Let me preface this by saying that none of this is my own doing. I am a firm believer that God opened the doors for me to get to where I am today. I had to work hard but too many circumstances out of my control had to happen for me to end up where I am today.
I call myself an “average Joe” because school was never easy for me and got mediocre grades my entire life. I graduated from Maryland with a degree in economics before pursuing a career change. PT school was far from easy for me as I was immediately placed on academic probation after our first term. The next term, I again failed a class by 1.25% (our passing score was an 83%). At the start of the third term, I met with the program coordinator who essentially told me I was on my last straw. I was told if I received any grade below 83% I would be removed from the program. Knowing that every fraction of a percentage mattered was something I carried with me the entire term. Needless to say I was extremely stressed but through God’s grace I was able to survive my first year. The rest of PT school seemed like a breeze compared to the burden I carried my first year.
I graduated in 2015 and spent two years working in standard outpatient facilities owned by orthopedists. As cliche as it sounds, I pursued PT so that I could make a difference and help people. I didn’t want to be glued to a computer for 40 hours a week and wanted an opportunity to work with athletes. At my previous jobs, I would maybe have 3-4 athletes on my caseload and I thought that was as good as it gets. I was limited to seeing them for only 30 minutes with the tech finishing up the rest of the session. This always felt very incomplete to me because I knew I could provide better care. I was also seeing 55-60 patients a week and this quickly was becoming draining.
In April of 2017, I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and start a PT Instagram. My entire life I had strived to lay low and never put myself out there to be wrong. Starting a public Instagram meant putting myself out there for judgement. Little did I know that this decision would change the trajectory of my career. Later that year, I ended up connecting with Teddy Willsey (@StrengthCoachTherapy) through Instagram . I asked if I could come shadow the facility he worked at and on the first day joked about him hiring me if he was ever looking for a new PT. Fast forward a few months as he reached out saying he was looking to hire someone and luckily it was me!
In October of 2017 I started my new job and was finally able to work at an athletic training facility that allowed me to treat high school and college athletes one on one for an entire hour. I also was getting real mentorship from Teddy which I did not get from my previous jobs. This was my dream scenario I wanted to be in but it definitely was not all glamour. Being in a cash-based facility means self marketing. We don’t have the privilege of orthopedists constantly referring patients to us. As with any new business, I started out very slow and even thought about quitting six months into it. I gave up a good steady salary with benefits to pursue this model of rehab, and I questioned if I was good enough.
Around April of 2018, things started to improve and my business was growing. I started to have a much more consistent case-load and even began to market myself as an ACL rehab specialist. That summer, I even designed my own ACL injury reduction program and implemented it with a local high school. Without a doubt, the biggest driving force in my business has been word of mouth. I believed in the way I was treating and knew it was the highest level of care athletes could receive. It took some time but patients, parents, trainers, and coaches, would tell their friends and peers about PT with me which has exponentially grown my business.
Fast forward to the present, I am now consistently at a full case-load of 30-35 patients a week. Approximately 90-95% of my patients are high school and college athletes with approximately 75% of them being ACLs. Additionally, my social media account has provided me with a platform to educate others across the world. I have started my own ACL Mastermind Group to educate people on how to properly rehab ACLs. This continues to be a big void but our model allows me the freedom to venture beyond just treating patients. I legitimately would’ve NEVER guessed I would be at a full case load, developed my own ACL injury reduction program and have my own rehab program online. This coming from the guy who almost failed out of PT school just a short few years ago. I am passionate about what I do and work hard to continue progressing. I currently work seven days a week, five days in the clinic and two days doing admin and working on my ACL Mastermind Group. I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing now for anything and would never go back to where I was. I’m doing what I love, treating the way I feel is right and am only limited by myself.
Why do I share this story? Because when I was at my low point in PT school, I considered quitting. I questioned if I was even smart enough since I was failing and my classmates were thriving. I worried about whether or not I made the right choice to pursue PT or if I should’ve just stayed in business. If you want it enough and believe in what you’re doing, anything can be done. If you asked my PT school version of myself if I thought I’d be working with athletes just 3 years out of PT school, I would’ve said absolutely not. If you read this far, I hope this offers some words of encouragement. I am by no means trying to come off as arrogant and say I deserve any of this because frankly I don’t. There are plenty of people who are smarter than I am but aren’t given the same opportunities. However, I am going to make the most of my opportunity and work hard at what I do. If you’re struggling in PT school, keep working at it, ask for help, do whatever it takes to move forward if it’s what you believe you’re meant to do.
If you’re interested in seeing my PT IG, I can be found @WesleyWang.DPT, with the majority of my content centered around sports and ACL rehab. If you’re interested in learning more about my ACL Mastermind Group, the link is https://wesleywangdpt.mykajabi.com/faq.
This was sent to me by my daughter, her brother/my son is in pt school and this sounds just like him. He has a passion for pt and people, loves God and is struggling with his grades. He as you did, will get through this.
Thank you for this testimony. I will cherish it and I believe in your every word.