Now that I’ve been working as an aide for about three months, I’ve been able to see some real progress. I’ve seen patients go from limping in a brace post-surgery to walking unaided and I’ve seen others discharged altogether. It’s a great feeling to know that by helping the physical therapists, I’m helping these patients.
As both a former patient and a psychology major, I know how horrible it can feel to constantly be in pain, and I eagerly await the day when I can help treat these patients myself.
This is one of the reasons I have chosen to go into PT instead of journalism: the ability to help people. Of course some journalists help others by drawing attention to certain issues (such as the famine in Somalia), it can be hard to bring about true change and the aid is often indirect. I believe strongly that good journalism can be a guardian of democracy, but I ultimately realized that I want to help people on a more concrete level.
My father once told me about the different ways of helping people. An environmental engineer, for instance, may institute policies that help thousands of people to never develop asthma, while a doctor may treat hundreds of patients with asthma.
Although both are helping others, only the doctor can directly see the results.
I realized from the different experiences I have had, that I enjoy seeing direct results. I get pleasure from solving problems and receiving feedback on my work. I also love interacting with people, and hearing their stories. I can combine all of these things as a therapist, solving my patients’ pain problems and knowing that I have helped them directly.
For all of these reasons, I believe that being a PT is for me.