Personal Narrative: Physical Therapy Assistant

Walking into the TOC that early morning on July 25, I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. As I reached forward to introduce myself to Mr. Jeff Keith, the gentleman that gave me this opportunity, an air of relief swept over me. Mr. Keith is a physical therapist assistant at the Huntsville TOC who has been practicing for twenty three years with a business degree to help him in being the assistant manager of the TOC in Huntsville. I was so excited to begin my full day of learning and it all started with my fervent inquiries about his journey as a PTA, including the good and the bad. Mr. Keith was kind enough to allow me into his personal opinions. He believes that the best part about working as a PTA is the aspect of human interaction and hearing patients life stories, but the …show more content…
I am intrigued by observing all ages, because seeing the progression and digression of the human body will be a key factor in how to treat patients when I become a PTA. The most interesting part of this day was learning about trigger point dry needling, also known as intramuscular manual therapy, from the director of physical therapy at TOC, Mr. John Williams. Also, I enjoyed Mr. Keith explaining things like isometric and isotonic muscle contractions. When a young male disclosed his story of hyper extending his knee in a soccer game, I was eager to see the Isokinetic machine aid in his quad strengthening with eccentric loading. The most valuable thing I learned from this job shadowing experience was that patients are not only coming in for physical therapy. Along with the physical assistance, patients are looking forward to the emotional support given by the DPT or LPTA. This being said, I truly believe that becoming a PTA is the right path for me. Originally, I wanted to become a psychiatrist, so working with the physical body and slightly with the psych will aid in my goal to treat people in a holistic