Hello Everyone,

Becoming a United States Army Physical Therapist used to be a big dream of mine, but all of that changed during my second deployment. I credit that change of heart to learning. Now, my desire for knowledge exceeds the realm of rehabilitation. It also exceeds my ability to finance my education. And as difficult as it is to ask for help, that is exactly what I have to do. I hope that you can help me out. If not, please share my story.

I served on active duty, as a Combat Medic, from 2002 to 2009. Several attempts to transition from a medic to a physical therapy technician failed. The Army has two options for getting into the physical therapy career field. The first is as a technician or physical therapy assistant. The other is a doctorate program through a partnership with Baylor University. I attempted to complete my degree to apply to the doctorate program, but it was also hard to go to school and work full-time. I did not know that it would be so difficult to maneuver and change jobs before I joined. Medics were in high demand during that seven years because of the war on terror. I never got into the physical therapy career field, but my service as a medic gave me a ton of fun experiences. And during my second deployment, I developed a desire to become a physician instead of a physical therapist.

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If you cannot support financially…

please share my story.

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I had the privilege of leading our night crew in the emergency department. We had two doctors and three nurses that were amazing at their jobs. They ran training several times a week, and the doctors taught us advanced assessment techniques. I thought I knew a lot about rapid trauma assessments as a medic, but their knowledge was on a totally different level. My knowledge and skills improved tremendously during that deployment. Until that point in my career, I hated assessing and treating illnesses. My love was for injuries and rehab. I learned that my hatred for illnesses was due to a lack of knowledge. Those training sessions gave me a great deal of confidence. Helping patients with their illness became as fulfilling as helping patients with their injuries. And I wanted to learn more.

In order to get there, I had to go back to school to complete prerequisite classes. After years of life getting in the way, I finally completed all of my prereqs. Interestingly, I was exposed to Chiropractic while completing my prerequisites. I slowly began to learn how much the structure of the human body influences the function of the human body and visa versa. Doctors of Chiropractic and Doctors of Osteopathy are the subject matter experts for health care related to structure and function, but they have different approaches. Chiropractors emphasize care of the nervous system, while Osteopaths give a great deal of attention to the lymphatic system. Both professions specialize in diagnosing problems associated with muscles, bones, and joints. Both also use the hands to assess and to treat. My heart is set on becoming licensed in both and serving in the Army again as a Musculoskeletal Radiologist. I want the ability to give my patients answers to their questions, especially when it comes to pain. I have the motivation to get it all done, but I lack the financial resources. My biggest fear is that I will not get to finish my education or enter the career that I have fallen in love with.

I recently started the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Life University, but my GI Bill is running out in 4 weeks. I need to come up with $7,843 in the next few weeks to continue going to school next quarter. Overall, I need an additional $124,993 to finish Chiropractic school. I cannot take out anymore student loans. And working full-time is not really an option, if I want to pass all of my classes. I am asking for $31,248 in help, because that will cover my tuition for the next 12 months. When I get into medical school all of my educational expenses will be covered by the military. Any help is appreciated.

Thank you,

Ryan