How An "Average Joe" Passed the NPTE - 12 Tips I Found Helpful

I wrote this in 2015 but I figured some may still find this helpful.

Let me start by saying that none of this would be possible without God. He has blessed me with a passing score and I am unbelievably grateful. This entire process has drawn me closer to Him and for that I am eternally thankful. I had an amazing group of people supporting me and picking me up when I didn't think I could pass.

I kept this verse close to my heart throughout this entire journey.

James 1:2-6
"2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

The reason I called myself an "Average Joe," is because academics never played a large role in my life. I coasted through all of grade school and college, I did just enough to get by with somewhat decent grades. I graduated undergrad with an Economics degree which made the transition to PT school very difficult. I was at the bottom of my class throughout PT school and struggled to pass classes. The entire PT school process has been a grind for me, and has pushed me to challenge myself in ways I never thought possible.

I took the boards twice and the difference in my preparation between the two tries were like night and day. I am not the type of person to say I absolutely passed, but I walked out the exam the second time feeling 80% confident I passed. With that said, here are some things I learned between the first and second try.

1. If you are a NPTE retaker, reevaluate your study strategies, I would pay for the official score sheet to figure out which areas you need to work on.
2. Take as many practice exams as you can. Make sure you review ALL questions. Make sure you take the PEAT, it costs $90, but it is well worth it as is the most replicating of the actual exam. Take ones from scorebuilders and O'sullivan. O'Sullivan is much more difficult. Something I also found very helpful was, O'Sullivan allows you to specifically choose to take all MSK or all cardiopulm, etc.
   After I finished studying that content area I would take them all at once and then review it. Something that made a huge difference for me was I had a word document dedicated to each section (MSK, Neuro, cardio, etc). I organized it into sections as they are on the boards; examination, DDX, intervention, and had a miscellaneous section as well. For each exam, I continued to add to the list and it served as a great review.
3. Do NOT stress about the scores of your practice exams, I legitimately averaged 65%  on my practice exams and managed to pass the boards. Keep an excel spreadsheet of your averages broken down by specific content areas so you know where you need to focus on the most.
4. This one is one of the most important changes I made. Make DDX charts for the areas you're weakest in, I made DDX charts for neuro, cardiopulm, and other systems. I had examination, prognosis, treatment and DDX on each diagnosis which really helped to keep things organized. I highlighted specific things about each diagnosis that made was unique to that diagnosis. Also, as I took practice exams and found new information, I would hand write them onto the chart to continue adding to it. I found this extremely helpful as it helped me to constantly review them.
5. Stick to a schedule and do NOT burn yourself out. I studied 7 days a week my first time around and was completely burnt out with two weeks to go before my first attempt. The second time around I studied Monday-Friday, roughly 4-6 hours a day and did some light reviewing on Saturday. I took Sundays completely off. During the final two weeks, make sure you review the on going documents from the practice exams.
6. If you don't study well at home, get out of the house, treat studying like it's a job. I went to the library regularly for 4-6 hours to get in the zone of studying.
7. I used flashcards for more straight forward things such as tracts, berg balance scale numbers, spacial tests, ROM, wheelchair dimensions, and anything else you come across while studying. This is extremely time consuming but I found it very helpful. I reviewed flash cards before I went to sleep every night.
8. Make sure you read over the question breakdown on the NPTE. Realize that the big 3 (MSK, Neuro, Cardiopulm) make up 75% of the exam. I spent WAY to much time stressing about gastrointestinal or genitourinary when they only make up 3-4 questions each on the exam.
9. I took a prep course the second time around as well. I took PT Final Exam with Will Crane. The class itself was helpful it keeping me organized and the live lectures helped to review content in a different way than in the books. The lecturers really want you to succeed and are there to help you.
10. I used only Scorebuilders the first time and used O'Sullivan the second time and referred back to Scorebuilders if I needed to review specific topics.
11. Try and stay as positive as you can. Do not make the exam bigger than it is. Try to do things you enjoy regularly, whether it be spending time with a significant other and friends, sports, going to the gym, find time for yourself. If I can pass I know you all can to. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize, trust me that once you pass, it is all worth it. Stay organized!
12. Lastly, stay in a routine, every morning I woke up, made my coffee and read the bible before studying. I felt it helped to focus my mind prior to studying. Have an agenda for the day, whether it be focusing/reviewing a specific topic or going over a specific amount of pages in the review book to stay on schedule.
13. If you have any additional questions about my tips, please do not hesitate to ask, feel free to email me at WesleyWang.DPT@gmail.com. I had a lot of help throughout my PT journey and I am more than happy to help in any way I can.
14. If interested, I've also started my own physical therapy instagram @ WesleyWang.PT. Don't give up and do not let this exam define you.

Coaching A Community Part 2

"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11

This is now my fourth season coaching the CBC women's flag football team and each year we try to build on the next. Josh and I have focused on building a community centered around God's love using football as a platform. Each year the season seems to go by so fast and before we know it, the tournament is over. This season, we were fortunate enough to take home the championship and I could not be more proud of the time. I am proud of them because they played the game the right away, played with good integrity, showed love to one another and came together as a community.

This team genuinely cares for one another and I thoroughly enjoy watching them come together as a team to play on tournament day. I was overfilled with joy when the team started cheering after the final game. I honestly can't put into words how I felt but I do know God's love was present with this team. This team has spent countless hours practicing, spent time time getting to know one another, caring for one another and praying for one another. We grew as a community as the season went on and will look to continue to build on this season. It's always bittersweet once the season comes to an end after spending 12 weeks practicing every Sunday.

While I am far from a perfect coach, I am blessed by the love this team shows to me. They overlook my flaws and my moments of temper and allow me to coach them. I may not be the most knowledgeable but I genuinely care for each member of this team. Sports played a role in me coming to know Jesus which is why I care so much about this ministry. I look forward to more seasons to come and to continue to build on these past seasons.

PC: Tim Ho Photgraphy

The Offense

PC: Tim Ho Photgraphy

PC: Tim Ho Photgraphy

How To Grow As a Physical Therapist: A New Grad's Perspective

          I'm writing this to evaluate myself as a therapist and to hopefully encourage/help new grads. A quick background on myself,  my name is Wesley and I have been a physical therapist for a little over two years and I still consider myself a new grad.

          I worked at two different physician owned outpatient clinics my first two years and recently switched over to a cash based sports rehab facility. I went into PT school knowing I wanted to work with athletes. My previous jobs at the physician owned clinics allowed me to occasionally work with athletes but I knew I didn't want to be there permanently.

          I would have never imagined I'd be in this type of facility only two years out of PT school. None of this is my doing and I attribute where I am today 100% to God. God has opened up doors for me and allowed me to meet people to get to where I am today. I get to work with athletes everyday and many of the high school athletes I work with have aspirations of playing sports in college. Below is a picture of the facility I currently work at.

Here is a list of things I've done the past couple of years that has helped me grow as a therapist:

1. Don't stop learning - This is the most important one on this list. 
• This includes several things but my own list includes, PT books, exercise/strengthening books, research articles and blogposts.
• Take courses that you believe will benefit your patients and help you grow. Once you're out of school, there's no set curriculum and you're free to choose  whatever classes you want. 
• Additionally, I use instagram a lot for finding exercises. There are lot of smart professionals in the field who pass along great information. My boss/coworker Dr.Teddy Willsey @strengthcoachtherapy has been a great influence to me and I've learned a lot from his videos.
2. Network
• I personally believe the PT community is unique because we want to help one another. I've built relationships with many PTs and enjoy learning from others.
• I reached out to Teddy to shadow him at his clinic in March of this year and ended up building a relationship with him which led to me working there. Teddy mentioned that he appreciated the fact I showed initiative in reaching out and going to visit the facility.
3. Step outside your comfort zone
• This is more of a personal one for myself as I tend to like to be comfortable.
• Earlier this year, I made a PT instagram to push myself outside my comfort zone. I personally never liked putting myself out there and was afraid of what people might think/say. I've been encouraged by several friends and classmates and am thankful I decided to do it. If you would like to follow me, you can find me @WesleyWang.PT. 
• Challenge yourself to learn and grow as a therapist.
4. Come up with your own style of treatment
• In school you're taught to think/treat a certain way based on the curriculum. I went into PT school thinking I would became a manual therapist and use my hands to fix everyone. Two years later, I minimally use manual treatments and use it more as a facilitation and supplement as opposed to my primary means of treatment. 
• There are many schools of treatment out there including Mckenzie, Maitland, PRI, etc. Sometimes it scares me when I hear a therapist say one school of thought is the end all. In my opinion, if that were the case, that method would become the gold standard and be taught across schools. 
• Develop your own school of thought, take pieces of different treatment styles and make it your own. Look at research, track your own patients progress and think about what works and what doesn't.
• My style of treatment now is completely different than it was two years ago. My treatment foundations centers around patient education, exercise and movement. I strive to empower my patients so they recognize the work that needs to be put in to get back to their respective sports.

If you have any questions or would just like to start a discussion, feel free to e-mail me at WesleyWang.DPT@gmail.com. 

The PT Journey Continues...

Ephesians 4:16 - "From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

It's been a little while since I've posted but I felt this was something worth sharing. Today marked the first day of work at my new job at Healthy Baller. This is an athletic training facility which began offering physical therapy about a year ago. Since I began working as a physical therapist, I have only worked for physician owned therapy clinics so this is something completely new to me. My new job will allow me to work with many more local athletes and active adults which is something I am passionate about.

I've only been a physical therapist for a little over two years and never in a million years did I think I would be given this type of opportunity this soon. God truly has blessed me throughout this journey within the field. I think back to PT school when I was at the bottom of my class and seemingly crawling my way to the finish line. It is 100% by God's grace that I have been given this opportunity and for that I am grateful. I now get to work with athletes on a daily basis, regularly grow as a therapist and additionally get to be a part of a growing company. While there will undoubtedly be growing pains, particularly early on, I am eager to face the challenges ahead.

Also, some of you may know that I started a physical therapy Instagram a little while back. I was initially very nervous about starting one for numerous reasons. However, I've had a few former classmates tell me they appreciate the content and have also received positive feedback from friends as well. I can't really express how much it means to me that my friends and peers support what I'm doing and even more so find it somewhat useful. For me personally, the tasks of making these small videos has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and additionally challenged me to grow as a therapist. For those who are interested and would like to follow along my PT journey, feel free to do so @WesleyWang.PT on Instagram.

Lastly, this definitely also wouldn't be possible without my wife, Ashley. The decision to switch jobs was not an easy one because of the uncertainties of working in a smaller company with no benefits and no set salary. I know, I'm crazy right? But she has been very supportive of me pursuing this and I could not have taken this job without her love and support.

Below are a few pictures of the facility I'm working at with my co-worker and boss, Dr. Teddy Willsey. I am very appreciative to him for his willingness to take a chance on me and hiring me to be a part of his team at Healthy Baller. I have learned a lot from him already through his PT Instgram @strengthcoachtherapy and now I get to learn from him daily in person.

The room on the right is the physical therapy office within the facility

End of an Era: Michael's Noodles

This is a little over due but I've been meaning to write this since we closed a few weeks ago. On March 31, 2017, our family restaurant, Michael's Noodles closed for good. It was a bittersweet ending as I will miss the free delicious food but I am happy for my mom as she no longer has to deal with the stress of owning a restaurant.

Many people don't know the amount of effort it takes into own a restaurant. Growing up, many people assumed my family was rich because we owned a restaurant and in all honesty it frustrated me because they had no idea how hard my parents worked. My parents worked 6 days a week, 10-12 hour days including weekends. Our old restaurant in Virginia was closed Mondays but Michael's Noodles was open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My parents had to make many sacrifices to provide for our family and weren't able to go to certain things like my basketball games when I was growing up. We also didn't have the "typical" family dinners as they were always working late and didn't get home until 10 PM. I never faulted them because they were setting an example of hard work and setting the foundation for how I should provide for my family in the future. I also occasionally went on yelp to read reviews and some really frustrated me as many of these people fail to realize that we aren't a chain and a bad review can be damaging for a single family owned restaurant.

I ate at Michael's Noodles the day before we closed with Ashley, Gary, Janet and also worked there the last day. I learned just how big of an impact our seemingly small restaurant had on the Rockville/Gaithersburg community. Many people brought my mom flowers, gifts, gave her hugs and some people even cried! It was really touching to see how much of an impact our restaurant had on people's lives.

My mom is the hardest working person I know, she hasn't taken a formal vacation in years (she will soon, don't worry I'll make her). She has set an example for me in how I should provide for my family and I realize should never complain about working 40 hours a week. I may not tell her this enough but my mom is truly one of my heroes, not only has set an example in terms of work ethic but also in terms of being a parent with her unconditional and selfless love for her kids.

I also wanted to thank all of you who ate at our restaurant through the years. It really does mean a lot to my family as there are TONS of Chinese restaurants in the area to choose from.

My mom and I on closing day, March 31, 2017

My Grandfather working at our restaurant, Shanghai Restaurant in Virginia 

My Michael's Noodles memorabilia from when we were featured in the Washington Post

Complacency

           I've recently been thinking about where I currently am in my physical therapy career, what kind of therapist I've become, whether I'm working towards my career goals and improving my knowledge in the field. I feel complacency has set in and I have not been striving to improve myself as a physical therapist.

           I've been a therapist now for 18 months and have been in the same type of setting since I started working. I started off at a clinic that wasn't ideal to me as a new graduate. However, my current clinic has provided a significantly better work environment and I thoroughly enjoy working with my coworkers. However, I feel like my growth as a therapist has plateaued as I haven't been reading as much as I should, didn't attend many classes last year and have not been working towards my goals.

         My passion in physical therapy has always been working with athletes to help them get back to playing the sports they love. I've had the game of basketball temporarily taken from me with two ACL tears and I know how much of an impact it can have on an athlete's life. God has placed me in a unique situation to help people regularly and I need to strive to do better. I've been trying to shut off distractions (primarily the TV) an hour earlier to spend time reading textbooks, blogs, articles, etc. I've taken one class earlier this year and have one later this month as well. Additionally, I plan on becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist later this year. 

        I've been inspired by people around me, particularly my good friend Nick Jan, PT, DPT who has started his own practice, http://www.janactivetherapy.com. He believed he could offer better quality of care on his own and has taken tons of classes in order to improve himself as a clinician. He put in countless hours of readings, research, discussions, etc in order to achieve his goals. He's motivated me to continue improving myself as a therapist to do better by my patients and strive towards my goals of working in a sports rehab clinic in the future. 

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters"