Self-Assessment Year 1

Throughout my first year of PT school, I have experienced a lot of growth both personally and
professionally. My greatest growth personally has come from becoming more outgoing and personable. I
have become more comfortable around my classmates and professors which has allowed me to be myself.
I have experienced much growth this past year when it comes to the level of confidence that I have in
myself and my knowledge, but I still have a long way to go. I need to continue to become more confident
in myself and my abilities. I tend to second guess myself, although this has improved greatly since the
start of PT school, I need to continue to work on it every day. This personal growth has shifted into
professional growth as well. Being more outgoing and personable has made it easier for me to have good
conversations with patients, which helps me on a professional level. I have seen growth in many other
professional areas as well. The growth in my knowledge regarding special tests and interventions was
shown throughout our mock class and was transferred over into my first clinical rotation. I love looking
back at the beginning of my first spring semester thinking about how scared I was to learn all the special
tests, manual muscle tests, and interventions and then comparing it to where I was during my clinical
rotation. The growth that I have seen in myself throughout my first year makes me excited to see that
growth that I am going to continue to make throughout my next two years of school and after I graduate.
I believe that the artifacts displayed in my portfolio represent my learning and development over
my first year of physical therapy school very well. The artifacts show both personal and professional
growth. My academic growth is shown through my grade reports and performances on exams. My clinical
growth is shown through my Clinical Performance Instrument from my first clinical rotation. Personal
growth is shown through community involvement and goal setting.
During this past year, my learning and development was facilitated by the professors recording
their lectures on Panopto. I found it very helpful when the lectures were recorded so that I could go back
and rewatch them when I was unsure about a topic and needed to make sure that my notes were correct.
My learning was also facilitated through my study group. I was able to find a good group of students that
I study well with, which was very important. Our group challenges each other and holds each other
accountable to truly understand the concepts.
I found that my learning was sometimes constrained when we were being taught by a professor at
the Houghton campus. I find it more difficult to understand and follow the lecture when the professor
isn’t directly in front of me. It can be hard to truly see what they are demonstrating during the lab sessions
which results in me having questions. Initially I was constraining my own learning by not wanting to ask
questions or make mistakes. Realizing that it is okay to make mistakes during school and that it will help
facilitate your learning and development was a big turning point. I realize that I learn much more when I
make a mistake as I then see where the gap is in my knowledge and prepare myself better for the future.
I need to further develop my confidence and critical thinking skills. I have been working
throughout this past year to improve upon both of those aspects, but I have a long way to go. To keep
improving upon my confidence, I need to continue to get outside my comfort zone and get comfortable
making mistakes as long as I learn from them. I need to continue to self-reflect and be honest with myself
regarding my strengths and weaknesses. I want to start looking more into research and reading articles to
help with my critical thinking skills. The more knowledge I have, the more I will be able to think outside
the box. It is important that I put myself in situations where my knowledge is challenged, and I am forced
to think quickly and critically like I will be when I am working in the clinic.