It truly is a long and arduous road to get into PT school. But the reward at that end of the road makes all of the work put in early on worth it. You can trust me on that one. I may be unique in this journey as I can confidently say that my drive to become a Physiotherapist never wavered after I made it my goal during the second year of my undergraduate degree. How you ask? Let me walk you through it.
My motivation to become a Physiotherapist stemmed from my passion to assist athletes in their rehab and athletic development. The more I volunteered and learned about the profession and the human body I began to realize that when exercising, everyone is participating as an athlete towards their own goals. And this is where my passion for the profession stemmed from. Ultimately, this was the greatest motivation to become a Physiotherapist – knowing that I can help others achieve their best physical self.
I’ll be blunt with my next point. I did not want to work at a desk for the rest of my life. I found it draining, boring, and honestly tough on the body to sit for more than 8 hours at a desk. And trust me, I did my fair share of that going through my undergraduate degree. However, when I volunteered in clinics and rehab settings I fell in love with the physical nature of the job. Being on my feet, demonstrating exercises, and analyzing movements was fun for me. Regardless of how long that library grind was during my studies I knew it would be worth it in the long run if I could work as a Physiotherapist. Every time I wanted to stop studying prematurely or was lacking motivation to volunteer/gain work experience I went back to how much I loved the work environment that a Physiotherapist exists in. This served as my motivation to keep pushing.
Good friends with similar goals acted as a strong motivator for me as well. I’m a very competitive individual. Even more so, I don’t like to lose. Therefore, the thought that others in my classes, and even my friends, could get into Physiotherapy programs and take a spot away from me became motivation for me to work harder than those around me. In times when I wanted to stop studying prematurely, my friends would be right there to keep me going. A few words of encouragement from the right people can go a long way.
Lastly, I highly value a healthy work-life balance. I knew that a career in Physiotherapy could provide me with a great balance between these two values of mine. Therefore, I put on hold that desired healthy work-life balance during my undergraduate degree. I studied and worked hard and definitely tipped the scale further towards that work side of the work-life continuum. I knew if I put in my time then, I’d be in a great position to have the balance I wanted in the future. I’m glad that I did. Working a 35-40 hour week, earning a comfortable income, and being able to hike, snowboard, and spend time with friends and family on weekends has been the dream. Meanwhile, I’m able to exercise, cook, and spend time furthering my skillset as a PT during the week when I’m not working. It’s not easy, you just have to trust the process.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, my motivation to getting into PT school fortunately never wavered. I encourage you to reflect on what motivates you to becoming a physiotherapist and attending PT school. Once you understand this, you will be able to harness the passion that will drive you during trying times. As you continue working towards the goal of becoming a Physiotherapist, keep us in mind! We have courses dedicated to assisting you in the application preparation stage of your application as well as the interview phase. From seeking a second opinion on what experiences to include in your application to replicating the stress and time crunch of a CASPer test, we have your back. We have helped many others achieve their dream of becoming a Physiotherapist in Canada and would love to assist you as well. Don’t hesitate to reach out and remember, you’ve got this.
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