Per Aspera Ad Astra

I learned 5 things in particular during this teaching activity and here’s how I stack them up:

Tenacious – we were all ready and excited to meet our clients and execute our ID but lo and behold they didn’t show up. It kind of ruined the momentum and for a moment I felt betrayed because we really prepared for our session. It made me realize that in the PT profession we will be exposed to countless challenges and unexpected obstacles and remaining tenacious even in overwhelming odds will put you in a much better position.

Passionate – if you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, you aren’t going to want to follow through. For a moment in my life, I asked myself why on earth I took up PT in UPM (good thing I’m still alive) but then this activity was a hard smack in the face and made me realize why I’m here – it was the clients and my inner passion to teach.

Goal oriented – we had to revise our ID for more than 5 times to make our goals achievable and appropriate for our clients – from pedia clients to adolescents. I understood the importance of creating, pursuing and meeting goals and that you should have the right attitude and discipline to achieve them. During the activity, we did achieve our goals but we had to improvise because not all our clients were the same. They had different conditions, personalities and we had to make sure that how we handle is appropriate for them. Good thing though, they were receptive and enthusiastic in learning and doing our activities.

Patient – I don’t know how many times my patience was put to test in doing this activity but one great thing I’ve learned is that no matter how organized your timeline is this is highly unlikely to remain consistent. There will always be unexpected problems that would emerge, from patients not showing up to patients not being cooperative; be patient and understand in this profession the set-backs are not the end of the world. Our clients have cognitive problems and I didn’t realize that I was giving them the inappropriate feedback during one of our activities. It is important to note that proper feedback would instill proper learning to the clients. Being patient while teaching is also crucial, you have to understand that both parties have shortcomings and we must know how to manage these.

Personable – be yourself! Don’t treat patients like robots. Treat them as individuals and that they have their unique way of perceiving things. Making your clients engage in the activity also comes down to how you present yourself to them. As a future PT, adapting and being spontaneous (when needed) comes a long way.

I do not see this profession as a chore. I wouldn’t regret choosing PT as my first choice in UPCAT. I’ve come a long way and the real deal is getting clearer and closer.

In diem vivere.