Dr. Breunica Grace
IG handle: @bgrace21
Tell me
about yourself?
If I
had to sum up my journey thus far in one sentence, it would be “my head is
bloodied but unbowed” from the poem Invictus, written by William E. Henley. Well,
I am a 27-year-old Physical Therapist from Bossier City, Louisiana. I graduated
with my bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 2012. After feeling like my GPA was
not competitive enough for PT school, I decided to purse my master’s degree in
Exercise Science which I obtained in 2014. From there, I took a 6 month break to
stack my coins in anticipation to starting this journey to getting my Doctor of
Physical Therapy degree, which I graduated with in 2017. I’ve been practicing
for about 10 months now and it is everything I thought it would be, and then
some. I am currently a Travel Physical Therapist, which means I take
assignments in different cities/states for about 3-6 months at a time. Aside
from having the option to choose the setting in which I want to practice,
travel allows me to build on the foundation of knowledge I already have and improve
my confidence to be able to treat in multiple settings.
Why did
you choose your field?
I
wish I had an interesting story for the readers as to why I chose my career,
but I don’t. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a friend whose dad
was a Physical Therapist. I truly think he got tired of me asking a million
questions about the profession and he invited me to come shadow at an
outpatient clinic he owns. I’ll spare you guys all of the details, but needless
to say, it was love at first sight. I whole heartedly believe with all of my
being that God called me to be in this field. In this field there are a myriad of different
disciplines in which once can practice including: sports medicine, aquatics,
pediatrics, neuro, and even canine physical therapy. Another huge advantage of
Physical Therapy is that I get to spend a significant amount of time with my
patients several days a week. In doing so, I can evaluate and assess underlying
causes and modify my plan of care as I see fit, yielding a greater outcome. I
find it invigorating to assist patients in meeting their goals and seeing them
reach levels that may have initially seemed impossible. What really sets
physical therapy apart for me is that it doesn't necessarily need medication in
order to treat patients. With the opioid crisis on the rise, Physical Therapist
play a vital role in helping to alleviate pain without the pills. Physical
Therapist are movement specialist, and movement IS medicine! #ChoosePT
What
motivates you?
Intrinsically,
I am motivated by helping people help themselves. The satisfaction that I get
from aiding people to do things they thought would never be possible again is indescribable.
For example, I have had the privilege to work with several patients, post
stroke or MVA, that believed they would never be able to walk again. Being able
to help them take their first steps and work toward regaining full function is forever
rewarding. Extrinsically, I am motivated by the support of my amazing family
and friends. They have always reminded me that I can do anything I put my mind
to and that nothing beats failure, except effort.
What
adversity have you faced as a woman of color in your field?
Oh
man! Where do I start? I cannot tell you
the countless number of times that I have been talked down to. Not only am I
faced with the trials of being a woman, on top of that, I am faced with the
trials of being a black woman. By those both inside and outside of my race, I
find it demoralizing that in their minds, there is no way that me, a brown
girl, can not only be in charge but also design their treatment plans. Often
times, I am constantly questioned by patients on the logic behind my thinking
when developing their plans of care. Typically, once I throw a little medical
jargon at them and respectably let them know that I have a doctorate in my
field, their entire demeanor will change and the constant questioning will
stop. It is disheartening that I have to go the extra mile to prove myself more
often than I should have to. I wouldn’t say that I have learned to “deal with
it”, because every time the discrimination happens, it feels like a slight jab
in the chest. Just the other day, I was getting my oil changed and the mechanic’s
assistant was making small talk with me. I had on my scrubs, so I guess out of
curiosity he wanted to know what I did for work. Instead of simply asking me
the profession I was in, he opened his mouth to say, “So are you like a CNA or
what?”. I was a taken aback, as there are several health care professions in
which women wear scrubs, so I was bit confused on why that was his “go to”
choice of profession. Situations like this remind me that although progress has
been made, we still have a very long way to go.
How
difficult was it to find mentorship in your field? What tips do you have for
others in regards to mentorship?
Mentorship in this field is
not hard to find, it just depends on what on you’re looking for. Another
component of travel Physical Therapy that I enjoy is that they pair you up with
a mentor during your assignments. That person is there to answer any questions
and just help guide you along your journey. I am also blessed to have had great
clinical instructors during my rotations in school, because even now if I find
myself stuck with a challenging case, I can reach out to them for input. I would
suggest building your professional network immediately, when you stumble across
someone that you find appealing, reach out to them. Don’t be shy or bashful, just
reach out however you want to, and do whatever is comfortable. If that person
is in the industry for the right reasons, they’re usually happy to help
out a budding clinician.
What
advice do you have for young black women interested in your field?
Keep God first! In my times
of struggle, I cling to the bible verse Psalms 37:24. Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with
his hand. Ask yourself why you are entering this profession, and try to
focus on the aspects of PT that really resonate with your own values. If
you want something, you have to go after it. Waiting for things to fall in your
lap is not the way to become successful in THIS
profession. Others will try to make you feel like there is no room for
women of color in this field, make room
anyway! Always, always, always remember that you are the master of your
fate and captain of your soul.
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