It was suddenly evident to Me, but even if it isn’t…

My physical therapy interest was first triggered when I was injured as a competitive swimmer in middle school, it sparked when I attended graduate school at Thomas Jefferson University, and it skyrocketed when I got involved with the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health as a 2nd-year DPT student. I volunteered as a Director of the student SIG, then when I graduated, as a Director of the early professional SIG. The Academy has provided me with endless options and opportunities to further my passion, and I’ve learned that every opportunity presented is only as meaningful as the drive of the one receiving it.

I cannot describe in words how meaningful it is to restore a person’s basic qualities and needs of life. The patients that I treat every day bring me life, they constantly restore my passion, and leave me with an earning to learn more.

For anyone with the slightest interest in pelvic health physical therapy, I assure you that an opportunity to shadow, to learn, and to grow is not one wasted. Every day, I believe that we should put ourselves in at least one other person’s shoes. I constantly put myself in my patients’ shoes. And just like that, every day afterward, I continue to show up.

Author: Amanda Clarke PT, DPT
2023 Scholarship Recipient 

Author Bio: I graduated from University of Delaware with my BS in 2018. From there I went to Thomas Jefferson University for my DPT and graduated in 2021.