Justin Spence Email & Phone Number

I am currently enrolled at Florida State University (FSU) as a senior pursuing a degree in Athletic Training and eventually will become a Physical Therapist. The Athletic Training major at FSU is highly competitive due to the plethora of clinical hours and certifications they provide. This degree sets students up with hands-on learning, where they work alongside licensed athletic trainers and physical therapists in order to prevent and rehabilitate injuries of the student-athletes that attend FSU.Being in the Athletic Training major has taught me so much about the prevention and rehabilitation of injury, two things they stress a lot are details and responsibility. Daily, I am taking what is taught in the classroom and from different Certified Athletic Trainers and applying it to the different injuries I am working with. Once I gained the trust of my preceptors, they allowed me to handle rehabilitation sessions for different injuries and athletes by myself. The most valuable thing I have learned from the experience so far is that there isn't a correct way to rehabilitate an injury, but there is a way that makes the most sense. I am now always looking for the way that makes the most sense.In addition to obtaining an Athletic Training degree from FSU, I have worked different customer service jobs that have helped me with the personable side of being a Physical Therapist. From these jobs, I have taken the most valuable skills needed to do my best in each job and apply it when I am treating a patient. These skills include persistence and encouragement because they could be used with a patient when they have not finished their exercises/rehab and need it to fully recover, patience because it could be used with a patient when they get frustrated with the exercises/rehab, and emotional vulnerability because it could be used with a patient when they are having a hard time sticking with it and seeing the small improvements.I will be graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in Athletic Training in the spring of 2024. After graduation, I plan to find a job that will allow me to work in a Physical Therapy outpatient setting that will continue to educate and refine my skills while still challenging me and allowing me to take opportunities to help them in return. In addition to the job, I will be studying for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in search of getting accepted to a Physical Therapy graduate program and obtaining my Doctorate of Physical Therapy so that I will be able to open my own practice.