Principles Of Physical Professionalism

Professionalism is an important quality that physical therapists should strive to maintain everyday. The APTA mentions principles that physical therapists should apply in their careers. I believe maturity, accountability, and communication are some of the most important principles in displaying professionalism. These principles are not only important to apply in one’s career but in one’s everyday life as well. Maturity is a stepping stone for professionalism. It needs to be developed early on, so that professionalism can come naturally. If I were to get into a DPT program, I would be considered one of the younger students but maturity is not defined by age. I know DPT programs can be stressful, but I have trained myself to work well in stressful

Anyone working in the health field needs to understand the consequences that could occur based on their different interactions with their patients. Training for this starts in school, being able to be aware of how your actions will affect your learning, grades, and relationships with others. Taking accountability for my education during the first two years of my undergrad was a little difficult, because it was hard for me to admit that I was not performing to the best of my ability and that I could not blame anyone but myself. It took a lot of self realization and self motivation to push myself forward. I started reaching out and getting help from tutors or professors. I was no longer afraid to ask a professor for help. I know asking for help is especially important in a DPT program because the well being of our future patients could be affected if we do not understand skills or concepts while in school. Early on in my undergraduate years I started working on my prerequisites for DPT programs. I knew most schools had similar requirements, such as a certain number of observation hours or letters of recommendation. I did not hesitate to take initiative and accountability for my own education because I knew I needed to get into a DPT program in order to achieve my goal of becoming a physical