What dream goals do you have?
• What character traits are important to have as a physical therapist
• What experiences have strengthened those traits for you, or what traits are you currently working on?
• How has your time spent as a patient affected how you will be a physical therapist?
• Are there any specific therapists that you wish to be like, or any therapists that you don’t want to become?
• Why will you be valuable to this profession?
• Are you interested in teaching, research, owning your own business, traveling, working for a nonprofit, or volunteering in another country?

Autobiography Essay

• What challenges have you overcome in your life?
• What are some of your major accomplishments?
• Why do you want to be a physical therapist?
• What things have you done that helped you grow as an individual
• What activities have you participated in?
• Who are some influential people on your life?
• How have your family, friends, or peers shaped who you are today?
• How would other people describe you?
• What 5 words describe you the best?
• What character traits are important for a physical therapist to have? Do you have these traits, or how are you improving them?
• What is important to you?
• How will your experiences make you a successful physical therapy student/physical therapist?
• How did your upbringing shape your personality, and how will that make you a better physical therapist?
• How have your experiences led you to the physical therapy career instead of other health care careers?
• Is there a central theme about your life experiences?
• How can you contribute to the field of physical therapy and your future patients?

Diversity Essay

• Describe your life experience as it is related to your culture.
• Is it hard to understand others who are from a different culture?
• Do you have a culturally different perspective than your peers?
• Does your culture have a different set of health care beliefs, or have you encountered another culture with different beliefs?
• Have you had an experience in life where you felt like your culture created a barrier for you?
• Have you volunteered for an economically disadvantaged population?
• Do you have trouble relating to higher socioeconomic classes?
• Have your experiences helped you relate better to certain people?
• Have you witnessed any social, cultural, or economic barriers when observing in a health care setting?
• How have you learned from any of these experiences?
• How does recognizing, understanding, or appreciating diversity make you a better physical therapist?
• Have you worked with individuals with disabilities?
• How do these experiences support that you will be able to work with diverse patients when you are a physical therapist?

Reapplicant Essay

• Have you retaken any classes?
• Did you retake the GRE?
• Do you have additional observation experiences?
• Did you observe in any new settings or see a different patient population?
• Did you have any additional work experience?
• Where you involved in any groups or team sports?
• Did you volunteer?
• How are you more prepared to be a successful student?
• Have you improved any personal skills?
• Have you worked with individuals that are different or gave you a unique perspective?
• What have you learned and how have you improved?
• How did these new experiences change your perspective, improve your application, change your personality, taught you something new, made you grow, or support your desire to become a physical therapist?

Does Your Academic Record Accurately Reflect Your Capabilities?

Most people say that you should only answer this section if something major happened in your life that was out of your control, like an illness, personal injury, family emergency, death of a loved one, etc.

Don’t use this area to write a list of excuses for why your grades weren’t as good as you wished. Examples of excuses: Explaining that you weren’t mature enough, didn’t study hard enough, partied too much, took too many difficult classes, or went to a challenging university. Those are excuses because you were responsible and they could have been avoided or handled better. If you are eager to explain yourself, you can try to add a sentence or two into your PTCAS essay.

A lot of people had lower grades at the beginning of their college career, so if your grades improved over time and your transcript shows that, you don’t need to write an essay to explain yourself.  It takes a while to learn how to succeed in college, and admissions committees understand that.

Additional Resources

Unfortunately there isn’t much information about physical therapy school essays. I found these resources for general essay writing, grad school essays, and med school essays, but they’re mostly applicable to physical therapy school too!

PTCAS Essay Prompt Essay Workshop 101 Writing the Personal Statement Personal Statement Before You Write Your Personal Statement, Read This Writing Your Medical School Personal Statement: Tips and Myths Writing the Personal Statement for Medical School

Student Doctor Network Forums:

Supplemental Essays character limit   PTCAS Essay question for 2015-2016 application cycle! Essay   This year’s personal statement prompt? Should I or should I not write about this in my essay? Re-applicant essay Does your personal statement have to be 4500 characters? 

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Pingback: PTCAS: Personal Statement/Essays

The link you set for the reapplicant essay doesn’t lead to that blog post. I wanted to ask if you know if reapplicants should submit the same essays if the essay question is the same this year?

Sorry for taking so long to reply! I just saw your comment this morning.

Thank you for letting me know about the link. Occasionally blogs are taken down, so I’ll have to go through and make sure to remove all the links to that site.

That’s a tough question, and I don’t think there is really a correct answer. If you read the Student Doctor Network forums , you can find others who have run into the same situation. Do you know why you were not accepted the first time around? If you didn’t meet the GPA or GRE requirements, your application may have been automatically disqualified and your essays might have never been read. You can choose to use the same exact essay, but hopefully they haven’t been read by the same program already. You can also choose to edit your essays a little bit, and maybe add any new experiences that you’ve had since you last applied.

Best of luck this application cycle! 🙂

Hi Katie! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I really appreciate it!!! I’m just wandering if you know any PT personal essay editing service?

Hey Lauren! Sorry for the delay in my response, and I hope it isn’t too late.

When I was applying to schools, I sent my essays to 3-4 of my friends (including an English major), so I got tons of feedback from them. There’s also the Student Doctor Network forums, and there are DPT students and PTs that offer up their spare time to edit essays! Just be cautious when sending your essay to strangers on the forum – make sure that they have a decent number of posts on that site.

I’m not sure if there is an essay editing service online, specific towards PT admissions essays.

If you need any last minute help, feel free to email me your essay and I can give some comments! Best of luck with getting into schools! 🙂

I’m almost finished with my PTCAS application process and I found this. Super helpful, I’m making some edits to my essay now. Thank you!

You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help! Good luck with applying and everything.

Thank you, that was so helpful!

You’re welcome! Thanks for the nice comment 🙂 glad I was able to help!

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The Curly Clinician - Physical Therapy + Lifestyle

PTCAS: Personal Statement/Essays

December 23, 2017 Physical Therapy , Pre-PT , PTCAS & Planning

Welcome to the last #dptwiththecc post (*cue sad music*)

Today I will discuss PERSONAL STATEMENTS & SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS!

What is a personal statement.

Every year, PTCAS has an “essay” section. This is essentially your personal statement, even though it is not stated outright. The personal statement is your chance to really show your personality, so you want to make it count! If your grades or GRE scores aren’t the best, your essays could really set you apart, + take your application to the next level.

The question/prompt will be the same for everyone, and this is updated every few application cycles. Because the PTCAS application opens at the end of June/early July, PTCAS usually releases the prompt for the upcoming cycle on their Twitter and Facebook pages in the spring. This will give you time to start brainstorming and drafting your essay before the application even opens!

Past PTCAS Prompts :

• 2016-2017, 2017-2018 : “What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapy program?”
• 2018-2019, 2019-2020 : “Describe a meaningful experience in your life. Reflect on how that experience influenced your personal growth, such as your attitudes or perceptions.”
• 2020-2021 : “Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experiences with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career.”

In addition to the PTCAS essay, most programs require you to write supplemental essays . These are additional essays that will let the program know a little bit more about you. These essays could be long or short, depending on the program. When I applied, my program had 2 supplemental essays (1150 characters each). One essay asked about a life failure and how I overcame it, and another asked about my experience with diversity.

What should I write about?

Katie from My Road to PT has a GREAT blog, and in her post about essays, she comprised a list of some example topics + questions. They are listed below:

PTCAS Essay

• How have your life experiences shaped who you are?
• What observation experiences can you talk about?
• Are there any patients that have influenced you?
• How has an experience impacted how you want to want to practice physical therapy?
• Who are the most influential people in your life?
• When did you know that you wanted to be a physical therapist?
• When have you been on a team or worked in a group? How was the team approach better than working by yourself?
• Where do you see the field of physical therapy going, and how do you fit into that picture?
• What sort of physical therapist to you see yourself being?
• How would you treat your future patients?
• What dream goals do you have?
• What character traits are important to have as a physical therapist
• What experiences have strengthened those traits for you, or what traits are you currently working on?
• How has your time spent as a patient affected how you will be a physical therapist?
• Are there any specific therapists that you wish to be like, or any therapists that you don’t want to become?
• Why will you be valuable to this profession?
• Are you interested in teaching, research, owning your own business, traveling, working for a nonprofit, or volunteering in another country?

Autobiography Essay

• What challenges have you overcome in your life?
• What are some of your major accomplishments?
• Why do you want to be a physical therapist?
• What things have you done that helped you grow as an individual
• What activities have you participated in?
• Who are some influential people on your life?
• How have your family, friends, or peers shaped who you are today?
• How would other people describe you?
• What 5 words describe you the best?
• What character traits are important for a physical therapist to have? Do you have these traits, or how are you improving them?
• What is important to you?
• How will your experiences make you a successful physical therapy student/physical therapist?
• How did your upbringing shape your personality, and how will that make you a better physical therapist?
• How have your experiences led you to the physical therapy career instead of other health care careers?
• Is there a central theme about your life experiences?
• How can you contribute to the field of physical therapy and your future patients?

Diversity Essay

• Describe your life experience as it is related to your culture.
• Is it hard to understand others who are from a different culture?
• Do you have a culturally different perspective than your peers?
• Does your culture have a different set of health care beliefs, or have you encountered another culture with different beliefs?
• Have you had an experience in life where you felt like your culture created a barrier for you?
• Have you volunteered for an economically disadvantaged population?
• Do you have trouble relating to higher socioeconomic classes?
• Have your experiences helped you relate better to certain people?
• Have you witnessed any social, cultural, or economic barriers when observing in a health care setting?
• How have you learned from any of these experiences?
• How does recognizing, understanding, or appreciating diversity make you a better physical therapist?
• Have you worked with individuals with disabilities?
• How do these experiences support that you will be able to work with diverse patients when you are a physical therapist?

Re-applicant Essay

• Have you retaken any classes?
• Did you retake the GRE?
• Do you have additional observation experiences?
• Did you observe in any new settings or see a different patient population?
• Did you have any additional work experience?
• Where you involved in any groups or team sports?
• Did you volunteer?
• How are you more prepared to be a successful student?
• Have you improved any personal skills?
• Have you worked with individuals that are different or gave you a unique perspective?
• What have you learned and how have you improved?
• How did these new experiences change your perspective, improve your application, change your personality, teach you something new, help you grow, or support your desire to become a physical therapist?

While these specific questions may not be asked, they can be used to brainstorm possible responses/give you an idea of the types of questions to expect.

What should I put in my personal statement?

Why you actually want to become a physical therapist is the number one thing that should be in your essay (duh)! You should also try to have a “theme” (as long as you can somehow relate it to the prompt). This will make your essay cohesive, and interesting to read. Almost everyone wants to be a physical therapist because they want to help people, or because they had an awesome physical therapist when they were injured. While this is great, try to focus on another reason why you want to become a physical therapist. This is a personal statement, so make it personal! For my PTCAS essay, I wrote about the lack of representation in the field for black women, and how I want to help increase the presence of underrepresented populations + treat underserved communities! Really think about WHY you want to help people. What are your passions? Pull from your life experiences (healthcare + non-healthcare related) to make your theme come to life.

In addition, you should extensively research the programs you are applying to before you write your supplemental essays! Read their mission statement, and find out what they value. Are they a research program? Do they really value diversity and inclusion? Are they big on global health? Whatever the program’s values are, include how your personal values align. This will make you stand out, and show that you are a serious applicant. If it is applicable to the prompt, you could also discuss why you want to attend the program that you are applying to!

How long does the personal statement have to be?

PTCAS has a limit of 4500 characters (about 1 page) for your essay. I would recommend using most or all of this space (without adding in irrelevant information of course) if possible. If you can get your point across in fewer characters, then that’s fine too! I wouldn’t stress about the character limit until you feel like you’ve completed most of your essay, as it is easier to take things out at the end. I would recommend drafting your essay in a program like Microsoft Word (or a plain text editor like Notepad), so that you can always see how many characters you’re at. Then, you can just paste the essay into PTCAS later.

Does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities?

This question will be asked in the PTCAS application, but I wouldn’t answer it unless there was an extenuating circumstance that affected your academics. Admissions committees don’t want to hear excuses for why your grades weren’t as good as you wanted your freshman year (it happens!), or how you spent too much time partying or distracted. As long as your grades improved over time (your transcript will reflect this), you are fine!

General Tips

• ACTUALLY ANSWER THE PROMPT! I know this may seem obvious, but I have edited many essays for pre-PT students, and come across essays that didn’t even answer the prompt. This is a sure-fire way to stop someone from reading your essay, so follow directions, and try not to deviate too far from the prompt.
• Avoid contractions (i.e. don’t, can’t, won’t, etc.). Your essay should be formal.
• Show don’t tell!
• Vary your sentence structure. You want your writing to have style, so don’t make every sentence sound the same.
• Make sure to have an introduction (with a captivating opener to engage the reader), and a conclusion to bring your essay full circle (remember your theme!). I began my essay with a childhood memory, but you could begin with a quote (kinda cliché, but you could make it work), a question, a general idea, or something else. You want to grab the reader’s attention immediately!
• Remember HIPAA! If you want to discuss a patient you observed, don’t include any of their personal information!
• Don’t plagiarize!
• Keep your audience in mind: you never know who the admissions committee is composed of, and everyone may not agree with your views.
• When brainstorming, start by making a list of your thoughts/ideas about the prompt. Later, you can turn these ideas into actual paragraphs.
• Make sure your theme is present in each paragraph.
• Have at least 3-4 people proofread/edit your essays (for content + grammar). Of course, you’re going to think your essay is good, but you need an outside source’s opinion. You may think you’ve conveyed your point, but you’ll never know for sure unless you have someone proofread it. This could be a family member, a friend, a current DPT student, a physical therapist, a professor, etc. The Student Doctor Network Pre-PT Forum has a thread you can visit if you’re looking for someone to edit your essay. I wouldn’t recommend having another pre-PT student edit your essay (unless you know them personally, or really trust them), as there are some not-so-nice people online that could potentially steal your essay. I had my mentor (who is also a physical therapist), a recent DPT grad, and an accepted pre-PT student edit my essays. Try to avoid having too many people edit your essays, as you may lose your “personal” touch.
• Provide lots of examples!
• Don’t rush the process! It takes a while to write a good essay, so allow yourself enough time to do so. You may even have to take a break and come back later with a fresh mind. Regardless, you’ll have that “aha” moment eventually! If you are really stuck, try writing in a different environment (i.e. the library, a coffee shop, or a bookstore). Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need!
• Try reading your essay out loud. It is much easier to catch mistakes this way, versus if you are only reading it in your head.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this series! If you missed any of the posts, be sure to check them out under the “ Pre-PT ” section of the blog! I covered getting organized, grades/study tips, extracurricular activities, observation hours, letters of recommendation, and the GRE! Once it gets closer to the new application cycle, I will definitely have more tips and advice for y’all!

Remember that I am available for editing (PTCAS essay, supplemental essays, and resumes), so click here if that is something you are interested in!

If you have any requests for posts you’d like to see in the future (or ever need anything), feel free to leave a comment, DM me on Instagram , or shoot me an email ( [email protected] )! Can’t wait to continue creating content for you guys!

Reader Interactions

February 24, 2020 at 3:59 am

loved this. Really informative and inspiring. Thank you.

March 3, 2020 at 3:24 pm

You’re so welcome!

July 9, 2020 at 8:21 am

This was very helpful. I felt like I was constructing my essay on a blank canvas, but this article gave me a structural foundation of where to start. Thank you!

July 9, 2020 at 10:24 pm

Ah yay this makes me so happy Brittany! Good luck with the rest of your application girl!

September 19, 2020 at 11:31 am

This blog has helped me through every single step of my PTCAS application process! You’re truly a lifesaver because you give answers to all the little things that everyone asks and but no one really addresses. If i get into PT school, it’ll all be thanks to you!

September 24, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Ahhhh Sara that makes me so happy I am so glad that my blog has been a good resource for you! Good luck with the rest of the application process 🙂

July 24, 2021 at 1:54 pm

Love this! Your blog has been very helpful in my process of submitting apps. I had a question; where did you submit/find any extra supplemental essays?

August 28, 2021 at 12:13 pm

Hi Ashley, I’m so happy to hear this! They would be within the PTCAS application!

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How to write your physical therapy personal essay

by tkaprowy | Mar 22, 2021 | Uncategorized

I’m a little bit in love with this year’s physical therapy personal essay prompt. I’ll admit it’s a strange thing to be in love with and, thinking on it, maybe I’m really just in love with the person who composed it. Either way, there is serious sass living between the lines of this thing.

If you haven’t already seen it, the prompt for the PTCAS 2020-21 cycle reads as follows:

“ Every person has a story that has led them to a career. Since there are a variety of health professions that “help” others, please go beyond your initial interaction or experience with physical therapy, and share the deeper story that has confirmed your decision to specifically pursue physical therapy as your career .”

What I love about this is someone has clearly gotten fed up. It’s likely physical therapy schools were receiving versions of the same personal statements again and again and … again. Ones in which applicants wrote about how they knew they wanted to be a physical therapist:

• because they want to help people.
• after they received physical therapy themselves.

And this person? The one who wrote this prompt? Was tired. Was unimpressed. And that’s understandable.

DON’T BE GENERIC

Why so? Well, first, saying you want to help people doesn’t really answer why you want to be a physical therapist . Physical therapists, after all, are not the only people who help. Everyone does in healthcare, a). And, b), helping isn’t unique to the healthcare field. Teachers help. Police officers and flight attendants do, too. So using that as the basis of your answer for why you want to be a physical therapist is like building the foundation of your house on publicly-owned land; it’s not yours to claim.

Second, you have to wonder how many times poor admissions officers have read about people discovering they want to be a physical therapist after they received P.T. for the first time and were wowed by their own progress. I think it’s safe to assume it’s as common as answering the question, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” by describing how you liked to “heal” your stuffed animals when you were a kid. Or saying you knew you wanted to be an engineer because you’ve always had an affinity for Legos.

Those stories have been so over-told that they have become cliché . It does not matter how well you write these stories, you will not make inroads with your reader because your reader will be asleep.

So. What does this physical therapy prompt want out of you? Happily, it’s very clear: you should be writing about a moment of confirmation.

WHAT IS A MOMENT OF CONFIRMATION?

These are moments where everything, in a flash, comes together. Something happens, something changes, something begins. And you realize something important.

Maybe it’s the moment you realize that you want to be a physical therapist. Maybe it’s the moment you realize you have what it takes to be a physical therapist. Or, perhaps it’s the moment where you realize, holy crap, I don’t want to be a rodeo clown at all, I want to be a physical therapist instead.

The great thing about these moments — and the reason why the writers of this prompt are probably asking to read about them — i s they may or may not have to do with P.T. It could be the moment when someone is panicking in the library before an exam and you suddenly know exactly what to say to help them. It could be the moment when you park on the side of the road so you can help a turtle get across it so it doesn’t get splooshed. It could be the moment when someone plays their turn at Scrabble after a 16,000-hour mull and you realize you’ve been silently rooting for them (and actually interested in what they’ll spell).

All you need to do is outline the moment when you realized, wow, this is it. This is where it’s been heading all along. I know this for the first time right now .

DO STORY TELL, DON’T ESSAY WRITE

Whatever moment you choose, the prompt is asking you to get specific and dig deep by telling a story. This is actually great news for you. Telling a story is far, far more interesting than writing an essay. We’re also, in general, far, far more skilled at telling stories than we are at churning out boring essays.

That the word “specifically” is also in your prompt is also great news. Asking you to be specific is just another way of asking you to be detailed. And details are the funnest part about personal statements.

First, details help your moment/story come alive for your reader . To do so, you should address what was happening to every one of your senses at that time. So if you were on the side of the road with the turtle, what did you feel? See? Hear? Smell? Taste? Did you notice a cinnamon Trident gum pack in the ditch? Were you headed to karate practice? Did you consider not stopping for a second? Did you turn back? Was it spring? Were birds chirping? Were you afraid the turtle was going to bite you? Were you afraid it was going to be slimy? Or stinky?

Second, details show your reader how open and honest you’re being because you just can’t make them up . They help prove your story is true. That’s important for your reader to know in order to become invested.

FOLLOW IT UP

After you’ve described your life-changing moment, you then get to explain specifically why this steered you toward physical therapy. Which means you get to explain what was going on in your head at that time. This generally invites paragraphs that start with, “This is the moment I realized …” And then you explain what you realized.

So, again with the turtle, what did you realize? That you feel compelled in every fiber of your being to assist reptiles (and people) make safe progress?

If you’re describing the kid freaking out in the library, did you realize you have the ability to break down tough things for people so they’re digestible?

If you’re describing the Scrabble game, did you realize you have an inordinate amount of patience?

All of these qualities are both yours and belong to the best physical therapists. So this is a big part of your answer. After all, you can convincingly answer why you want a specific career if you can prove to your reader that your personality is actually built for it .

DON’T STOP WITH THE TURTLE

Because a moment of confirmation is when several pieces come together and click, you should feel free to weave in other parts of your life story in your essay after you’ve established your opening moment. So you should feel comfortable saying, “Standing beside this poor turtle, I realized I had felt this way when I …” Then you can fill in the blank. Was it when you shadowed a physical therapist? Or when coaching color guard? Or when you’ve been with your grandmother?

These examples shore up your answer and, although they might be more standard, together they all demonstrate (prove!) that you’re on the right career path. They also help you demonstrate other parts of your personality, background, education and/or goals.

I look forward to working with students to help answer this interesting prompt. If you’re looking for another example of how you can answer why you want a career in healthcare (without actually writing about healthcare), click here and skip down to the python runs into a poodle section. If you need any more guidance, don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

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Why I Want to Be a Physical Therapist, Essay Sample

Essay about why i want to become a physical therapist.

When I think of what a physical therapist does, the first thing that comes to mind is helping people get back on their feet after an injury or an illness. While that is true, there is much more to it than that. A physical therapist has many responsibilities and duties they must abide by in order to keep the public safe. The four main things they must be able to do are: diagnose and treat injuries, teach how to prevent those injuries from happening again, treat diseases related to movement, and serve as expert witnesses for injured workers.

In this essay, which I write with the help of a custom paper writing service , I will share my reasons for pursuing a career in physical therapy, highlighting the key factors that motivate me to take this path. 

Reasons Why I Want to be a Physical Therapist

Physical therapy is an absolutely enormous field – one of the largest in the healthcare industry. But, when I think about what I love most about being a physical therapist, it’s that it’s so versatile. The type of work you do can be tailored to fit whatever you enjoy doing most. Some people really enjoy working with athletes; others like making older adults feel as comfortable and mobile as possible. You can choose to focus your efforts on one age group or another, find a great mentor in someone who works with your preferred area of focus, or even become a specialist in a specific sport.

Inspiration from My Therapist

From early childhood, I enjoyed playing sports and working out. But all of that changed when I suffered a serious knee injury during my senior year of high school. After the initial shock and pain, I was faced with a difficult decision — either let it heal on its own or face months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. 

My physical therapist worked diligently to get me back on my feet, helping me understand how important it is to move our bodies for healing purposes. She showed me exercises designed to strengthen my muscles around the knee joint and increase my range of motion. With each activity, she carefully monitored my progress and pushed me to do more than what was comfortable to help my body heal faster. Her guidance helped me regain strength and mobility in my knee much quicker than if I had just left it alone to heal on its own. 

The experience of going through physical therapy inspired me to pursue a career as a physical therapist myself so that I can help others who are struggling with injuries or chronic pain find relief through movement, as I did. 

Positive Impact of Physical Therapy on Patients

The positive impact that physical therapy can have on patients is one of the most compelling reasons why I want to become a physical therapist. Physical therapy can help alleviate pain, improve range of motion, increase strength and flexibility, and prevent future injuries. It can also enhance the overall quality of life by promoting independence, confidence, and self-esteem.

For example, physical therapy can prove invaluable for those recuperating from surgery, such as a knee replacement. It assists in restoring patients’ strength and mobility and reduces the risk of complications like blood clots and infections. Additionally, physical therapy can be a game-changer for those with persistent conditions, like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease. Physical therapists collaborate with their patients to create tailored treatment plans that manage symptoms and enhance their overall quality of life.

Variety of Specialties

One of the reasons I am drawn to physical therapy is the wide range of specialties within the field that allow PTs to continually broaden their knowledge and expertise. For example, PTs can specialize in areas such as neurorehabilitation, aquatic therapy, and pediatrics.

Pediatric physical therapy, in particular, appeals to me as someone interested in working with children while also gaining a deeper understanding of how adults function. Working with children requires a unique skill set and approach that can be both challenging and rewarding.

Alternatively, geriatric physical therapy may be a good fit for those seeking a more relaxed environment. This area of specialization involves working with older adults to improve their physical function, mobility, and overall quality of life. Regardless of the specialty, the opportunity to continually learn and grow as a physical therapist is an aspect of the profession that excites me.

Building Relationships with Patients

Another aspect of physical therapy that I find rewarding is the opportunity to build relationships with patients. Unlike other medical professions that may only see patients briefly, physical therapists often work with patients over an extended period of time. This allows for a deeper understanding of their needs, concerns, and goals, and the chance to establish a bond built on trust and mutual respect.

Through my experiences as a volunteer in physical therapy clinics, I have seen firsthand the difference that a physical therapist can make in someone’s life. For example, I worked with a patient who had suffered a severe stroke and was unable to walk or talk. Through months of physical therapy, she regained her ability to walk and communicate, and her quality of life improved dramatically. Seeing her progress and the positive impact on her life was incredibly rewarding, and it strengthened my desire to pursue a career in physical therapy.

As a physical therapist, you’ll be able to continue helping people in need of your expertise. You will be able to specialize in areas such as orthopedics and sports medicine or work with elderly patients who have arthritis or balance problems. In addition to working with patients in hospitals and clinics, physical therapists may also work in schools where children learn about fitness and nutrition.

Physical therapy is more than just working out and rehabbing injuries. It can involve helping with various issues, including managing pain, improving movement and range of motion, increasing strength, alimentation, and even preventing injury. I believe that physical therapy is a field that will allow me to continue helping others who are in need and make a difference in their lives.

Tips On Writing an Essay About the Reasons Why I Want to Be a Physical Therapist 

Writing a personal statement essay about why you want to become a physical therapist can be challenging, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to showcase your passion and dedication to this field. Here are some tips to help you write an effective essay:

When writing an essay on why you want to become a physical therapist, use clear and simple language so that the reader can understand what you’re saying. Don’t use long sentences or complex words.

Highlight your skills

Physical therapy requires a unique set of skills, including strong communication, empathy, and problem-solving abilities. Highlight how your own skills and experiences have prepared you for this profession.

Show, don’t tell

Don’t just tell the reader that you’re passionate about physical therapy; show them. Use vivid language and specific examples to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment to this field.

Connect your personal story to your career goals

In your personal statement essay, it’s important to illustrate how your life experiences and professional aspirations align with your passion for becoming a physical therapist. Use your essay as a platform to articulate how you envision making a positive impact in this field.

Why Someone Might Want to Become a Physical Therapist

Physical therapy is a rewarding career that involves helping patients recover from injuries and illnesses. Physical therapists work closely with patients to develop personalized treatment plans and help them achieve their goals. In this table, we will list the reasons why someone might want to become a physical therapist, along with a description of those reasons.

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Physical Therapy Essay | Why To Choose Physical Therapy Profession? Importance and Benefits

August 27, 2021 by Prasanna

Physical Therapy Essay: Physical therapy is a profession that will consistently be required all through society; it assists the human body with reconstructing actual capacity in individuals that have been harmed, have birth abandons, or some other reasons. Individuals who have been in mishaps or have handicapping conditions like low-back torment, joint inflammation, coronary illness, breaks, head wounds and cerebral paralysis go to a Physical therapist, normally called PTs, for help. These medical care experts utilize a collection of strategies, called modalities, to restore work, further develop development, soothe torment and stay away from or limit enduring actual handicaps in their patients.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Sample Essay on Physical Therapy

A physical therapist is medical care expert that offers restorative types of assistance to their patients who have transitory or constant states of being that were caused by injury or illness. The actual specialist additionally offered remedial types of assistance to patients after they have gone through a medical procedure to assist them with recovering versatility and deal with their aggravation. They can likewise work in preventive consideration by advancing sound ways of life and training singular patients or gatherings on forestalling injury by utilizing practices that stretch and fortify muscles. To help their patients attempt to recuperate they use rub strategies, wellbeing plans, and various kinds of hardware.

At the point when a physical therapist sees a patient for the absolute first time they should do an assessment, assessment, conclusion, and afterward set up an actual intercession to begin the recovery interaction. They additionally fill in collectively with other medical services experts to assist with their patient’s needs. A physical therapist can truly have an effect on their patient’s lives by offering restorative types of assistance as well as empowering and rousing them so they can improve. The fundamental objectives of Physical therapists are to assist their patients in withholding or restore lost actual portability, take out or decrease torment, increment usefulness and assist with advancing a sound way of life so patients can have the superior personal satisfaction and become more autonomous.

The calling of Physical therapy interests me mostly on the grounds that non-intrusive treatment emphatically affects my life and I need to have the option to decidedly affect others. Throughout the long term, I have had something reasonable of wounds and have been lucky enough to have a physical therapist work on me. The way that my physical therapist had the option to limit my aggravation and facilitate my therapy made me amazingly energetic about the calling. Non-intrusive treatment is a fundamental piece of games, which is an enormous piece of my life, and extraordinarily helps the games world.

Without a Physical therapist, wounds would be considerably more adverse and would in this way decline the appeal of contending in a game. Also, I couldn’t imagine anything better than to work in an expert field relating to sports since they to a great extent affect my life and have formed who I am today.

Physical therapy has many advantages outside of sports also, including general active work.

I lead an exceptionally dynamic way of life and can’t envision existence without actual work because of a physical issue, sickness or ailment. By giving rehabilitative consideration to people of all movement levels Physical therapists permit them the opportunity to be truly dynamic. I accept that to make every second count, your body should have the option to take you anyplace you need to go. I can’t think about a preferable calling over valuably affecting others day to day routines and assisting them with partaking in their lives.

Notwithstanding these individual reasons, there are outside factors that additionally make the Physical therapy calling engaging. When you start working, your professional stability increments significantly on the grounds that wounds, ailments and sicknesses will consistently be common in the public eye.

This is exceptionally consoling to experience the harmony of the psyche that you will not be supplanted and it permits you to partake in your work more. Additionally, most Physical therapists work normal hours, which permits you to partake in your time off work and not be stressed over getting brought in. At last, I know numerous individuals that are either physical therapists, facility proprietors, or even still understudies that couldn’t be more joyful with the choice they made to work in the field of non-intrusive treatment.

The advantages of non-intrusive treatment on actual work are huge and crucial for individuals’ wellbeing. By and large, Physical therapy impacts the overall soundness of individuals endlessly. Without physical therapy and rehabilitative consideration, wounds, sicknesses and illnesses could be calamitous to an individual’s actual work level. physical therapists give care that permits people to perform fundamental day-by-day errands and complete activities that work on their personal satisfaction. Notwithstanding broad wellbeing and everyday action, Physical therapy extraordinarily helps sports.

On the off chance that competitors didn’t get care after a physical issue, their recuperating time would increment significantly. By giving particular consideration, physical therapists assist competitors with getting back to play. This, thus, keeps the games business running appropriately as the top competitors can perform and give diversion. Ultimately, non-intrusive treatment benefits active work showing an appropriate structure for movement, which forestalls future wounds. By giving individuals the information important to carry on with actual dynamic life, physical therapists extraordinarily advantage active work.

To have the option to add to the vocation of non-intrusive treatment, I need to first completely get what the calling involves. By social affair however much information as could reasonably be expected about physical therapy, I will have the devices should have been an extraordinary therapist and add to the profession. To emphatically affect physical therapy, I would initially have to rehearse expertly, which considers decidedly non-intrusive treatment in general. I trust it would be amazingly useful to competitors to learn legitimate strategies for proactive tasks. One commitment I would put forth a valiant effort to get going would give a camp to sports groups that teach youthful competitors on structure and injury counteraction.

Conclusion on Physical Therapy Essay

Physical therapists are individuals from a medical care group, uncommonly prepared to further develop development and function, soothe torment, and extend development potential. Through assessment and individualized treatment programs, Physical therapists can both treat existing issues and give preventive medical care to individuals with an assortment of necessities. Physical therapists are entirely learned and talented concerning the human body. Non-intrusive treatment is a complex, however remunerating field to seek after as a vocation. Specialization, working conditions, work viewpoint, compensations, and instruction necessities should be thought about while considering a vocation as a physical therapist.

FAQ’s on Physical Therapy Essay

Question 1. What is physical therapy?

Answer: Physical therapy is a medical treatment that helps you to relieve the pain and function your body parts smoothly. Physical therapy is given by actual specialists who advance, keep up with, or reestablish wellbeing through actual assessment, conclusion, visualization, patient training, actual mediation, restoration, sickness anticipation and wellbeing advancement.

Question 2. Why is physical therapy important?

Answer: Physical therapy will assist you with reinforcing the muscles related to your physical issue just as encompassing muscles. Frequently, strength lopsided characteristics lead to injury. Further, develop results: Physical treatment works on post-careful results, by tending to torment, scar tissue, strength, the scope of movement, and that’s just the beginning.

Question 3. What are the benefits of physical therapy?

Answer: The benefits of physical therapy are:

• Decrease or dispense with pain.
• Keep away from medical procedures.
• Further, develop portability.
• Recuperate from a stroke.
• Recuperate from or forestall a game’s injury.
• Work on your adjust and forestall falls.
• Oversee diabetes and vascular conditions.
• Oversee age-related issues
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Physical therapy - DESCRIBE A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE IN YOUR LIFE.

Describe a meaningful experience in your life.

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Physical Therapy school personal statement

Currently applying to Doctor of Physical Therapy programs! Any help with my essay would be appreciated. This is my 3rd draft. Thanks in advance

Essay Prompt: Describe your decision making process in choosing physical therapy as a career choice versus other health care careers

I knew I wanted to go into healthcare, but which profession? My entire immediate family is in the medical field, so I reached out to their co-workers to talk about their jobs. I considered everything from physician's assistant, to chiropractor, to pharmacist, or even physician. In the end, though, the field of physical therapy brought together all the qualities I was looking for in my career. It combines my love of teaching, my fascination with the study of movement, and my desire to help others overcome challenges.

I first became interested in physical therapy as a profession after I started doing CrossFit. CrossFit is an exercise program that is based on workouts that consist of constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements, including Olympic lifts, sprints, bodyweight exercises, rowing, gymnastics training, and more. As I started practicing these diverse exercises, I realized that I was learning a lot about the complexities of human movement. I had some dysfunctional motor patterns that needed correcting in order to complete some of the exercises effectively. As I worked through these problems with trained exercise professionals, I started thinking back to what I had learned in previous anatomy courses about the body's form as it relates to function. I was fascinated with the realization that these small motor problems can often lead to major injuries. Moreover, I saw firsthand how these motor patterns can be retrained, leading to huge gains in stability, performance, and pain-free range of motion. Throughout my CrossFit experience, I jumped at the opportunity to impart the knowledge I had gained to a newcomer. Not only could I help improve their training, but also to prevent them from future injury. I was learning how to move properly, helping others learn to do the same, and loving it. I knew that teaching others how to improve themselves had to be a major part of my future career.

Having come to this decision, I jumped at the opportunity to complete a 150 hour internship at an outpatient clinic. While I could not perform any treatment, I was able to observe many different types of patients, injuries, modalities, and styles of communication. I remember one patient who was unable to walk due to a traumatic hip injury. Not only was she injured physically, but also psychologically due to her loss of mobility, independence, and ability to work. This patient made a fantastic recovery by the end of my internship. A lot of credit goes to the patient for putting in the work, but I saw how her recovery was made possible by the coordination and skill of this team of professionals. There were definitely setbacks, but the physical therapist provided help and support when the patient struggled. When I think of the adversity I have faced in my life, I am forever grateful to those who provided aid and comfort I needed to overcome obstacles. The satisfaction of providing this service to patients is one of the major reasons I have chosen pursue the study of physical therapy. My internship experience reaffirmed my decision to pursue physical therapy

When I think of the qualities that I admire in a professional, the words accountable, responsible, compassionate, kind, knowledgeable, sociable, and patient come to mind. These traits are apparent with every physical therapist I have shadowed. I try to demonstrate these qualities through my actions. By volunteering since 2010 at an organization that sorts medical supplies for third world countries, I show kindness and responsibility. By volunteering to help hospice patients, I display compassion, sociability, and patience. By excelling in the classroom, I demonstrate knowledge and accountability. For these reasons, I believe my personal values, goals, and interests fit best with a career in physical therapy.

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Article Contents

Knowledge claims and knowledge use in physical therapist practice, use of narrative as a teaching and reasoning tool, learning for practice: educational examples.

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Power and Promise of Narrative for Advancing Physical Therapist Education and Practice

All authors provided concept/idea/project design and writing. Dr Greenfield provided project management.

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Bruce H. Greenfield, Gail M. Jensen, Clare M. Delany, Elizabeth Mostrom, Mary Knab, Ann Jampel, Power and Promise of Narrative for Advancing Physical Therapist Education and Practice, Physical Therapy , Volume 95, Issue 6, 1 June 2015, Pages 924–933, https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20140085

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This perspective article provides a justification for and an overview of the use of narrative as a pedagogical tool for educators to help physical therapist students, residents, and clinicians develop skills of reflection and reflexivity in clinical practice. The use of narratives is a pedagogical approach that provides a reflective and interpretive framework for analyzing and making sense of texts, stories, and other experiences within learning environments. This article describes reflection as a well-established method to support critical analysis of clinical experiences; to assist in uncovering different perspectives of patients, families, and health care professionals involved in patient care; and to broaden the epistemological basis (ie, sources of knowledge) for clinical practice. The article begins by examining how phronetic (ie, practical and contextual) knowledge and ethical knowledge are used in physical therapy to contribute to evidence-based practice. Narrative is explored as a source of phronetic and ethical knowledge that is complementary but irreducible to traditional objective and empirical knowledge—the type of clinical knowledge that forms the basis of scientific training. The central premise is that writing narratives is a cognitive skill that should be learned and practiced to develop critical reflection for expert practice. The article weaves theory with practical application and strategies to foster narrative in education and practice. The final section of the article describes the authors' experiences with examples of integrating the tools of narrative into an educational program, into physical therapist residency programs, and into a clinical practice.

Over the past several decades, the physical therapy profession has strongly emphasized rigorous application of scientific method where positivist notions of objectivity, reliability, and validity are highly valued methods of knowledge and practice. 1 – 3 One consequence of developing research-informed boundaries of clinical knowledge is increasing clarity about what is missing from this knowledge base, 4 such as research and education that focuses on psychosocial (environmental and personal) factors influencing patient care and experience. 5 – 11

Strategies to integrate psychosocial and patient-centered approaches to physical therapist practice and education include the use of high-fidelity simulation, standardized patients, and expansion and early integration of clinical practice experiences. 12 Although patient simulations capture more realistic patient-provider interactions, the traditional clinical case framework underpinning this approach is often based on a technical, rational, and deductive approach to evaluation and population-based evidence in support of interventions and standardized outcome measures. 13 Expanding clinical placement opportunities exposes students to a range of patients and contexts, but this alone may not guarantee students' development of broad-based competence, just as being in a health care environment does not guarantee learning. In the dynamic and sometimes uncertain clinical practice environment, students often find it difficult to make sense of their encounters and interactions with patients. 4 , 6

Accordingly, there is a need to provide pedagogical tools to purposefully advance a student's learning and insights into the qualitative aspects of his or her practice. The use of narrative is one pedagogical approach that provides an interpretive framework for analyzing and making sense of texts, stories, and other experiences within learning environments. Narrative works to construct a story of an experience to promote a deeper and more coherent understanding of clinical experiences. 13 – 18 Narrative enables students and clinicians to reflect on a case from multiple perspectives, including their own. A narrative begins by identifying a setting—the location and time in which the story takes place—within which the narrator introduces characters. It proceeds with one or more episodes, in which characters act in particular ways toward particular ends, and concludes with some indication of how the episodes coalesce into one story. Highlighting context, characters, and plots allows a narrative to carry meaning, to potentially counter a reliance on objective measures of practice, and to build a bridge or create dialectic that connects the objective and subjective in clinical practice experience to help therapists iteratively move between these 2 essential aspects of human experience.

The use of narrative is strongly grounded in the 2 core concepts of reflection and reflexivity. As both a descriptive and interpretive process, reflection has been defined in several different ways ( Tab. 1 ). 19 – 30 As a framework for interpreting practice, learners use reflection to concretely describe an experience and examine the issues of concern to clarify meaning. Clarification and probing of meaning are done by the learner individually, with a mentor, or in a community of other learners. Reflection is particularly useful to critically probe students' and clinicians' metacognitive skills (ie, thinking about their thinking) to explore the thinking process behind a clinical decision. In this way, the aim of reflection is designed to be transformative—aiming for new levels of understanding, meaning, and insights about clinical care.

Key Characteristics of Reflection

Reflexivity is linked to reflective practice. However, reflexivity focuses on awareness of how students' and clinicians' values and beliefs interact with others and influence their perspectives and behaviors. 29 – 31 Reflexivity, therefore, helps students and clinicians recognize any personal and professional biases that influence their decision making in a clinical encounter.

In this article, we highlight how the use of narrative as a pedagogical tool may enhance physical therapists' capacities to expand their thinking, clinical reasoning, and understanding of practice. We suggest that narrative is a pedagogical tool that can work to facilitate therapists' ability to move from a positivist paradigm to a more reflective and context-based understanding of their own professional practice and their patients' unique circumstances and contexts. We also argue that including the use of narratives in practice and education has the potential to transform approaches to the development and application of professional knowledge. 4 The specific purposes of this article are: (1) to examine conceptions of professional knowledge and its application in physical therapist reasoning and practice, (2) to discuss the use of narrative as a pedagogical tool for broadening these fundamental tenets and processes of clinical reasoning, and (3) to highlight some educational and clinical examples of using narrative to engage student learning and to improve clinical practice.

[T]he conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients…. By individual clinical expertise we mean the proficiency and judgment that individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice…in more thoughtful identification and compassionate use of individual patients' predicaments. 33(p71)

The second type of knowledge is phronetic knowledge (ie, knowledge in action, procedural knowledge, praxis knowledge, tacit knowledge). 12 , 32 Phronetic knowledge integrates evidence-based practice knowledge, requiring judgment and experience. Clinicians using phronetic knowledge or reasoning consider the context of care and the practical issues that affect care. Included in this type of knowledge is an understanding of the psychosocial issues that influence care, including cultural, socioeconomic, psychological, and familial issues that affect decision making. Expert clinicians apply this type of knowledge so that they can understand how, why, and when it is best to use a particular intervention for a patient in a particular situation. Studies have demonstrated how expert clinicians integrate different types of knowledge and clinical reasoning, including deductive, inductive, and narrative reasoning. 35 – 38 Phronetic knowledge results from the ability to reflect-in-action. According to Schön, 6 a practitioner who reflects-in-action is able to make immediate adjustments and modifications as required during treatment. Because reflection and action occur simultaneously, it may not be apparent to the expert clinician or the student watching the experts thinking in action, unless, as in the example below, an experience is reflected on and written about later.

Joe is alone, resting…. As we are talking and beginning to evaluate his movement and sensation, it is apparent that he is having more difficult breathing, and his cough is congested and ineffective. I decided it is more important to address his pulmonary system and begin to assess his ventilation. Speaking with Joe's nurse and the medical fellow in the ICU [intensive care unit], we discuss his tenuous respiratory status and the need to clear his secretions with blind endotracheal suction…. I anticipate that this may be required for a few days.

I have treated many patients with spinal cord injuries over my years as a physical therapist. Earlier in my career, I could perform the skills necessary to gather information, construct a plan for treatment, provide good care, and assess discharge needs, but I am sure that I did not consider so carefully the psychosocial impact of such [a] life-altering injury. [My] greater skill learned was listening, because without listening, I would not know what patients and their families were ready to hear. There will be patients and families who are just too overwhelmed by injury…those who take much longer to grieve for the loss of one's future before they can embrace a new future…. I know I need to be prepared and be flexible and adjust my approach to meet patients' and families' needs.

Narrative has received considerable attention as a powerful tool for reflecting on practice in a range of health professions, including nursing, 13 , 16 medicine, 42 – 51 occupational therapy, 52 psychology, 14 , 18 and physical therapy. 53 , 54 Because narratives encourage students to broadly interpret their clinical experiences as they tell a story, a narrative about clinical practice works to integrate technical and rational knowledge with phronetic and ethical knowledge in clinical care. 4 Narrative tools assist therapists in clinical reasoning and in interpreting their practice by “getting the inside out” 14(p36) to better understand the lived experience and sense-making of their patients' and their own experiences. 55

In the 1980s, the noted educational psychologist Jerome Bruner was one of the first to advocate for narrative ways of knowing. 14 Bruner observed that, unlike analytical thinking, narrative thinking brings different insights and meanings to the intense social interactions that often constitute patient care. He argued that narrative without analysis is naive and analysis without narrative is meaningless because the essence of narrative knowing is to frame and link human interactions into a plot or a story line. The story line provides a temporal structure to understand human experiences by linking individual events to a larger whole. Creating stories either through writing or talking about experiences requires reflection-on-action, a process Schön 6 described as instrumental in acquiring the practical knowledge central to professional practice.

For Bruner, 14 narrative thinking was particularly powerful for understanding the human condition because when constructing a story or hearing a story, we are able to uncover and explore the situated action of the actor or agent, intention or a goal, events, and the cultural surround of that action. At the same time that we construct the story, we should probe for what Bruner referred to as the “inner landscape”—what those involved know, think, or feel or do not know, think, or feel.

Rita Charon 26 is best known as a pioneer in teaching medical students and residents in the narrative skills of recognizing, absorbing, interpreting, and understanding the value of the stories of illness. For Charon, the roots of reflection are seeded in the narrative dialogue between the patient and the health care professional, and its meaning is constructed and conveyed through language. In her teaching, she uses a system of parallel charting to write first-person stories about her experiences with selected patients. Charon suggests there is much more to a person's illness story than can be captured on a traditional medical chart. What is particularly problematic for health professionals trained in a largely biomedical model of medicine is to understand a patient's personal illness script related to their disease or injury. Charon describes how narrative medicine provides the clinician an opportunity to listen carefully to and reflect upon a patient's experiences with illness, representing that experience in a story or narrative, and ultimately providing the clinician insights that foster a strong commitment in caring for that patient. These ideas are particularly relevant for physical therapist practice, where therapists form close bonds with their patients and depend on their patients' cooperation and active engagement in their rehabilitation. In the section that follows, we provide guidelines for integrating reflective narratives into physical therapy curriculum.

Jensen 4 astutely observed that physical therapists are drawn to their profession because they like to get things done; they like to motivate and help people. However, they generally do not want to engage in deep philosophical conversations and epistemological discussions. An initial goal of introducing narrative, therefore, is to demonstrate how narrative can be meaningful and relevant to physical therapy practitioners. The following section describes the authors' experiences with integrating the tools of narrative into an educational program, into physical therapist residency programs, and into a clinical practice.

Integration of Narrative in Physical Therapist Education and Clinical Practice

Based on our experiences with students and clinicians, writing narratives is a skill that needs to be taught, learned, and practiced in the same way that problem solving and other forms of clinical reasoning require practice and explicit instruction. Delany and Molloy 30 describe both horizontal and vertical integration (within and across curriculum) of reflective writing in their physical therapy curriculum in an Australian context. Students are introduced to underlying theory and principles of reflection and methods for writing narratives. During the first 2 years of their physical therapy curriculum, students are given critical reflection writing assignments to identify learning incidents from practical classes, personal lectures, or case-based learning groups and to reflect on the influence of those learning experiences and on their own personal knowledge and assumptions about practice knowledge claims ( Tab. 2 ). During their clinical experiences, students are given narrative prompts to write reflexively, increasing their awareness of how their own values and beliefs interconnect with other perspectives and with the social and environmental contexts ( Tab. 3 ). 29 , 30

Narrative Prompts for Reflective Writing

Narrative Prompts to Facilitate Reflexive Writing

At Emory University in the United States, narrative experiences are similarly developed and integrated throughout the curriculum. Students are introduced to the narrative approach to ethical decision making during their first semester, with an emphasis on the idea that ethical issues are embedded in the experiences of everyday life and are represented in the story of the characters, events, and ordering of events. Students practice analyzing cases to identify “narrative gaps” in the story, including the perspectives of other stakeholders. There is a particular focus on learning what questions need to be asked and answered to provide additional information and insight. During their second semester, students practice narrative writing about their classroom experiences and are prompted with guiding questions for critical reflection and narrative writing ( Tab. 4 ). Narrative prompts work to provide students with targeted questions for not only finding the right answers but also identifying and exploring the uncertainty or ambiguity of a situation. 55

Integrated Narrative Experiences Across Curriculum

In both of these examples of teaching, narrative models are used to facilitate deeper levels of reflection. 56 – 59 For example, Gibbs' model 56 provides students with the framework to move from describing their experience (using a first-person account) to describing their thoughts and feelings as the experience unfolds. At Emory University, students are encouraged to write narratives guided by prompt questions from Gibbs' model during their initial 2-week clinical experiences and during their first 10-week clinical internships ( Tab. 4 ). Students are asked to follow the 6 circular phases of Gibbs' model. The first 2 phases encourage them to describe their experience using first-person accounts. Students are asked to place themselves into the action and avoid using abstraction to describe what occurred, using concrete examples instead. These phases are followed by evaluative phases (where they judge the value and meaning of the experience and discuss their thoughts and feeling in response to the experience). The final phases involve analysis of what went right or wrong and finally how they would address a similar situation in the future. Gibbs' model appears to guide students to move between a description of an experience and an explanatory framework that explains its meaning, providing the student increased insight into practice. During their 10-week clinical internships, the students progress to writing 2 reflective narratives—the first after 3 weeks of the clinical experience and the second at the end.

Process of Unbundling

Narrative theory suggests that the meaning of a story or narrative is always co-constructed and exists in the coming together of storyteller and listener (author and reader). Rather than being confident that they know the author's intended meaning, readers bring their own meaning-making ability to bear in understanding what the narrative means to them. According to Shulman, 55 narratives are second-order experiences—the interpretation of the first-order experience (the actual case or event). In the written narrative, the first co-construction of meaning occurs between the clinician who experienced the situation and, through the benefit of time and language, the same clinician who reflects on that experience and writes the story. Narratives also invite third-order experiences—additional layers of interpretation and meaning making. Through their sharing, narratives afford the opportunity to engage in collaborative, rather than individualistic, reflection. A structure is provided within which students and clinicians can work together to develop a shared meaning of an experience. The eFigure (available at ptjournal.apta.org ) illustrates the progression and interconnection of how shared meaning is created from a writer's original engagement in an experience through personal to group reflection.

In our teaching, we emphasize the primacy of group discussion, deliberation, and debate in the examination of the narrative. The process is dialogic; different members of the group explore different perspectives on the nature of the problem, the available elective actions, or the import of the consequences. Narratives almost always reveal more than the author was aware of or intended to reveal in the telling of the story. 60 , 61 The interaction with a group helps the writer unbundle additional meaning and understanding. Because of this, however, it is critical that the discussion occurs in a safe environment for all involved. An attitude of genuine curiosity about the experience, wanting to understand rather than trying to judge the rightness or wrongness of the author's actions or decisions, helps to create this safe space. 39

At Emory University, we have integrated narrative unbundling activities during the students' short-term and long-term clinical internships (semesters 3, 4, and 5) ( Tab. 4 ). During these initial unbundling activities, students meet in smaller groups and read their narratives to each other. A faculty member guides students to ask probing questions and discussions of each narrative for themes and meaning based on the prompts listed in Table 5 .

Prompts Used to Facilitate Group Discussions About a Narrative

For the students' long-term clinical affiliation, a course was created on the Emory Blackboard educational site. After writing their narratives, students used Blackboard (Blackboard Inc, Washington, DC) to participate in an online group discussion. Groups consisted of 6 or 7 students (from a cohort of 70 students). The purpose of small groups was to facilitate follow-up discussion and ultimately develop a shared meaning of each group member's experience. Each group member uploaded his or her narrative, and the other members provided in-depth responses (1 to 3 paragraphs offering their reflections on the narrative). Group members, including the narrative's author, were asked to pose questions and make comments on others' posts in order to further probe meaning and sharpen understanding of the narrative.

Integrating Narratives Into Residency Program

Based on our experiences of integrating narrative tools to enhance physical therapist students' clinical learning, we have instituted a program of narrative writing for our physical therapy residents at Creighton University and Emory University. The residents were trained in the theory and skills of narrative writing and reflection and were asked to write narratives during their 1-year residency in orthopedics and neurology ( Tab. 4 ). Each student wrote narratives across 3 time placements. As is the case with physical therapist students, our goals of narrative training for residents are to help them develop tools of reflection and reflexivity for expert practice.

Experiences of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

At MGH, narratives are part of a hospital-based interprofessional development program. 39 As they move through each defined level, clinicians write a first-person description of a clinical experience or situation that was meaningful to them. That narrative is read by one or more department leaders, who meet with the clinician to further discuss and “unbundle” the experience. This process facilitates the therapist's deeper reflection on the meaning of the clinical experience and applications it may have for their practice. For example, questions may be directed to specific words the clinician chose to describe the situation: “You write that the patient interview felt like a ‘battle.’ Tell me more about that.” Or questions may probe thoughts and feeling underlying the written statement: “You describe that you were seeing this patient immediately after they had been given an unexpected prognosis. How did this change your thinking about the session?” The content of these discussions differs from the department's traditional case presentation.

Over time, the use of narrative as a vehicle for reflection and learning from experience has expanded to other role groups. For example, clinical instructors share and discuss narratives of student/patient/clinical instructor interactions related to teaching strategies and student learning challenges. This group unbundling is facilitated by the center coordinators of clinical education, who bring expertise in both narrative interpretation and clinical education. Table 6 provides a summary of narrative experiences across education, residency, and clinical care.

Summary of Experiences Using Narrative Across Professional Education, Residency Program, and Clinical Development Program

Lessons Learned

In summary, we have integrated narratives throughout our curricula, residency programs, and clinical practices. Based on our experiences, we have learned several lessons to effectively help our physical therapist students, residents, and clinicians learn to write and interpret reflective narratives about their clinical experiences.

Not all narratives are created equal; reflective writing is a skill that needs to be taught, learned, and practiced. Writing good narratives requires time and opportunities to develop this skill.

Stories need to be shared; faculty, clinical instructors, and clinical mentors need to create narrative friends and a safe environment for sharing stories. Narrative theory suggests that the meaning of a story is always co-constructed between the storyteller and listener (author and reader).

Reflective narratives can be both a learning process and outcome measures. Narrative provides a powerful tool for educators and clinicians to gain more insight into the thinking of their learners. Recent studies have focused on evaluating narratives for themes and categories and levels of reflection across clinical experiences. 13 , 22 , 30 , 53

There is increasing recognition of the need for greater balance between the humanistic and the technical aspects of physical therapist practice. This increased recognition has contributed to an interest in education methods to promote and help students and clinicians to incorporate the qualitative and quantitative aspects of their practice. In this article, we suggest that narrative methodology is an appropriate pedagogical tool to assist students in exploring their own development and experiences and, most importantly, those of their patients.

In this article, we have highlighted how narrative provides a powerful framework for educators to assist students to engage in reflective and reflexive practice. Narratives and the questions that prompt narrative reflection provide a vehicle for uncovering the broader aspects of a patient's context. They work to support clinical reasoning, which incorporates psychosocial and sociocultural elements of patient care. Importantly, narratives assist in redefining dominant conceptions of what counts as physical therapist practice and expand clinical thinking and practice to include not only the use of epistemic technical knowledge but also the use of phronetic and ethics-based knowledge. We believe such an expansion in knowledge use and reflection is vital for the physical therapy profession to respond to the contextual complexities of clinical practice.

In this article, we have described our strategies with specific examples of integrating narrative experiences throughout different levels of professional education and development. Through our own reflection of the successes and shortcomings of these experiences, we continue to experiment with and modify our approach. We encounter skeptical students and clinicians who need to be convinced that the story is an important construct in the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care and who need to be reassured that their reflective writing is not assessed according to the stance or viewpoints they take but rather according to their degree of engagement in the process of critical reflection. Our experiences have taught us the importance of incrementally and consistently integrating narrative throughout curriculum and clinical practice. Our challenge is to find ways to see our knowledge generation and construction in its broadest sense with evidence from multiple sources.

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Process of narrative unbundling.

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Periodization: Variation in the Definition and Discrepancies in Study Design

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• Volume 51 , pages 625–651, ( 2021 )

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• Ryo Kataoka 1 ,
• Ecaterina Vasenina 1 ,
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Over the past several decades, periodization has been widely accepted as the gold standard of training theory. Within the literature, there are numerous definitions for periodization, which makes it difficult to study. When examining the proposed definitions and related studies on periodization, problems arise in the following domains: (1) periodization has been proposed to serve as the macro-management of the training process concerning the annual plan, yet research on long-term effects is scarce; (2) periodization and programming are being used interchangeably in research; and (3) training is not periodized alongside other stressors such as sport (i.e., only resistance training is being performed without the inclusion of sport). Overall, the state of the literature suggests that the inability to define periodization makes the statement of its superiority difficult to experimentally test. This paper discusses the proposed definitions of periodization and the study designs which have been employed to examine the concept.

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Ryo Kataoka, Ecaterina Vasenina & Samuel L. Buckner

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Kataoka, R., Vasenina, E., Loenneke, J. et al. Periodization: Variation in the Definition and Discrepancies in Study Design. Sports Med 51 , 625–651 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01414-5

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Accepted : 20 December 2020

Published : 06 January 2021

Issue Date : April 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01414-5

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