Professional U connections making the difference

While Nathan Reynolds had known since high school that he wanted to help people, he wasn’t exactly sure how. Inspired by his mother, who is an RN, Reynolds originally began as a biology major, but then focused on the health care field with the goal of becoming a physician’s assistant.

Faculty guidance and professional interactions through a freshman seminar class, however, made Reynolds rethink his trajectory.

“My instructor emphasized what we needed to consider before we went any further and by the end, I didn’t see myself in that career anymore,” said Reynolds, a health sciences pre-physical therapy major.

Reynolds was encouraged to attend workshops from speakers in the field where he learned about day-to-day interaction with patients, and was inspired to draw on his own experience as a student athlete.

“I love anatomy and physiology, and I wanted to be in a field where I would have fun while helping people, so I started looking at other options and stumbled across physical therapy,” Reynolds said. “It just seemed more my style. I’m more relaxed individual, and that’s crucial for those working on their physical mobility.”

To get an even better feel for the industry, Reynolds participated in a Husky Career Road Trip hosted by two BU alums who work in the exercise science field in Philadelphia. This summer, Reynolds will log nearly 40 job shadowing hours at various types of in and outpatient facilities as he prepares to secure an internship and apply to grad school.

“My experience has been great,” Reynolds said. “I keep learning new treatments and techniques.”

In order to gain even more of an edge, Reynolds attended the Career Intensive Boot Camp his junior year.

“Participating in the CIBC gave me a glimpse into some of the professionalism I thought I was ready for,” Reynolds said. “It opened my eyes to the fact I need to work on becoming confident and more articulate.”

Being able to engage with alumni and those who are professionals now and being able to ask questions really helped me gauge how serious you need to be about the profession you are going into and not limit yourself. There’s growth in everything.

Reynolds also learned to draw upon his experience as a CA; one that he says has developed his leadership skills and he has found is closely related to his career choice.

“Being a CA requires you to build a relationship with others, make sure they’re safe, and set an example; and if you do that as a CA, you can do that in health care,” Reynolds said. “People need to be able to trust you that you will help them. There are certain things you do, not because the job requires it, but because doing them makes you a good CA”

Reynolds says that even if one feels they know what to expect from their chosen career, research is essential to fully understanding the day-to-day experience of that profession.

“You can say you love something, but if you don’t immerse yourself in it you will be unprepared,” Reynolds said. “I’m just now figuring that out, and I’ve been Pre PT since I was a freshman. I didn’t make those connections with people in the field, and I should have.”