Written by: DJ Redmond, DPT19
My name is DJ and I’m a 1st year DPT student. Nine months ago I started physical therapy school and if I had to point to the single greatest piece of advice I’ve been given so far it would be, “Don’t burn out”. Now obviously that seems incredibly simple if not out-right condescending. What this person was telling me is that I needed to do something to keep my head on straight; don’t sacrifice your personal life at the altar of PT school.
I’ll be honest when I first started the program I remember thinking, “Burn out? This is my dream, this is why I quit my job and went back to fulfill my pre-reqs just to get into this place, no way I’m flaming out of here.” So far that’s been true, I haven’t flamed out but there have been times where that mentality of just consuming myself with midterms, finals, practicals, and OSCE’s in my attempt to “crush” PT school has left me feeling like my tank is empty. When you hit those walls, and trust me you will, you need to make sure you have something outside of the DPT program to keep your sanity and recharge your batteries.
There are two things that I constantly go to in order to keep me grounded; 1) I’ve been extremely fortunate that my wife is incredibly understanding and she’s 100% supportive of my pursuit of a career in physical therapy. 2) I stumbled into the “sport” of powerlifting about a year and a half ago. Powerlifting has been the one thing that I can do for myself where I can shut the world out and focus on training. Back in April I decided to cut weight from the 205lb weight class to the 182lb weight class and this November I’ll be competing at that lower body weight. I absolutely understand that nobody cares about powerlifting and that’s totally fine, the reason I bring it up is because its MY thing that keeps MY head on straight. I would love it if everybody got involved in the sport because I think it has a ridiculous reputation for being a “meat head” thing or intimidating etc. but powerlifting is all about community and progress. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me (djredmond1102@campbell.email.edu) if you’d like to talk about it; how to get involved, what’s it all about, how to train for it etc.
I had a 6 month goal of losing 25lbs and I did it in 5 months while in the throws of PT school. Since I lost the weight, my blood pressure is down, my clothes fit better, I feel more confident in myself and I’m now a more competitive powerlifter at a lighter weight class all because I chose to maintain a life outside of Smith Hall. There’s nothing special about me, this is not a “look at me, look what I did” kind of thing; in fact I’m the world’s most average powerlifter, I just enjoy doing it. The point is this; It is possible to be a DPT student and a human being at the same time. Focusing on your studies and skills is by far the most important thing you will do while in PT school however having an outlet or hobby will keep that passion you have for PT and allow you to become the best Physical Therapist you can be.
campbell dpt 