In life there is anything easy and anything that you grow up with knowledge. All of that we know so far is about what we have learned as the time goes. I am a gym enthusiast and I remember when I started bodybuilding training at the age of 16. I did not know anything about training, and I did not know how to use the machines at the gym, how to eat the correct way or what routine to follow. At that time I decided to train with a personal trainer. From him I learned a lot about routine exercises and how every part of my body I should work. He taught me day by day different exercises and how to train every part of my body at different days. In one year I felt ready and then, I found myself training by my own but that was not enough yet. At the age of 18 I came to New York and the first thing I did was to find a gym close to home and school. Once I got my membership at New York Sport Club, I started training following what I have learned from my personal trainer. Everyone at that gym, even people who worked there were impressed to see me and they were watching me the form of exercises I was doing like I really knew what I was doing. Many people walked to me, started interaction with me and some of them advised me other different techniques to perform the exercises as well different routines and strategies besides of what I knew already. At that time, I noticed that everything is never stopping learning. After that, I did my research. I started reading articles and magazines even more about diet and training. Since that time until to date I learn something new every day. We can never say that we know well something because it is not like that, as the time goes time to time things change and that is why we have to be constantly reading articles and keep updated of the advanced. For my future career as a physical therapist assistant being a lifelong learner will help me to be open minded to all the advice from my coworkers, classmates and professors will make in order to give a professional attention and therapy to my patients. Obtaining my Physical Therapists Assistants associate's degree at LaGuardia Community College is the first step I want to do in order to achieve my goals. Since English is not my native language, I decided to start from the basics. I think by doing this will help me to gain experience and knowledge while I am improving my language and vocabulary. Once I complete the associate's level, I am planning to move on to get a doctorate's degree. By this time, I will be more confident with my English and with the courses and knowledge I will have about this field. Life is about to learn different things throughout the journey. Being a lifelong learner is what is going to help me to get more passionate and interested about becoming a physical therapist because of the different techniques and strategies that therapists use in order to help get people better.

Being passionate of training, dieting and keeping a good shape all year round has allowed me to be kind of inspiration and motivation to other people. This feeling of being motivational to other people makes me feel proud of myself and keep on track with my lifestyle so, in that way I can continue giving advice to people who want to achieve their fitness goals and be healthy. It is an honor for me when people walk to me to ask me about what I do, how to take care of them, what kind of diet to follow, what kind of training, etc. Being a promoter of health and wellness is what I have always wanted to be. Encouraging people to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent future injuries and be able to motivate them to do it is very rewarding for me. I really want to be a good example of health for them and I know that with my enthusiasm and encouragement I will do it. Being part of the Physical Therapist Assistant program at LaGuardia will actually make me learn more about how to take care of people and how to help them to get better. This program will prepare me to make a different in people’s lives. This passion I have for exercise and training is what motivated me even more to get excited about the program because it will lead me to be beyond a promoter of health and wellness. Also, I enjoy helping people and it is what I love to do. The fact that I know that I will be doing something good for the community helping others is what makes me more eager to the challenge of pursuing the Physical Therapist assistant Program at LaGuardia.

I remember since I was a child, I have always been caring for people, but it was the good example from my father’s big heart that molded me to be a better person with the people in need. Every year when it is his birthday or Christmas, he would prepare a little party in Ecuador in a town where poor people are abundant (Salinas-Ecuador). This little party is about to offer food and toys to children and at the same time to enjoyment and a good time those days. I have come to see this gesture from my father since I was 8 years old. Even at that age I remember that I used to enjoy helping my parents with the preparation of the party and giving food to people and see their smiles and their happiness. It was very noticeable how thankful they are to him every time he makes the party for them. By the time I was getting older I said to  myself that I wanted to follow a career where I could take care of and help people. A place where I can demonstrate my affection to them that is why I decided to pursue Physical therapist assistant as the profession I want to follow and who I want to become. Being caring and compassionate with people throughout my life and knowing that I will be able to do a good job for the community is a good feeling that I do not even have words to describe how blessed I feel when I do something good for them. My journey in the physical therapist assistant program will teach me and it will help me to prepare with the different situations I will have to cope during my work time. I think that to be very strong with our emotional feelings is very important in order to not show sadness or sorry to patients if we are see them in a bad condition or when they turn very emotional.

I really look forwar d to being able to treat my patients with professionalism and take care of them as well as to show them compassion, caring and especially love. 

IMAGE CREDITS:

actx.edu

bayareapt.com

familyptsc.com/

END OF PROGRAM REFLECTION

             As a future physical therapist assistant I believe it is of so much importance of creating of ourselves as really professionals in the field. Not only of behaving as a one but believing that you are one in order to show and get respect from people, and make patients feel comfortable about your treatments offered to them. In this project I'm comparing my own self assessment with the one from my classmate that did it to me based on the professional ethics based behavior. This project of self-assessment and peer review is defined by the core values: Altruism, Compassion and caring, Continuing competence, Duty, Integrity, PT/PTA collaboration, Responsibility and Social Responsibility. What I have learned from this project is how my classmates see me as a person which is very interesting and curious for me and the most Important thing is that I have learned more about the concepts of professionalism and how to act to certain circumstances.
            According to the grading that I provided to myself and the one from my classmate, I didn't found any significant difference between the two of them. Actually it is very surprising to how others see you as a person. It give me an insight of continuing growing and creating a better person of myself.  One thing that I found interesting is that in one of my classmate's grading she said in the part of duty that "be careful of being too overconfident and over powerful over others" which I accept that advice because my security of being myself takes me to be sometimes too secure of what I'm doing, even though I try to be humble, I am over secure which I think it doesn't look good to other's eyes, especially for the people that are in my own level and think that I'm doing it on purpose when it's not, but that's how my personality is, doing things that will make me feel good and to prove it to myself.

            Another comment, is that he or she said that "take one step at a time" when it comes to learning because sometimes I want to do everything and try to know everything at once where it can become in something overwhelming for me. So, I accept that because by doing things step by step makes it the outcomes better.

            Another part I agree with my classmate is the part of compassion and caring where it says " you’d better be a poke face, try not to put too much sympathy with them". I am a very sensitive person and when I see somebody in a position like that I really put myself in the patients shoes which is something I should take care of, of not being too obvious and expressing my feelings. I understand I am there to support them, raise their mood, and demonstrate a strong emotional support so, I do my best always to show a poke face in front of them. In addition, The collaboration of the PT/PTA and other stuff makes not only an enjoyable environment, but also and the most important, it helps in providing better health care services by being productive and successful in the field.

            In conclusion, my goals and plans for my future in order to continue being productive and become more knowledgeable and experienced as a physical therapist assistant is to do continuing education courses, attend seminars, doing research, watch videos, etc. in order to prepare more myself for the field of physical therapy and being able to provide the best treatment I can offer for my future patients. Besides that, I am thinking to pursue my doctorate degree in physical therapy next year so, I will have the opportunity to do more and be more involve in the profession for the people who are in need.  Also, being able to provide the needs for my patients and dedicate time for them, which is an example of altruism, will make a difference in my life feeling rewarded of the outcomes from my patients.

            Being a health care clinician takes of a lot of responsibilities from our part. I will do my best to work and continue to grow to be a better person in my everyday tasks, in school and in the clinic in order to keep up the integrity and social responsibilities within our profession.