Finding your first physical therapy job after graduating from PT school is a major moment in your career and can be challenging.
There are many hurdles to overcome and big decisions you’ll need to make when starting the search for your first job — decisions that can certainly be made more easily if you have the right mentor.
We hosted a YouTube Live on Wednesday, May 9th at 3:00PM PST where we talked with two distinguished Physical Therapists about choosing a career path.
Participants:
Cassandra Hill, PT, DPT, CWC
Dr. Hill graduated cum laude from Howard University in 2013 with a B.S. in Health Science and is a May 2017 graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she obtained her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. She began her PT career with Fox Rehab in June 2017. As a PT student, she supplemented the DPT curriculum with additional training in motivational interviewing and chronic disease management by attaining the Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) credentials through the Catalyst Coaching Institute. Moreover, she had a part time clinical experience in home care that exposed her to the practicalities of treating older adults in their home environments and the vast benefits of aging in place. During her full-time clinical internship year, she was able to further develop her skills in facilitating improvements in functional mobility with geriatric populations in traditional outpatient PT practices as well as on the “Acute Care for the Elderly Unit” at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Her experiences working with older adults have fueled her passion as a PT and she anticipates becoming a Geriatric Clinical Specialist in the near future.
William Dieter – Director of PT Clinical Services – PT, DPT, GCS, FSOAE
Dr. Dieter received his doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from Thomas Jefferson University in 2011 and graduated summa cum laude as a member of the Alpha Eta Honor Society. He has been the Director of PT Clinical Services at FOX Rehabilitation, overseeing the clinical practice of several hundred physical therapists since 2014. He more recently became the Director of the FOX Geriatric Residency in Physical Therapy, from which he graduated in 2013 and obtained his board certification in geriatric physical therapy. He has performed original research and presented on the topics of translational research and quality improvement in various settings. Two of his original research papers on this topic have been accepted for peer-reviewed publication, and a third is pending review.