Week 9.23.13

Possible colleges I could attend:

1. University of North Georgia

Dahlonega, GA

http://ung.edu

Program- Doctor in Physical Therapy

Must be completed- Nine semesters of study, clinical research, and clinical experiences that last a total of 36 weeks.

2. Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA

http://www.uga.edu

Program- Doctor in Physical Therapy

Must be completed- Nine semesters of study and five clinical internships.

3. Armstrong Atlantic State University

Savannah, GA

http://www.armstrong.edu

Program- Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science

Must be completed- 123 semester hours of study in classes (like rehabilitation professions, medical terminology, and human development).

My criteria for a quality program of study would be one that prepares me for a real world job as a physical therapist. Both North Georgia University and Georgia State University would meet this criteria because they not only require a certain number of class hours, but they also require internships and clinical experiences. The only reason Armstrong Atlantic University doesn’t fully meet my criteria is because it doesn’t actually offer a physical therapy program, it just offers bachelor’s degrees that could get me into another college’s physical therapy program.

            In order to get a doctors in physical therapy from any program in Georgia I would have to do more than just attend classes. For North Georgia I would have to go to classes and get 36 weeks of clinical experience. At Georgia State I would have to go to classes and study with at least 5 clinical internships. So yes, there will be additional requirements for my field of study in all colleges in Georgia.

            I haven’t exactly come up with make-or-break criteria for a quality ranking and educational program for colleges. However for me, the college definitely has to be in Georgia. I’ve always thought I would prefer a somewhat smaller school like North Georgia; however, my brother just went to UGA this year and visiting him and walking around on campus has made me think I might prefer somewhere like UGA. As a junior, I haven’t officially visited any colleges yet so I’m not quite sure how to compare them yet. Once I plan some visits I think I’ll have a better idea of what I want. As far as money goes, I would prefer somewhere like North Georgia or Georgia State because they are cheaper than places like Mercer or Emory. Overall, I’m not quite sure yet of what I’m looking for in a college/PT program due to lack of experience.

            Nationwide, these 3 colleges rank decently in terms of their PT programs. Armstrong Atlantic ranks 99 in the country, Georgia State ranks 138, and North Georgia ranks 154 out of 184. These were the highest ranking PT colleges in Georgia besides Emory which ranked 7. The rankings were determined by student surveys which could be biased, but are most likely accurate.

            At North Georgia and Georgia State I would have the option to get a doctors in physical therapy through the programs. At Armstrong I would be able to get a bachelors that I could then get into a PT program with at another college by transferring.

            One scholarship from the North Georgia Community Foundation's website that I would be eligible to apply for would be the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville Charles J. Thurmond Youth Art Scholarship Award which I applied for last year through Key Club (I did not win). Another would be the Gail Ingram Scholarship 9for next year) because I meet the GPA requirements and would need financial help. One last scholarship I could apply for would be one of the Jackson EMC Scholarships because I also meet those requirements (my brother applied for one of them last year). 

Week 9.16.13

Grace

She helped others recover from injuries and loved everyone she met.

Week 9.9.13

     This week's assignment was on the importance of remaining professional throughout an internship. I read Tim Elmore's blog, Growing Leaders, which can be found at http://growingleaders.com/blog/. This blog explained that an internship should be like a 12 week (or in my case, 9 month) interview. It gave an example of someone who had hired interns for his company, but regretted it due to their lack of professionalism and real world experience. Elmore then suggested that he take a new approach toward the entire idea of interning, and instead make it a "12 week interview". As a student who will soon be interning with Atlanta Rehabilitation Center, I've learned that the whole time I'm interning, I need to keep a professional attitude and always be ready to learn new things. Some tips Elmore gave in his blog were to work hard on any tasks I'm given, be ready to learn new things at all times, have high energy and a good attitude, and show initiative in all I do. Reading this blog has given me some great advice for my upcoming internship.
     One thing I can do as an intern to make a good impression throughout this year would be to always be on time. This shows responsibility and initiative to my employers. Also, something I don't think I will find very difficult to do, is learn new things whenever I can. I cannot wait to jump in and start exploring physical therapy! I'm so excited to learn more about the everyday routines and tasks of a physical therapist. One last thing I can do to make sure I don't turn into a lazy intern is to work hard in every project/task I'm given. I will strive to do my best work in all I do, and this will prevent laziness from creeping up on me throughout the year (although I don't think it will be much of a problem since I'm so interested in physical therapy).
     For me, the main take-aways from Elmore's blog, Growing Leaders, would be to work hard, keep up a good attitude, be responsible, and be eager to learn in my internship. Throughout the rest of the year I will remember that everyday is a new day for me to make a good, first impression.

Week 9.3.13

     After reading The Lesson on Debt by Dave Ramsey summary, there was one main quote that was pointed out. It was, "We do not break the bad habit of debt through earning more money, but rather we break any habit by replacing it with a better one." To me, this quote means that earning a larger sum of money doesn't have to be accomplished in order to beat the monster that is debt. Debt can be beaten with the same income it was started with; however, bad habits must be broken in order to accomplish this. For instance, if a woman has a bad habit of shopping with her credit card too often, she can beat her debt by simply breaking the habit. She doesn't have to wait for a promotion or get a better job in order to get rid of her debt. Maybe instead of going on a shopping trip once a week, she cuts it down to once a month. This would be an example of "replacing a bad habit with a better one," and an example of how to beat debt. 

     To be quite frank, I'm not worried about getting caught up in debt as I get older; however, I still need to be on the lookout for it. I've grown up with an accountant for a father, so I'd say I've learned my fair share about budgeting and avoiding debt. My father keeps a budget in order to maintain debt-free credit cards. I just finished up a summer job that I will be working once a month during the school year and all next summer. When I got my job I also got a debit card so that I could easily save and spend my money. Currently I'm not saving for anything in particular, but it will all most likely go towards college. As a teenager with a debit-card, I am currently debt-free.

     As for my mentorship with physical therapy, I'd say money is a pretty vital part, as it is for any job. I'm not very educated on the financial side of physical therapy; however, after reading this summary I've learned that as long as I don't form any bad habits along the way, I think I will be fine as far as debt goes.  

Week 8.26.13

     After reading the article on ethics, I think that ethics are the standards that a person tries to follow by doing what is right in different situations. I also think that people don't learn ethics from one specific source or person. 
     People learn ethics from not only their families growing up, but also from churches and schools they attend as well. As for friends and television, it depends who you are hanging out with or what shows you are watching. If you are in the wrong group of friends or watching the wrong shows, your definition of ethics will probably not be very accurate according to what is actually the right thing to do. 
     Morals and ethics are two different things. While a moral is a lesson that teaches what is the right thing to do in a certain situation, ethics are the moral principles and standards that a person holds them self up to according to their definition of what is right. More simply said, a moral is one single lesson about what is right, while ethics are moral principles/standards of what is right.
     I don't think that anyone can call themselves "more ethical" compared to others. I believe that we don't have the right to judge one another. However, I do believe we can steer each other in the right direction and tell someone if what they are doing is wrong. I just don't think we should say, "I'm more ethical than you are and you should fix that because what you're doing is wrong." Helping someone see what they're doing is wrong and judging someone about being wrong are two very different things. 
     People can absolutely follow different ethical standards. Everyone has their own views on what is right and what is wrong. Everyone has a right to believe what they want, and while there is a correct "code of ethics", not everyone follows it. This means that everyone has different beliefs on what ethics are and what the correct ethical standards are. 
     One example of an ethical dilemma in a physical therapy setting would be if a star athlete came to you and was hurt, but he was begging you to release him for the big game coming up. As the physical therapist, you know he's not ready to be back on the field due to his injury; however, he's one of the best players, and the team will definitely lose without him. You can either choose to release him so that they have a chance at winning the game but he also has a chance of re-injuring himself, or you can choose to let the team lose and keep the player safe from more therapy. If you choose the first option, you know you would have a chance at making more money because if he got re-inured, he would have to be in physical therapy longer. In my opinion, the second option is the ethical one and the choice I'd make. In option one, even though I'd have a chance at making more money, the boy would most likely get hurt and that is a cruel thing to do (even if he is dying to get back on the field). Option two is the one I'd choose.