I earned my Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Central Florida and have been an established resident of the Florida Keys since 2005. I’ve worked in outpatient physical therapy for 17 years and have additional experience in a variety of rehabilitative settings including hospital-based inpatient care, home health care, skilled nursing facility rehab, and home-based outpatient therapy. While I was finishing my general requirements in college, I found a book titled “101 Careers In The Medical Field”. I found four potential directions of study to be interesting, so I shadowed a professional in each setting and ruled out a few quickly. However, when I volunteered in a subacute rehabilitation facility, I met a woman who had just been admitted following brain surgery and wasn’t able to speak or follow commands yet. A month later, I returned to see that the same woman was walking independently, waving, smiling, and joking with others. A month later, I returned to see she was walking independently, waving, smiling, and joking with other patients as she trotted laps around that gym. That was it…I wanted to be part of miraculous outcomes like that!