As I head into the last of my pre-professional clinicals, it is only appropriate to look back on the journey that has gotten me to this place. One of the areas in which I have noticed the largest change is in my perception of what it means to behave as a professional. Only a few years ago, if I had been asked to ascribe numbers to various qualities that are expected of a physical therapist, I would have certainly placed "professionalism" fairly low on my own self assessment. I felt that "professional" was synonymous with words like "stuffy" or "pretentious," and I had always more closely related to adjectives like "compassionate" and "energetic." 

However, as I have progressed through this program I have come in contact and had the pleasure of working with a number of therapists, support staff, and physicians who have shown me that it is possible to present myself as a professional without losing the other qualities that I feel make me, me.

Beyond this shift in paradigm, I have also developed a stronger idea of the multitude of paths that I can take after graduation. Regardless of whether I choose to pursue mentoring, becoming an political advocate for the profession or a subsection of the population, or become an professor myself, I know that I can shape my future work around whatever ideals are most appealing to me.

As I look over some of the coursework that I completed in the first year of PT school, particularly my original self assessments, I am transported back to the challenging situations described within these documents. Only now, I am able to view these challenges through the lens of appropriate professional behavior.