Physical Therapy: A Perpetual Evolution

My internship thus far has given me initial exposure to the complex, developing world of physical therapy. By the conclusion of this summer, I hope to gain a complete understanding of the necessary requirements to pursue a career in the field as well as the daily responsibilities of a physical therapist. My supervisor and her staff have been an integral part in helping me learn the basics, which has led them to give me the duty of conducting a single-patient case study through monitoring the patient’s exercise program and tracking their rehabilitation progress. Furthermore, my interest has been sparked in a faction of physical therapy that I had never thought of. While proper biomechanics are heavily stressed at the sports and orthopedic clinic where I am interning, one of the therapists here had stressed the importance of the neuromuscular aspect of rehabilitation on multiple occasions. This inspired me to research neurologic physical therapy and has resulted in a shift in my career aspirations. The fulfillment that I envision to inherit from practicing neurologic physical therapy outweighs that of working with athletes. The idea of restoring function to the life of someone with Parkinson’s disease, vertigo, or any other type of neurodegenerative brain disorder would provide the reward that I seek in my future career. Thus, I plan to shadow a neurologic physical therapist while I am taking a summer course this July and am currently in the application process of being a student volunteer at the Brain Injury Rehab Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Everett Minchew
Exercise Science