CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN PHYSICAL THERAPY

ENTRY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS – CLASS OF 2021

Advisee’s Name: Riley Ballard Interview Date:

Advisor/Interviewer: Paul Sung

1. ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF?

I am from Gladstone, MI and lived in Marquette, MI for the past 4 years. I love outdoor activities including
snowboarding, mountain biking, fishing, etc. I am very excited to start my PT journey here at CMU!

2. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A PT? WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE PROFESSION?

I decided to become a physical therapist because I personally have worked with physical therapists as both an injured
athlete and a shadow. I realized how helpful physical therapists truly are and the impact they have on people’s lives and I
decided I wanted to change people’s lives as well. The business of helping and improving lives has always attracted me to
different professions but the way physical therapists personally interact and change their lives on a one-on-one basis.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS/HOPES FOR YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN THE

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM?

I expect to learn as much as possible throughout my three years here and hope to become the best, most
knowledgeable physical therapist I can possibly be to provide the best care for my future patients. I also hope I am able to
manage my stress and adjust accordingly throughout my schooling here at CMU.

4. HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR PT PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION WILL BE THE SAME AS OR

DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES?

I think the PT professional education will be much more challenging but also much more rewarding. I believe the
program will also be very engaging and keep me interested at all times. I am now learning material that pertains to my
profession and am learning much more in each class compared to undergraduate where many classes I felt as if the information
wasn’t pertaining to my future as a physical therapist.

5. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU LEARN BEST? WHAT FACILITATES YOUR LEARNING?

I feel as if I learn best by a teaching others in a group as well as others teaching me in a group setting. I retain more
information when I am taking in knowledge from multiple people and working together to find the correct answer or solutions.
I also believe re-writing information that I have previously been taught cements the information in my hea
6. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND INHIBITS OR CONSTRAINS YOUR LEARNING?

What inhibits my learning is my lack of focus for long periods of time. I feel as if I can only focus for short periods of
time without being distracted.

7. WHAT STRENGTHS OR SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS DO YOU THINK YOU BRING TO THE PT

PROGRAM AND PROFESSION?

I believe I bring great enthusiasm and dedication to not only the program, but the profession as a whole. I also believe
I have exceptional social skills and enjoy interacting which is why I believe I will be an asset to this program and as a physical
therapist.

8. WHAT AREAS WOULD YOU LIKE TO GROW OR IMPROVE IN DURING THE TIME YOU ARE
COMPLETING THE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM?

I would like to grow as a student such as improving my study techniques and test taking skills. I also want to improve
as a person which I’m confident will happen because of the fact of knowing I will face many challenges during my three years
here.

9. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SHORT-TERM (1-2 YEARS) PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
GOALS?

Some short-term goals I have in the next two years are to achieve my peak physical shape while handling school work
at the same time as well as improving as an all-around individual each day. In the next two years I also want to advance my
knowledge as a physical therapy student and take as much information out of each class and the individuals around me as I
possibly can.

10. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR LONG-TERM (3-6 YEARS) PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
GOALS?

At the end of the three years I want to be completing school successfully and getting ready to start my career as a
physical therapist. Towards the 4-6 year mark I want to make my current girlfriend my wife and start our future together with a
family not long after.
 Certification of Completion

for
Identifying Victims of Human Trafficking
on

February 15, 2019

It is hereby certified that Riley Ballard has completed training on Identifying Victims of Human
Trafficking consistent with the requirements for training as specified in the Michigan Board of Physical
Therapy – General Rules, R 338.7126, as of the date of this training. Training was completed through the
Central Michigan University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy as a live presentation with
simultaneous teleconference communications between Mt Pleasant, Michigan and Houghton, Michigan.

Certification is provided by:

Peter V. Loubert PhD, PT

Professor of Physical Therapy
Central Michigan University
 Journal #1

In our first seminar class we covered the topic of portfolios which we will need to utilize in our

professional career and will be a helpful tool throughout our lives. We talked about the different kinds of

portfolios and what we will need to include in them which I thought was very interesting. I personally

didn’t know or even have an idea of what a personal portfolio consisted of prior to this class. The first

session had made me a little uneasy about the whole topic because it seemed as if it was way over my

head because of being so unfamiliar with the topic. Another thing we talked about in class was the fact

that we had to read a book that was based on some type of physical limitation that would be prevalent to

us as a physical therapist. I decided to choose the book “Tuesday’s with Morrie.” I thought this was a

really neat thing to be assigned to us a student because it gives a little break from studying actual book

work material to enjoy other readings but also keeps our minds in the physical therapy realm at the same

time.

The readings in Chapter 4 talked about many different topics that are crucial in being a successful

student and therapist. One topic was the fact that we need to nurture ourselves in order to sustain self-

respect and I completely agree with that. We are ultimately the ones important for our self-being whether

it means our degree of happiness, health, etc. We are in control of that and I believe this is a topic that is

important as a physical therapy student because we are going to be constantly bombarded with tests,

homework, practical’s and the amount can put a lot of stress and anxiety on students. This can ultimately

lead to changes in mental health which is why it is so important to take time for you.

Another topic was balancing socializing and solitude which I also think is quite important. As

physical therapy students, we do a lot of school work in groups whether it’s in the classroom or outside. I

believe that is crucial into succeeding but finding time of solitude is crucial as well. It is important to have

alone time to not only study but just to relax and unwind. Our brains are going 100 mph all day, every

day, so in order to keep the mind on track and at ease, alone time is needed. No matter what is done in that

time of solitude. Finding time by yourself is also important in maturing as an individual. I think that a
healthy mind and attitude all starts at what a person thinks of themselves and their outlook on life. I

personally need alone time to do many things such as study, lift weights, talk to my girlfriend, etc. This is

very important to me in order to keep a steady mind throughout each day.

My first semester as a PT student this summer was a little bit of a rude awakening, but somewhat

in a good way. I knew a doctoral program would take a lot of work compared to undergrad coming in but

I was surprised how much work it took even for one class, anatomy in particular. On the other hand, I did

take a lot of positive aspects out of my first semester that I will apply to the rest of grad school and my

career. I learned that there is not enough time in a day. It seemed like each day went by so incredibly fast

that I didn’t have enough time to study everything or have time to do personal things that I enjoy doing. I

learned that my time management skills weren’t the best, so throughout the semester I slowly learned how

to manage study and personal time a little better day by day. I still need to work on time management

skills and I hope that they will continue to get better the more I work at it. Another thing I learned was

that my study habits weren’t the best either. I had gotten away with it in undergraduate but I quickly

learned that it would not cut it in a graduate program. I realized that the way I studied wasn’t the most

effective way for me to retain information. I learned a few different techniques and strategies from other

classmates and professors on how I could improve that. I applied some of those strategies and I noticed an

improvement in retention of the information. I still have a lot of work to do.

Although we are already three weeks into the semester, I am quite nervous for how this semester

will go. I am very intimidated by the classes and nervous I will not meet the criteria of each course to be

able to move on to the next semester and my first clinical. It is not a great feeling but I will be doing my

best to get myself to that point and be successful. I am going to try tutoring out and hopefully that helps

me with my classes and my confidence of the material we covered when it comes to exam time. I am still

looking for pointers on how to succeed in this program.