PTA Portfolio Presentation, 8/24/11

 Personal Mission Statement

“Assist and educate patients in living an active, healthy lifestyle, free from pain or physical limitations, through caring, skillful, personalized and exemplary physical therapy.”

Below are some photos I have showing what was going on in my life outside of the PTA program.  I started my PTA quest in July of 2009 by doing an informational interview with physical therapist Amy Harrington.  She described her job as challenging and rewarding.  She liked knowing she was making a positive impact on the quality of life for the people she worked with.  The thought of improving the quality of life through exercise has always been intriguing to me.  I enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology in September 2009 and completed my pre-requisities 6 months later.  I submitted my application in March 2010. 

Summit, Mt. Baker,  June 2010

On the drive home from this trip, I called my wife to tell her I summited Baker.  She said that is great and now I have some good news for you.  I just opened up a letter from Whatcom Community College and you were accepted into the PTA program.  It was an unforgettable moment.

September 2010, Mazama trail system, 1st weekend of class

Christmas 2010, Mazama, WA

Christmas break, 2010, Mazama Wa



Jan 2011, Owen at Mt. Baker Gymnastics



typical dinner in January (breakfast)

unseasonally warm Feb 2011 day, south Mt. Erie hike

Spring break, w/ baby coming in August 2011, shed project to provide more room in gargae

spring break, trip to Vancouver BC

crazy bath, made me laugh

Robinson Creek, weekend trip with my inlaws

Randy and Char spent countless hours helping watch the kids when Rachel had other obligations and I needed to study.

My parents came up during "crunch time" for spring quarter to help watch the kids.

Break time, bike riding with Owen in Mazama during summer break

Liberty Bell, SR 20, summer break

Ragnar relay team photo, July 22 2011, 5th place finish overall

8/3/11, our son Will is born, Island Hospital, Anacortes

Owen and Ella excited to meet their new brother

The kids with Megan, summer babysitter

photo of Will, taken by our freind Jessica Coleman



Personal Mission Statement

“Assist and educate patients in living an active, healthy lifestyle, free from pain or physical limitations, through caring, skillful, personalized and exemplary physical therapy.”

Mission accomplished:  The fact that I am writing my final assessment marks a milestone I am proud of.  My journey through the Physical Therapy Assistant program has been challenging and rewarding.  First and foremost I am gracious for amazing instructors like Margaret Andersen, Brenda Henoch, Jamie Van Beek, Patti Locke, Loretta Sandoval, Jill Ludlow, and Angela Beupain.  A wise Physical Therapist told me that my first three years in my career (including school) will have a profound affect on shaping the type of physical therapy assistant I will become.  My goal was to immerse myself in physical therapy and surround myself with people who will help me become the best physical therapist I can possibly be.  I am thankful for the staff and students who I studied and practiced techniques with.  Physical therapy is a lifestyle choice for, not just a career.

Dedication and Gratitude:  This program was academically challenging and spiritually fulfilling. Throughout the program I juggled raising two children and holding a position of responsibility at our church, and staying fit.  My wife and kids motivate me and were constantly telling me “you can do it”.   In the fall quarter, my mother stayed at our house for 2 weeks in December helping take care of our kids so I could study Kinesiology.   In the spring, she came out again for a week, and then my sister stayed for a week helping our family out so I could devote time to studying.   My entire immediate family sacrificed time and money to help give me a shot at achieving my goal of getting through physical therapy assistant school.  To all of I them I am grateful.

When I reflect on the program, I am happy to say I never second guessed whether being in the PTA program was the right thing for me.  A few of the classes were very challenging.  Some of the concepts that we were taught in kinesiology took a while to sink in….but they did.  There is a 30 inch skeleton named “Stanley” on our desk at home.  On the east wall, I have a poster of the nervous system, south wall a relief map of the skeletal system, and the west wall a very large poster of the muscular system.  Compared to when I started the program, my knowledge base has tremendously increased.  I have immersed myself in physical therapy.

Learning style defined:  I have learned that I do best through frequent repitition and total immersion.  My goal is to find a clinic or organization who has therapists that I work well with.  I would like to work for a facility that gets results, has a good reputation and has an environment that will help me become the best PTA I can be.  Throughout my clinical experience I have been to the following facilities:  Island Hospital Outpatient, Island Hospital Inpatient, San Juan Rehabilitation and Fidalgo Care Associates.  There was a wide variety of therapists with different styles.  I expect from myself that I will be dedicated to patient care.  My plan is to work in a clinic with therapists that are dedicated to being the best they can be.

Looking forward:  I will be doing a clinical internship at Northwest Orthopedic Surgeons (Mt. Vernon and Anacortes).  My plan is to learn as much as I possibly can about joints and rehabilitation.  While doing my clinical internship, I plan to immerse myself in the organization and treatments offered.   I plan on asking questions when I am unclear of procedures, when the time is appropriate.  I am also prepared to research procedures or topics that I need refreshment on.  I plan on growing as a student so I can provide more for the patient.  I recently met my clinical instructor (Brett) who has a strong belief in manual therapy.  I am a firm believer in the healing power of exercise.  I look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity.

Closing:  I am fortunate to come have so far and have so much up ahead.  I plan to treat this opportunity honorably.  I am grateful towards all of the instructors, students and clinical sites for taking time to share their talents to help create my mold.