When I was younger—much younger—I became interested in medicine after sustaining a few injuries while participating in sports. It seemed to me that working with the human body and being able to fix it was one of the coolest things anyone could learn to do.

At first, orthopedic surgery was my main interest. I was deeply involved in woodworking during high school, and I equated the 2 things. Both required great precision. But my mom, a nurse, had seen firsthand how stressful a surgeon's life can be. She urged me to explore other opportunities to help people through a health care profession.

After I'd volunteered at a couple of clinics and had a few stints as a rehab patient, I was sold on orthopedic physical therapy as my career choice. Soon after graduating from college and becoming a physical therapist, however, I saw that I'd need to broaden my outlook. I realized that every patient or client—whatever his or her presentation, injury, or issue—might be dealing with an orthopedic condition, and that anyone with an orthopedic condition might face other issues, as well. So, it was back to the books for me, to learn more about neurologic physical therapy and developmental and acute rehabilitation. I needed to broaden my knowledge base in order to give my outpatient orthopedic patients the best care that I possibly could.