Your Career Path as a Pediatric Physical Therapist: Following a Plan or Choosing the Winding Road? - Both Can Be Fulfilling

This session is designed around early, mid- and later career pediatric physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who wish to explore what their next steps or future goals could be in their own professional journey. As we move along in our career, we often wish someone would have "told us that". The presenter will share content related to exploring career options, finding new jobs or opportunities, identifying personal preferences, building on skills and interests and planning for retirement (at any age). Relying on her personal experiences and those of other Academy leaders, participants will listen to stories, self-reflect on their own priorities, and take note of how to look for, consider, and embrace new opportunities. A focus on the present will be emphasized as the place from which to plan for the future. This session is both a chance for a "reality check" and a "shoot for the moon" as we look at innovative ways to get the most from our own professional journey while responding to our separate circumstances and personal life situations at the same time. Participants should be prepared to reflect on their desires and consider what drives them on a daily basis. In addition, the session will encourage thinking about new and different ways to achieve goals in and out of physical therapy for professional and personal satisfaction. Finally, participants are encouraged to share ideas and develop new relationships that will support professional growth as clinicians, scholars, educators, researchers, advocates, leaders, collaborators, or change agents.