NPTE

Just wanted to get a quick update in on what’s been happening in my life over the past few months. Most of what has taken up my time is studying…preparing to take the National Physical Therapy Exam.

Some of you may not know that I once was a physical therapist. Pat and I married in March of 1987 and we started PT school in June of 1987.  I say “we” because Pat moved to north Louisiana with me, so I could go to school.  He put up with me practicing on him, having mac and cheese for supper, driving back and forth to south Louisiana on weekends to produce rodeos and most of all putting up with a very emotional woman the first few years of marriage.  But that’s another story.  My dad was concerned about me getting married before I finished college.  He thought I would quit.  But had I not been married and had I not had Pat’s presence and support, I would have quit.  I wanted to quit…but Pat wouldn’t let me.

I graduated from PT school in September of 1989.  We moved back to Moss Bluff.  I worked full time for 4 years.  Then babies started coming.  So, I went back to work part-time.  But as more children were added, my heart began to want to stay home with my children.  After Hayden’s birth, I took 9 months off instead of the 3 months I had taken with Calder and Sydney.  And after Conner was born, well, I never went back.

God had introduced home schooling to me by this time and thus began my new career…being a stay at home, home schooling mom.  We moved to De Kalb and continued life.  Then all of a sudden, Conner graduated.  What would I do?  Pat said go back to physical therapy.  

 I had let my license lapse when Conner was about 2. The summer was busy with many things, but I managed to begin reviewing anatomy.  I planned to make study my priority when fall came and things were more structured.  Sydney had the opportunity to go on a cruise, so I learned how to do the necessary parts of her job and went to work with Pat.  Once she was back, Pat wanted me to keep working because they were baling hay and needed extra help. It was during this time, that I found the lump and doctor’s appointments and cancer treatments became my priority.

Once chemo and radiation were over and most of the brain fog was gone, I began to study.  We had several things going on at church that I was involved in, so study became a priority in November. And that is what I’ve been doing.

I took the NPTE this past Tuesday. It was tough, as it should have been. I will find out on the 12^th whether or not I passed.

The field of physical therapy has changed over the past 19 years as most things have.  I graduated from a bachelor’s program.  Physical therapy is now a doctorate program. And the saying that “use it or lose it” is true.  Some of the things I studied came back somewhat easily.  Other things were brand new to me. Some were a real re-learning of things I had learned in school but hadn’t used in the specific field in which I worked.  There is no way to learn everything in 3 months that it takes 3 years to learn in school!

Thank you to all who prayed for me as I tested and for those of you who prayed for me as I studied.  My prayer requests for studying were that I would study the right material and that I would understand and retain it.  For the test, I asked God to help me understand the questions and bring to mind the things I had studied.  I also prayed my mom’s prayer for me…that God would help me guess correctly on the answers I didn’t know. And that I would remain peaceful and calm while I tested. 

 I had planned to keep track of the questions I wasn’t sure on, so I could have an idea at the end of the test of how I did.  I didn’t know 19 of the first 50!  It was stressing me out too much, so I quit keeping track.  I had much more peace and calm with the last 200 questions.

On the way to the test that morning, God brought a song to my mind that I sang over and over. 

            Lord, You are more precious than silver.

            Lord, You are more costly than gold.

            Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds.

            And nothing I desire compares with You.

I remembered some verses I had learned last year. Philippians 3:7-8 “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.  More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ.”

He is more valuable to me than having a PT license.  Whether I pass or fail, I will still have Him!  He knows the plans He has for me.  He is the One writing my story.  I don’t know what message He wants to convey with my life. He knows what I need to come to know Him more and how I can best bring Him glory.

I find myself in a similar place as a year ago.  The unknown.  I don’t know the plans God has for me.  Same place, different questions. Will that be having a PT license on the 12^th of February?  Will that be another 3 months devoted to study to re-take the test in April?  Where will I work?  What will it be like working again? How will that impact my life? How will that impact the lives of others? I don’t know the answers to those questions. I think I know what I would want, but God does know what I need.  I will continue to trust Him and His goodness.  He has been faithful in the past.  He will be faithful in the future!