Getting My Physical Therapy License!

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I AM FINALLY A LICENSED PHYSICAL THERAPIST!!!

It brings me to tears every time i think about what this little piece of paper represents. The six hard years, fighting just to pass my classes, balancing meds, IVs, medical tests, and appointments with lectures and labs, it was all worth it.

I. Made. It.

Once my health crashed towards the beginning of graduate school, I cried to my mom before every semester wanting to take medical leave because I didn’t know if I could do it anymore. I decided against it each time because I was afraid that if I took leave, I’d never go back and finish. It was the hardest experience of my entire life but I don’t regret it.

I learned so much about myself, what I can achieve, and how I can make a difference in healthcare for other disabled and chronically ill individuals like me. I don’t see my illness as a weakness, I see it as an advantage. It’s knowledge that my other healthy colleagues don’t have.

I have no idea if I’ll work clinical physical therapy or when, but it’s such a relief knowing that I can pursue it if I decide to do so. Getting my license was really a matter of paperwork since I finished the requirements when I graduated in 2017, but wow. I actually made it.

For a long time I didn’t know if I would see this day, but here I am.

Dr. Danielle Fusaro PT, DPT.