Strength in numbers
Monday September 3, 2012
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One of the values we instill among our physical therapy students is commitment to the profession. Thus, we strongly encourage their attendance at professional conferences and membership in the American Physical Therapy Association. However, students often ask: What is the value in being an APTA member?
Most recently, I responded to them with this story: Earlier this summer, the town where I live experienced a violent storm with strong winds. A cluster of papaya trees that my mother had cared for over the past year was uprooted. She was very upset because those trees had produced more than a dozen fruits this season. We did not have a choice but to chop the trees down. I tried to console my mother by telling her that perhaps new trees would come from the roots left in the ground, and when that happens she would have more trees than the number lost. I told her the new growths would be sturdier than the fallen papaya trees.
My mother asked me how I knew the new growths would be stronger. "Because I’ve seen it happen before," I told her. In 2004, three major hurricanes hit our town. Two trees in my yard were uprooted and had to be chopped down. As years passed, new growths sprung from the roots. Today, there are more than 10 of these trees clustered closely together. The trees seem to support each other during storms or high winds.
The theory of strength in numbers applies also to human experiences. It can play into almost every facet of our lives. We heal our hearts through the number of tears shed and years that pass. Some gain self confidence by the number of pounds lost. Others gain control by the number of days of sobriety. Athletes gain endurance through the number of miles run.
The same theory holds true for the physical therapy profession. The number of lobbying efforts put forth by APTA leaders, representing more than 80,000 members, has helped us withstand the challenges of other professions attempting to infringe on our practice, as well as threats of declining reimbursement.
As for my mother’s papaya trees, I have been checking daily for new growth. However, unbeknownst to her, I "secretly" dropped more than a dozen papaya seeds in the spots where her trees were uprooted. This is my way of ensuring the strength in numbers theory remains unchallenged. •
Most recently, I responded to them with this story: Earlier this summer, the town where I live experienced a violent storm with strong winds. A cluster of papaya trees that my mother had cared for over the past year was uprooted. She was very upset because those trees had produced more than a dozen fruits this season. We did not have a choice but to chop the trees down. I tried to console my mother by telling her that perhaps new trees would come from the roots left in the ground, and when that happens she would have more trees than the number lost. I told her the new growths would be sturdier than the fallen papaya trees.
My mother asked me how I knew the new growths would be stronger. "Because I’ve seen it happen before," I told her. In 2004, three major hurricanes hit our town. Two trees in my yard were uprooted and had to be chopped down. As years passed, new growths sprung from the roots. Today, there are more than 10 of these trees clustered closely together. The trees seem to support each other during storms or high winds.
The theory of strength in numbers applies also to human experiences. It can play into almost every facet of our lives. We heal our hearts through the number of tears shed and years that pass. Some gain self confidence by the number of pounds lost. Others gain control by the number of days of sobriety. Athletes gain endurance through the number of miles run.
The same theory holds true for the physical therapy profession. The number of lobbying efforts put forth by APTA leaders, representing more than 80,000 members, has helped us withstand the challenges of other professions attempting to infringe on our practice, as well as threats of declining reimbursement.
As for my mother’s papaya trees, I have been checking daily for new growth. However, unbeknownst to her, I "secretly" dropped more than a dozen papaya seeds in the spots where her trees were uprooted. This is my way of ensuring the strength in numbers theory remains unchallenged. •
Monday September 3, 2012