I have been exposed to the medical field my entire life. My mom was a nurse and I would love to hear the stories she told about her time in the hospital. If someone asked me at the age of five what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would answer “a nurse like my mom”. A few years later I decided I wanted to be a doctor after the few times I watched the TV show “ER”. My interest in physical therapy began when I met my fourth grade pen pal, Elmo, in a nursing home. Elmo suffered from muscular dystrophy and only retained control of his right arm and little finger, which allowed him to maneuver his wheelchair. During one visit where we spent the whole day with our friends, the physiotherapist from the nursing home came to see Elmo. I was allowed to stay and I remember thinking it was great that there was a person to help Elmo maintain what little muscle tone and mobility he had left. In sixth grade, my class went to the hospital to sing Christmas carols and I remember the most beautiful place was the physical therapy room. I thought it was amazing how patients learned to walk or throw a ball again. During ninth grade, I injured my knee playing soccer. The initial MRI showed no tears, but the orthopedic surgeon noted that I was weak medially and that my kneecap was moving laterally. He sent me to therapy to strengthen the inside of my leg and hopefully pull the kneecap medially. I started going to therapy and loved my therapist, Kelley. Even though the exercises weren't always fun or painless, I couldn't wait to start the therapy. It made things fun and, since I was interested in the field, it explained why I was doing certain exercises over others. The pain has not gone away and she has worked to help understand......middle of paper......apist, I would like to continue working with athletes and non-athletes to help prevent injuries.From a young age I was interested in the medical field. As I became more exposed to the various options, I decided that physical therapy was the right career for me. My experience has shown that the camp is interesting and fun. I enjoy working with people and the versatility of therapy. There are many areas to specialize in and I can't wait to find out which one is right for me. At the moment I am interested in pediatric intensive care but I am also interested in sports and orthopaedics. As I continue my studies, I look forward to learning about the different fields physical therapy will take me into. My future visions may change the field of physical therapy I want to pursue, but right now I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about physical therapy and helping others.