Underestimated: Accelerated Program

As my second semester is nearing completion I now see I vastly underestimated the difficulty of this program.  They say the program is fast, but 22 graduate school level credits in a semester is just brutal.  As I exert my entire effort it feels like I can barely keep my head above the water; on the bright side my head is still above water.  It is possible but it take so much more effort than I thought it would. A normal daily schedule this semester goes as follows:

7:00          Arise/shower/eat

7:30          Leave for school

8:00          In class ready to take notes

11:00        Quick lunch and socializing 

11:45        Pick up a few bucks as a student employee (working the front desk)

1:00          Back in class taking notes and trying to listen intently 

5:00          Finally class is over for the day. Eat a snack and then...

5:30          Reading notes from the day. Reviewing text books & other material 

8:00          Quick dinner break

8:30          Back to the books!

9:30          Head home for to mentally gear up for the next day

11:30        In bed asleep within minutes...

The excitement of being in an accelerated program wears off when you realize what it takes to be accelerated.  It is breakneck speed and difficult. Heck, does it feel impossible at times? Yes! But is it worth it? YES!! So grateful I have the opportunity to become a PT.  One step at a time I'm getting there, even if they feel like pretty darn exhausting baby steps. 

So·lu·tion: Physical Therapy

so·lu·tion

səˈlo͞oSHən/

noun

a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.

America has found itself in a difficult situation; spending far more than it brings in. The quality and accessibility of healthcare falls short. There must be effective solutions out there. Physical therapy can be and should be part of the solution. PT can help deal with the difficult situation America has put itself in through direct access. 

The amount spent on healthcare per person in 2012 was $8,915 which comes to a total of about $2.8 trillion (Wilson, 2014). When compared to other countries healthcare in the US often does not compare when it comes to quality (Munro, 2014). Not only does the quality of our healthcare fall short but it also is not accessible; many people (myself included) often do not seek appropriate heathcare services simply due to the thought of the bill to come. Physical therapist need to step up and fill some of the gaps. 

In order to fill in some of the gaps PTs must actively advocate for direct access. Australia has had direct access to PTs for over 30 years (Interim Study 13-006, 2013), PTs have been available via direct access in Canada since 1999 (Direct Access, n.d.). PTs must prove they deserve it and they would become part to the solution to Americas healthcare woes. How can PTs serve patients if they do not have access to them. It has been shown direct access compared to "physician referral" saves upwards of 123%. Research also shows referral based systems are 65% longer in duration (Mitchell, 1999). Longer treatment equates to more cost, its simple.

As PTs advocate for direct access we can make changes. As PTs we need to prove our worth. Let us provide the best care possible and become part of the solution to our heath care woes.

Direct access. (n.d.). Canadian Physiotherapy Association website. http://www.physiotherapy.ca/Advocacy/Legislation/Direct-Access?lang=en-ca

Interim Study 13-006. (2013) http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/ref/collection/stgovpub/id/347506

Mitchell, J., (1994). Mitchell study: cost-effectiveness of direct access to physical therapy. http://www.apta.org/StateIssues/DirectAccess/MitchellStudy/

Munro, D., (2014) U.S. healthcare ranked dead last compared to 10 other countries. http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2014/06/16/u-s-healthcare-ranked-dead-last-compared-to-10-other-countries/

Wilson, K. B., (2014). Health care costs 101. http://www.chcf.org/publications/2014/07/health-care-costs-101

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Additional Interview Questions

More interview questions submitted by Student Doctor Network users.

Tell me about yourself.

What made you decide to become a physical therapist?

Why did you choose _____(enter school name)?

What is the biggest challenge you've overcome?

How do you know you're stressed/How do you handle it?

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses?

If you saw a friend cheating, how would you handle the situation?

What are some positive experiences from your volunteer/observation hours?

Tell me about a time when you were in a disagreement with someone at work or school.

Tell me about a time when you attempted to change someone's opinion. 

How do you think you're major helped you prepare for grad school? 

Why move to that state?

What mentor influenced you the most?

What settings have you observed? 

Difference between PT and PTA? 

What is PT to you?

Describe a defining moment in your life.

Why our school?

What are your goals?

Tell me about a time when you had great difficulty communicating to a team mate? What did you do about this?

__________________________________________________________________

-Be very familiar with the school before going into your interview.

-In answering questions think specific examples in your life.  Anyone (and most do) can make a general statement in response to an interviewers question. For example, if you are talking about what settings you observed include actual stories or experiences from your observations. They want to know you are a real person with real experiences; don't be a robot ejecting standard responses when asked questions. 

Note: I would like to thank everyone who submitted questions.  If you have more questions to add please write them in the comments section.

If you are trying to get into PT school I would love to hear from you! Find me via:

Email: dalinhansen@gmail.com

Twitter: @DPT_USA

Facebook: Dalin Hansen 

Also check out some of my other posts about my interview experience and advice. 

Interview day 

Additional Interview Questions 

Interview Prep

Inside: Daily Life as a 1st Semester PT Student

After getting accepted I thought I had it made. I knew it would be difficult but I figured it would be a slight step up from undergraduate. I was in for a rude awakening.  The first trimester started off with anatomy and lab, physiology and lab, as well as all the other heavy hitting classes.  At first it started off really rough. I was at school from morn until eve, dawn until dusk, all day.  I would arrive at school somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and would not leave until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.

 Utilizing time management has been key.  I have learned new, effective study methods, because simply applying what I learned as an undergraduate was insufficient. After the initial shock of starting school, on average I now find myself at school in class and studying from about 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.  Here is a quick look into a typical day.

6:45     Wake up

7:00     Get ready for the day (shower, get dressed, pack a lunch)

7:45     Drive to school

8:00     In the library (listening to online lecture)

9:00     Anatomy lecture 

12:00   Lunch & hangout 

1:00     Anatomy lab

3:00     Break (look at Facebook, check email, play games on my phone)

3:30     Study (I normally just study for whatever test is coming next)

5:30     Break (just a few minutes to wake up)

5:40     Review (this is key to retaining what you study)

6:00     Finish up (after reviewing I just head home, on test weeks I will review until 7:00 or 8:00) 

6:15     I get home and relax.  This is when a lot of my classmates go hit the bars, workout, etc.  (I don't drink and I have a wife and two kids so this is when I play with my kids.)  

I by no means want to sugarcoat life as a student DPT but above all it is doable.  At times I feel like I am at my breaking point when it comes to studying but I just stop and take a 15 or 30 minute break to re-energize and get right back at it.  It does take up most of your time but I don't have any classmates that don't have at least some social life.  Honestly the load is heavy and the work is hard but its not impossible. 

I'm no expert but feel free to ask any questions about pt school in the comments box. I want to help pre-pt students in anyway I can. I was just in your shoes not long ago. 

Find me on Twitter: @dpt_usa

The Reality of Acceptance

Back to the waiting game. Checking the Student Doctor Network forum every day, every hour. Finally on a Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. I looked at my email and there it was, the school had sent me an email. After two long years of applying and waiting I finally received an acceptance to the University of Saint Augustin-ATX. I erupted with joy. After calling family and friends letting them know the good news it suddenly hit me; I have to move over 1,200 miles away in just a couple of months. I had been so wrapped up in the thought of going to graduate school the reality of actually going had never hit me.  I did not realize how much it would cost to move and get settled in a new state. The next few months blazed by. Getting packed was over whelming and tiring. Perhaps if I was only packing for myself it would not have been too bad but it was also packing for my wife and our two kids.  We made the long haul trip in two days and arrived in the great city of Austin, Texas.

Interview Day

After lying in bed through the early hours of the morning I finally decided to get up.  It was finally here. I put on my suit and tie, looked in the mirror and practiced my interview questions again.  I got to the school with a knot in my stomach. As I entered the amphitheater, the majority of the interviewees were already waiting. When they started to tell us how the day was going to be organized I counted how many people were there; I wanted to know my odds of getting in. There were about 75. Knowing they were only holding one interview gave me confidence; I had good chance of getting accepted.  They broke us up into three groups: tour, essay, and interview.

I started out getting a tour. It is such a small campus it did not take long to get that over with.

Then I was sent to write. When it came to the essay I was caught off guard. They handed me an envelope and the paper within had the prompt: Name 3 people that have influenced you to choose PT and how they have influenced you. As I talked to the other applicants afterward there were a variety of prompts. Some of which were why did you choose pt, why did you choose USA, what is your understanding of healthcare reform, what is the difference between PT and OT, and explain professionalism.

Finally when it was time to interview I felt comfortable and somewhat relaxed.  They interviewed in groups of four.  We were asked a question and then we would all go around and answer, taking turns responding first. I felt like being in a group made it somewhat more relaxed.  Some of the questions they asked us: 

• Tell us about yourself.
• What brought you to the decision to become a PT? 
• How do you know you are stressed? 
• How do you deal with this stress? 
• What does professionalism mean? 
• What does well-being mean? 
• Tell us when you have shown integrity in your life?

As we were asked questions I felt like my answers were different than the other applicants. We were asked how we deal with stress and the other three applicants said they plan everything and exercise.  The interviewer said what about when you cannot plan; i.e. things that suddenly come up? This left the group struggling to come up with a response. When I was asked, I talked about keeping the big picture in mind, using time wisely, as well as short mediation breaks. When asked why we chose PT everyone else responded with the experience of having had an injury they had overcome through PT.  Conversely, I talked about my experiences in the clinic shadowing as well as my desire to serve the underserved (mentioning how cost effective PT is). When responding about well-being my group all talked about exercise.  I talked about the whole person; specifically about spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Over all the day went great; better then I expected. Of the four in my group being interviewed, two of us are now in the program.

My suggestion for interviewees is:

1. Practice, practice, practice 
2. Be yourself, they want to see who you are.
3. Find ways to stand out (dress nice, give answers unique to your experiences, ask questions)

Interview Prep

This was it, my one chance to get into physical therapy school. I started preparing the day after I received an interview invite.  I thought of questions they might ask.  I took every opportunity I could to practice.  Every night I looked at myself in the mirror and practiced. Every time I got in the car I practiced (I'm sure the cars around me thought I was crazy).  I asked myself questions not just in my head but audibly.  

I asked myself:

Why would you be a great PT?

Why do you want to be a PT?

What has led you to this point?

What does integrity mean and how have you showed it in your life?

How have you displayed honesty in your life and where did you learn to be honest?

What are some experiences you have had shadowing PT's?

What kind of people do you get along with?

What kind of people do you not get along with and how do you handle it?

What can you tell us about yourself?

Why did you choose PT over any other health profession?

How are PT's and OT's different?

Why did you not choose OT?

What is your understanding of healthcare reform? How does it affect PT?

What about our program makes you want to come here?

If you get accepted here and somewhere else where would you go?

What does it mean to be professional and how have you been professional in your life?

You live in Utah, why did you apply to a program in Texas?

Along with practicing by myself, I got others to ask me questions.  I found someone who consistently gave me very critical feedback. They even told me they hated my dress shirt during one of my practice sessions. This required some humbling and acquiring thicker skin but by the time my interview had come, I felt completely ready to go.

Rejected: What Now?

It was a small fortune to pay for application fees and interview costs.  I applied to 14 schools and never saw the fruits of my labor. I was wait-listed at four schools and ultimately received rejections from all of them. To say it was discouraging is an understatement.  Thinking I truly had a shot of getting in and then facing rejection after rejection was crushing.  I considered giving up on my desire to become a physical therapist. I re-evaluated my life and where I wanted to be at the end of my career and physical therapy still felt right.

I researched and concluded I needed to look at quality over quantity. Looking at realistic options far outweighs just casting a wide net.  I came to the realization I had a really good chance of admittance to the programs at Texas State University and The University of Saint Augustine (USA). With some encouragement, I did it; I applied again.  Then the waiting game started. This is the worst part of the process, waiting and wondering. By following online forums, I knew the time was near. It happened again…. A rejection letter came in the mail. I was overcome by feelings of inadequacy; thinking I'm just not good enough. My only hope was USA; I prayed I would get an interview and it came. On a Saturday, of all days, I got an interview invite for the University of Saint Augustine. I was filled with excitement and I knew this was not the end. Having been previously interviewed, wait-listed, and ultimately rejected, I had to make this interview count.  I knew I had to knock it out of the park this time. My interview preparation had to begin immediately.

For help preparing for an interview check out some of my other posts or contact me.

Pre-PT Interview Stress: Part I 

Interview day 

Additional Interview Questions 

Interview Prep

If you are trying to get into PT school I would love to hear from you! Find me via:

Email: d.hansen@empowerutahpt.com

Twitter: @DPT_USA

Facebook: Dalin Hansen