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By Pauline Tran-Garcia 0 Comments Pre-PT, Uncategorized

PTCAS Personal Statement Tips 2024-2025

First of all, congratulations on starting your journey towards becoming a PT! I have been a PT for almost 8 years and I continue to enjoy my work. Read more about me here. I love sharing my experience and insights to help other passionate pre-PT students get into their dream schools to pursue this truly rewarding career.

I will be posting a series on my IG story and you may be following along through there or just stumbled upon this page now. Either way, welcome! And if you’re not already following my page, find me on IG @clinicalsprinkles.

Now let’s get started.

Here is the 2024-2025 application cycle prompt: “Every applicant is unique in their own way, possessing individual qualities, abilities, and backgrounds. What unique traits will you bring to the physical therapy profession that will help you to be successful?”

Tip #1 – Make sure you’re answering the prompt.

The first sentence is a leading sentence to get you thinking but truly review the second second and make sure you are directly answering the question at hand. So you have to address, what traits do you possess that will make you be a successful PT? And this answer will be different for everyone. It is what you value most and how you show it in your essay.

Tip #2 – Rewrite your essay from last year

Although the prompt is very similar to last year’s, this year’s emphasis seems to be more about the traits the candidate (you) possess and how these will help you be a successful PT rather than the experiences that led you up to this point. If you spoke heavily about other people or inspirations, you may need to rewrite your essay to answer the prompt.

Tip #3 – Read your essay aloud

When you have your final draft, make sure to read your essay aloud to ensure there’s a good flow. Make sure you take pauses where you put in a period or a comma to make sure that it flows smoothly. This is a good time to hear when you are being repetitive or have a run-on sentence.

Let’s work together

If you need a place to start, I offer a coaching service that includes a phone call to discuss your ideas/concepts and help you create an outline to write your essay. If you already have your final draft written, you can submit it to me for an in-depth consultation where I go into great depth to refine your essay and I am excellent at helping you reduce character count. More about these services is on this page.

By Pauline Tran-Garcia 0 Comments Uncategorized , , ,

How to Prevent Tech Neck

What is “tech neck”?

“Tech neck” is used to describe a posture of an individual sitting in front of a computer and the stressful position associated with working on a computer. The human head was about 12 pounds and if it’s bent forward about halfway, it increases the weight of the head up to 40 pounds and all the way forward is 60 pounds. The neck is made up of 7 small vertebrae and the muscles that support them, have to work so much harder when it’s lengthened.

What can you do to avoid tech neck?

Set up a good environment! Many of us spend hours in front of a computer or electronics and we need to set ourselves up for success. The desk can be modified to comfortably support and foster a good environment to reduce stress on our bodies.

When choosing the optimal height of a desk, whether sitting or standing, you want to choose a height that allows the forearms to rest parallel to the floor on the tabletop. The hip angle can be modified based on the chair and the use of a footrest.

Read more to find recommendations to make your desk more ergonomically friendly.

#1 The Desk

The sit/stand desk is all the rave but only buy it if you think you’re actually going to use it. I prefer the kinds that allow the entire desk to elevate vs the platform that only holds the keyboard/monitor. The electronic version also reduces the stress on the shoulders from having to lift the desk/platform. This is the desk my husband uses and he’s a big fan! He stands right after lunch every day. So as long as you think you’ll use the standing function, then get the adjustable desk. There are different options for tabletop sizes as well.

 

#2 The Monitors

Your monitor should be arm’s length away and at eye level. A monitor stand can be used to elevate the monitors or even a couple of reams of paper. Even if you’re working from a laptop, you should be elevating the monitor height and then using a keyboard/mouse (see below for recommendations). If you’re dealing with multiple monitors, you should try to set them both in front of you so that your head is rotating very minimally. The one linked in this image is a clamp so it doesn’t take up desk space for your other work materials and the heights are easy to adjust.


#3 The Keyboard

Having a wireless mouse and keyboard is important especially when working from a laptop. This makes it so you can separate the monitor to a proper height to reduce the stress of “tech neck” and the heavyweight of our head when our neck is flexed forward. The wireless capability is not required but reduces cords and creates a much cleaner setup. The link attached to the image is for a mouse and keyboard combination.

#4 The Mouse

Using a mouse is much better than the trackpad of a laptop because it uses bigger muscle groups than just the couple fingers repetitively into flexion (can lead to trigger finger or carpal tunnel syndrome). I’ve linked a simple mouse you can purchase to reduce the stress on your fingers.

#5 The Chair

Having a chair that has an adjustable height and armrests is crucial for choosing an office chair. Also when sitting in the chair, the lower back should be able to rest against the backrest to utilize the lumbar support. The chair height adjustment feature is going to allow you to adjust to the desk height to allow the forearms to rest parallel to the floor. So make sure that you’re sitting all the way back in the seat and your forearms parallel to the floor. If you find that your feet cannot reach the floor, look at item #6.

#6 The Footrest

The chair and desk are crucial posture adjustments that are the biggest factors. If your feet don’t touch the floor when sitting all the way back in the chair (like me in most chairs), then a footrest is your best option. Having your feet dangle or having to reach by your tippy-toes is not ideal because this will increase the stress on your lower back, particularly the psoas muscle. So having a footrest can reduce the stress on your lower back.

Summary

This became more than “tech neck” but you can see how these items can make a big difference on multiple areas of your body and improve your posture while working in front of electronics. Some employers will reimburse you for these products so make sure you’re asking about them! Set your body up for success by implementing these key adjustments.