Future Physical Therapy Essay

As one progresses into a professional career, it is necessary to develop and build upon a distinct vision for one’s future patients and consider how one might convey that vision. The American Physical Therapy Association’s vision is “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve human experience.” As a future physical therapist, I will personally embody this vision by engaging with my patients with an emphasis on movement in order to heal, rebuild, and rehabilitate.

In physical therapy, it is imperative to understand that movement is key to healing and rehabilitating. A patient does not attend physical therapy to receive a lecture on the exercises he or she is to perform in order to improve what they came to improve upon; instead, physical therapists demonstrate and work closely with their patients in order to accomplish the most improvement. There must be a genuine connection between the physical therapist and the patient in order to create a difference.

The vision defined by APTA has seven main principles to follow in order to promote a healthy lifestyle: identity, quality, collaboration, innovation, value, consumer-centricity, access, and advocacy. As a future physical therapist, I will embody these principles to promote movement amongst my future patients. I will identify the area or region of the body that needs rehabilitation or strengthening and accurately describe the importance of that muscle, area, or region to the patient. I will then outline how specific exercises will improve movement and eliminate activity limitations or restrictions. Together, the patient and I will set an overarching long-term goal for the therapy sessions in order to have something ascertainable to work