Lovely Kanyia Wilkerson, PT, DPT
Hello! My name is Lovely Wilkerson, and for the last two years, I have been practicing as a Physical Therapist in Northeast Louisiana. Every day, I get the opportunity to treat patients, which I’ll expand on later. To get to know each other a little better, here are some fun facts about me: I was born in Lansing, Michigan, but my mother immediately moved down south to be closer to family once I was born. I spent my first 10 years of life in a small town in Central Louisiana called Jonesville (bonus points if you know where it is), then I moved to Ruston when I was in the 5th grade, and Ruston has been home ever since. During my time in Jonesville, I lived with my grandmother. She was my best friend (and still is one of the most important people in my life)! We would do everything together. We went shopping, picked fresh vegetables at her friend’s garden, went fishing along the local pond, you name it. I can vividly remember riding in her gold Ford sedan with the windows down, singing at the top of our lungs when she picked me up from school. And if she wasn’t with me, she was working hard, charming her customers with her million dollar smile. Regardless of how busy she was, she never made me feel like I was a burden. I don’t remember exactly when, but I began to notice that she would have a little less pep in her step as the days went on. After some testing, she was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause that primarily affects the lungs. It is characterized by the formation of small, non-cancerous clumps of cells called granulomas in various organs, most commonly the lungs, lymph nodes, and skin. Watching her slowly regress from being an active, social butterfly, to begging to stay indoors due to pain and fatigue was devastating for me, especially as a child, because I felt powerless. The only thing I could do was use my little hands and hug her and rub her back to let her know how much I loved her. She began asking me if I would rub her joints and how it made all the difference. Of course, looking back, she was probably just telling me how good it felt to stroke my child-like ego. However, from that point, I knew that I wanted to join a career that would help people.
When I was in high school, I had reminded myself of my childhood passion, and decided that I was going to become a massage therapist. I was going to go to college to get a background in science, then get my certification to start seeing clients. I had it all planned out. Well, I hate to spoil the plot, but that did not last long. During my junior year, we had a career fair with colleges from all over the state, promoting themselves, as they should. One booth that caught my attention: Louisiana Tech Kinesiology. The faculty were so kind and welcoming. I remember getting asked about what I wanted to do for a career, and I replied that I wanted to make people feel better with my hands. I was asked if I had ever heard of physical therapy. I hadn’t. My introduction to the field is what you would call… unorthodox. I’ve never broken a bone, or torn a ligament, or even knew anyone who had. Ruston had plenty of PT clinics, but the nearest one in Jonesville was 30 minutes away. Little did I know that a PT could address way more than musculoskeletal issues. Physical therapists are trained to treat orthopedic, neurological, oncological, and cardiovascular conditions through education, exercises, aquatics, modalities for pain relief, and most importantly, encouragement. I had no idea what I was signing myself up for, but that day, I changed my mind and decided that I was going to study to become a physical therapist. I made the decision that if I ever had a patient who started off like my grandmother, I would work my hardest to adapt to a change in lifestyle that would overall improve his or her quality of life. During my time in college, I collected observation hours from clinics around town and worked at the Boys and Girls Club, fueling my passion towards pediatrics and improving their tiny quality of lives, too. The Kinesiology department sponsored graduate programs to speak at seminars to give students a closer look and solidified my choice. 4 years later, I graduated from Louisiana Tech University with my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology and Health Promotion in Winter 2019.
I decided to take a gap year to improve my GRE score and work as a physical therapy technician at an outpatient orthopedic clinic. With that extra time, I was able to learn more about the daily life of a PT, including understanding insurance, documentation, and progressing patients. I began physical therapy school at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport in May 2020. Yep, during COVID year. Social distancing, virtual learning, spending way too much money on Doordash, and always worrying about the uncertain, on top of trying to keep up with our studies, definitely kept my classmates and I busy. Thankfully, our professors worked their hardest to still provide my class with lab simulations, group discussions, and clinical experiences with willing clinics at the time to enhance our education. In physical therapy school, your curriculum encompasses thorough courses of anatomy, physiology, the foundations of orthopedics, neurology, wound care, cardiovascular systems, pelvic floor, other systems (integumentary, nephrology, lymphatic), geriatrics, pediatrics, braces & adaptive equipment, relationships with other healthcare professionals, ethics, and research. In total, we spent about 2.5 years in the classroom with sprinkles of spending time in the clinic to observe the real deal. During our third and final year, we spent one more semester finishing up in the classroom, and our remaining time was spent on long-term clinical rotations, or internships, that allowed us to learn under licensed therapists and treat patients under their supervision. During these long-term rotations, my class was scattered across many cities (and even states) in different settings, such as outpatient (the most common that you might have heard of, like where an athlete would go), acute care (within the hospital), or inpatient rehab (still within the hospital, but admitted for a prolonged period of time to ensure safety before being discharged home). Also during our final year, we had group research projects where we collected real data from real patients, which we presented before graduation.
I graduated with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May 2023. I also got my first job at Melanie Massey Physical Therapy that same month, and I have been there since. As much as I love pediatrics, I wanted to also grow with treating adults since so much of my education was catered to treating them. At MMPT, I have been blessed with a caseload of varying complexity of babies, school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. I have also been blessed with mentorship, friendships, and leadership development that has molded me into the clinician I am today. I get to celebrate when a 15-month-old baby takes his first steps ever in life and when my 85-year-old woman takes her first steps with a cane for the first time in 3 months. Life can come at you fast and can knock you off your feet in a moment’s time. Being a physical therapist has allowed me to meet my patients and their caregivers when they are at their lowest and hope appears to be lost. I have the privilege to work with them to create a new sense of normal, with minimal fear, realistic expectations, and functional goal setting. And I believe forming that bond is the part that makes me love this field as much as I do.
With earning your degree and license, it is important to understand what is under your scope of practice as a PT, but also when it is appropriate to consult other disciplines and/or refer the patient back to their physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner to determine the root of an issue. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is for the patient to improve objectively and subjectively. As I mentioned earlier, not every physical therapist treats the same thing in the same setting every day for the rest of their lives. PTs can work in outpatient, acute care, long-term acute care, inpatient rehab, specialized hospitals (like Children’s), school-based, skilled nursing facilities or nursing homes, daycares, home health, the choices are endless! Even better, as a PT, you have the freedom to work in any setting of your choosing. Our field is an evidence-based practice. We are required to take continuing education courses and keep up with the newest research. If you love science, love learning, and love people, then PT might be the field for you! I hope this was a good read for you. If there is any way I can help, don’t be afraid to reach out! Good luck!
The Exponential Factor 