I was always active playing basketball and soccer when I was younger, hiking the many trails of the Pacific Northwest, biking, and fishing. I always knew I wanted to work in the health care field at a very young age as I've always been extremely interested in medicine and the gratification of improving the quality of one's life. I discovered I wanted to specifically pursue a career in Physical Therapy after working in a developmental program for children with Autism. I noticed the strong positive effect physical activity and exercise had on these kids to increase their participation, communication, and overall connection in a shared activity. These many experiences motivated me to pursue a higher degree to help people in many different ways through Physical Therapy.

I received my Bachelors of Science degree in Biology with minors in Psychology and Health Care Social Issues, which fulfilled the requirements for admission into a graduate school program for Physical Therapy. Many of my classmates in graduate school also had undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, and kinesiology, as this was an important foundation for our graduate studies. During graduate school, I studied the musculoskeletal and neurological systems ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics, manual therapy techniques, and developed a strong emphasis in the anatomy and biomechanics of the human body. The majority of Physical Therapy graduate school programs require their students to complete an average of three clinical rotations, which exposes the student to skilled nursing facilities, home health services, acute hospital settings, and outpatient orthopedic clinics across the lifespan.

During my undergraduate work, I had the privilege of assisting with a research program focusing on the early intervention of children with Autism. This was a very interesting field to me so I pursued a job as a Developmental Therapist in a developmental program for children with Autism. While working in this setting, I had the privilege of observing the Physical Therapists in their delivery of care and all the skills and techniques they had in their tool boxes to help these kids live a more fulfilling life. I realized at this point that I wanted to pursue my degree in Physical Therapy so that I may be able to improve the quality of life for both kids with Autism and individuals across the lifespan.

I wouldn't call any of my choices when I was younger as mistakes on the path to find my career.  I thought a lot about different career paths when I was still discovering who I was and what inherent values were important to me to exude in my career. All the steps and choices I made when I was younger were absolutely necessary to lead me into the field that allows me to improve the quality of another's life and continually learn more about effective physical therapy techniques and the quality of optimal movement and function. It doesn't feel like work when you love what you do every day, and that I am inherently blessed and thankful for.

A day in the life of a Physical Therapist is typically really fun! As an outpatient orthopedic Physical Therapist, I work in a fast paced, challenging clinic that includes patients across the lifespan that may have any type of musculoskeletal issues, whether it be due to a traumatic incident, post operative conditions, or chronic pain symptoms. On average, I treat about 15 patients per day on 40-minute time blocks with both new evaluations, re-evaluations, and follow up visits on a daily basis. The majority of Physical Therapists have quite a lot of documentation to do, so not only is time devoted to patient care but also filling out charts and documenting treatment through an electronic medical record.

As a woman in the Physical Therapy field, I don't feel that my experience is particularly different from my male colleagues. I believe that Physical Therapy is attracting more females to the career field due to the flexibility of the career field and the overall satisfaction of being a Physical Therapist. With the wide range of Physical Therapy services, having an equal balance of male to female providers with many different specialties and niches is a huge plus to the career. Being a male or female should not change the perspective or way in which one treats, but rather the attitude, demeanor, and ability to develop a rapport with the patient is ultimately going to dictate and affect the way in which you work.

The most challenging part of my work is helping the complex patient achieve optimal function and improve their quality of life who has tried, yet failed prior services, including chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, surgery, and even physical therapy. However, this is also the most gratifying part of my work because helping someone overcome long-term pain is extremely fulfilling. I work to determine the true cause of an individual's symptoms, and treating them holistically to ultimately make the individual an improved biomechanical machine. Musculoskeletal pain does not just present with those symptoms alone, it also comes with psychological, emotional, and spiritual changes. Therefore, it is critical to treat the patient as a whole in order to achieve the most optimal functional movement and quality of life.

My best piece of advice for someone interested in studying Physical Therapy is to observe a Physical Therapist working in multiple settings, including in a hospital, an orthopedic clinic, in pediatrics, a skilled nursing facility, etc. Physical Therapy is a wonderful career path because there are so many different areas of specialty to work in, it is very gratifying work to help someone achieve their personal goals, and no matter what stage of life you are in personally, you can fit your work to meet those needs.

Be consistent! It does not matter what type of exercise or physical activity you enjoy, whether it be running, biking, or swimming, just be consistent with it. You have to make it a habit and set that time aside from work, kids, and life, to exercise your body and mind to achieve optimal health and reach your personal goals. As you develop the consistency of daily exercise, it's then important to incorporate a balance of cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength training. One needs to make a consistent commitment to daily exercise, eating a whole foods and plant based diet, drinking plenty of water, and expanding spirituality through meditation in order to achieve personal health and fitness goals.

My personal markers for success in my profession include setting short term and long term goals. For instance, I am currently studying to sit for my Manual Therapy Certification this coming winter, and then my Orthopedic Specialist Certification in 2017. Developing these goals helps me to continue to learn academically and challenge myself to always be up to date on current evidence-based practice. In addition, I feel professionally successful when I help my patient reach their personal goals, whether it be for the triathlete who had chronic shoulder pain, but can now compete in the Ironman, or for the elderly woman who had chronic back pain, but can now return to playing with her grandkids.

I typically like to de-stress by enjoying the beautiful outdoors of the Spokane region with my partner in crime and our 2 Red Timber Wolf hybrids. We love to do a lot of outdoor rock climbing, plant collecting, making tinctures, fishing along the Spokane River, and working on our heirloom garden. Spending time with my family and friends, and being outdoors is absolutely the key to relieving any sort of tension or stress that may be brewing.

Everyday I wake up looking forward to running my dogs in the trails behind my house and then jumping on my bike to commute downtown to the clinic. Daily morning exercise always preps the day ahead of me and energizes me for the work day. As far as the next step in my career, I plan to achieve 2 more specific certifications to further my manual therapy and clinical reasoning skills, and then to also eventually become involved in teaching in a Physical Therapy graduate program, specifically in the study of anatomy and biomechanics.