Ambassador Spotlight: Nai-Jia Yao of the Asia Physical Therapy Student Association

Why are you passionate about service?

There is more happiness in giving that in receiving. Helping others is an ability. It also represented what you have and how much you can give – not only the material life but also the spirit. Moreover, we can learn how to communicate and cooperate with partners, how to interact with participants and get some time for reflection from different viewpoints.

Tell us your favorite service memory

I participated in Traditional Medicine Services of National Taiwan University for three years, and also was the leader of physical therapy team (PT team). This volunteer medical social service was aimed to provide medical care and health education in rural area of Taiwan. The area we served in Taiwan was in the mountains. Every morning, people can wake up with birdsong and enjoy the beautiful landscapes. We also tried to live and work as the aboriginals in their church to understand the residents’ life styles and possible reasons of their diseases.

The most special point is: this service was composite of Chinese traditional medicine, western medicine and physical therapy. Therefore, we can not only provide the service for residents but also interact with other professions. It is a great opportunity to promote PT – from general population to clinicians!

Nai-Jia participating in the Traditional Medicine Services event at the National Taiwan University

How has servant leadership impacted your professional career thus far as a student?

In National Taiwan University, teachers and students have been taught to share what we have and help others all the time. We have lots of opportunities to join services when we were students, such as volunteers of sport competitions, World Figure Skating Championships and Boccia. With these experiences, people are reminded to give, share and think for others. Meanwhile, there are more possibilities and opportunities for PT were created, because people know more about what PT can do and these physical therapists have related experiences as well.

What are your service plans/ideas for PTDOS?

We plan to combine PTDOS and the activities we hold in National Taiwan University (for example, the service for athletes provided by volunteer PT students). I hope the service spirit could be reminded again through this act. As a founding member of Asia Physical Therapy Student Association, we will also promote PTDOS in Asia region. Looking forward to the results and event photos of PTDOS after Oct 17!

PTDOS Podcast: The Importance of Giving Back with PT Day of Service

Click here to listen to the full podcast

Reblogged with permission of Karen Litzy of Health, Wealthy, and Smart

Originally posted on August, 31, 2015, by Karen Litzy

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Ghandi

This great quote from Ghandi is perfect for this week’s episode.  Often times we find ourselves so entrenched in our own lives that we forget there is a whole world out there that can benefit from the unique skills we have to give.  That is why I am so thankful for my guests in this week’s episode! Dr. Josh D’Angelo and Dr. Efosa Guobadia are physical therapists and the co-founders of the Global PT Day of Service. They are a breath of fresh air and after listening to this podcast you are going to want them as your new BFFs!

In this episode you will learn:

• What inspired them to create the Global PT Day of Service (and it is a good one).
• How their mutual friendship and respect for each other is a great example of how to live your life.
• Their take on why PTs should be giving back to their communities and how it can help move your business forward.
• Some examples of what they will be doing for the Global PT Day of Service.
• Their vision for the future of the Global PT Day of Service.
• How easy it is for you to get involved in the Global PT Day of Service.

This was such an inspiring interview and I hope that after listening you head over to the Global PT Day of Service, sign up and get ready to be of service to the people in your community. I hear so often that people in our communities don’t know what physical therapy is and what we do for our clients/patients. Getting out there in the community and using our unique set of skills, meeting people in the community and being of service to others sounds like a great way to spread the word about physical therapy!

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Mohammed Ali

Thank for listening and have a great week!

Karen

Click here to listen to the full podcast

Ambassador Spotlight: Taylor Huckfeldt of DeSales University

Why are you passionate about service?

Why am I passionate about service? Well the simple answer would be because it “feels good” to help people, and frankly that is a big part of why so many of us are initially drawn to the physical therapy profession. That was certainly the case for me and it took me some time to really reflect on why this makes me feel so. But I found myself keep asking “Why not?” Why not participate in service activities? Why wouldn’t I take the time to serve a community filled with those who are in need of help? Why wouldn’t I push myself to make a difference in the lives of others? Why wouldn’t I use my level of higher education to guide others on a path that will provide them with more happiness in their own lives? And maybe that’s just the way my brain has been engineered to sincerely want to help others and get joy from pleasing people. I feel that my life has led me on a course that has put me in a position to positively influence those who surround me.  I personally view the physical therapy profession as a form of customer service to the community. We are in such a valuable position to be able to give back to those who are in need, while forming trusting relationships and truly making a difference in the lives of those around us. But to me, it all whittles down to the fact that I feel that community service brings people together and brings more happiness and trust to the world.

Tell us your favorite service memory.

My favorite service memory was the Philadelphia Phillies/Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) Halloween Party in October of 2014, in which pediatric patients were granted the opportunity to relax and celebrate a fun holiday with the Phillies staff, and of course the Phillie Phanatic! With this event I spent an afternoon doing everything I possibly could to get the children and families of CHOP to forget about all of the hardships they have been going through since being diagnosed with varying forms and stages of cancer. We played games, got faces painted, watched live performances, consoled family members, and tried to make an impact in the childrens’ lives. This service opportunity was especially important to me because I had been very involved in an event that raises money in the fight against pediatric cancer during my undergraduate years at Penn State University. During the THON event of February 2014, I was granted the opportunity to stand in honor of those who had been affected by cancer for 46 hours. Although this was the hardest experience of my life to date, I would stand for 46 hours again in a heartbeat. These experiences of service in the pediatric population have taught me that life is too short to be anything but happy.

How has servant leadership impacted your professional career thus far as a student?

At DeSales University, we were introduced to the “paying it forward” philosophy. When empowered with an opportunity to give back to an individual member or entire community, it should always be taken, and the hope is that one day this help will be returned in one form or another. In the physical therapy profession I see the true value of this tradition not only by providing service to a community, but also through our interaction with peers/colleagues. I was able to implement this tradition within my first year of physical therapy school at a pro bono clinic during our summer semester. While volunteering our time to improve the health and well-being of others, I was reminded countless times over and over how fortunate I was to be entering a profession in which I am constantly learning, growing, and improving myself not only as a student physical therapist, but as a person as a whole. I promise to continue this tradition of giving back to the community, and embracing the true identity of physical therapist that allows me to become a more humble, appreciative, and dedicated person.

What are your service plans/ideas for PTDOS?

DeSales University has previously provided service to members of the Lehigh Valley area through events such as Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and local community 5K races, etc. We are hoping to utilize PTDOS to its fullest potential, and focus our efforts on impacting some of the less fortunate members of the Allentown community. We are expecting to have somewhere around 40 participants from the DeSales DPT program, and really want to make a positive influence in the area. October 17th cannot come soon enough!

Taylor with kids at the CHOP benefit in October 2014. For more about Taylor's experience, see her favorite memory detailed below!

The PTDOS Story

EFOSA GUOBADIA:
What if. I imagine a few things have started that way in the past, and a few things will start that way in the future. This particular ‘what if’ came to my mind in February 2015. I was doing health volunteer work off the Amazon River in Peru. As I looked upon the river, an idea that had been bubbling in the back of my mind suddenly shot to the front in full force. What if, on the same day, clinicians, students and associated staff of the Physical Therapy profession volunteered in different communities around the world? What if, we then shared those moments and acts in a way that was galvanizing, inspiring, and promoted connections all over the world? What if!?

Being on the Amazon and watching the river flow, I couldn’t help but think of our profession of Physical Therapy as a flowing river. A river made up of passion, love, life, kindness, and heart. A river that enhances and is enhanced by the shores it passes and the encounters it makes. Our River. Our Profession. Our Communities. The idea was taking form that a Day of Service would be another wave to have a positive impact on all involved. I was smiling as the thought was developing and I knew I had to share it with someone. I emailed Josh right away... 

JOSH D'ANGELO:
Let's shoot for the stars. Back in February, I received an email at about 11:30pm. As I curled into bed and saw the email was from Efosa, I could not help but read it. Our exchanges often serve as a place to reflect on our lives, careers, and what physical therapy can and should be. This particular email happened to be a new idea, something to the effect of starting a 'PT Day of Service.' Three sentences into the email, I had a visceral response, one that told me this is something we not only should do, but something we need to do; a chance for the profession to show what we can do when we all work together. At 11:35pm, I popped back up, turned the light on, and flipped open my laptop. Over the next 15 minutes, I did my best to articulate that this was NOT just another idea, this is a movement we HAVE to start.

Later on that night as I drifted off to sleep, I remember the last thought that crossed my mind: 'Let's really do this. Let's shoot for the stars.'

EFOSA & JOSH:
What was once an idea has evolved into a real, palpable movement driven by eight volunteers, a growing list of international ambassadors, and many supporters across the world. We have had the chance to talk about servant leadership, community engagement, and all that is possible when we ask ourselves how we can do our part to make life better for those around us, when we ask ourselves how can we put compassion into action. We know the impact will be real on not only those we serve, but on our profession and ourselves.

To our knowledge, this is the first global Day of Service coordinated by a whole profession. It gives us the chance to lead and serve at the same time. Our hope for this day is that it sparks new connections, strengthens established ones, and further stimulates conversations on how we can keep this river flowing strongly for our profession and the communities we touch. Because...What if.