Personal Narrative: A Career In Cardiac Rehabilitation

People have a personal potential to live up to and standards to live by, but everyones’ differs. Deep down, I know I have a high potential to find a career in the health field and become successful at it. I, along with other people, know that I set high standards for myself because of the potential that I hold. The health field attracted me due to its nurturing nature in taking care of others and logical thinking with problem solving. My existential and pragmatistic mind has inspired me to pursue a career in cardiac rehabilitation. I, like the famous philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, believe that we create our own future. While other people and experiences can influence my life, it is up to me to decide what I am going to do with them. I will

Since, “Existentialism or existential philosophy is the reaction to all those attempts” (Beck, 1944, p. 127) I was able to learn from my own actions and grow. My existential way of thinking lead me to take charge of my life. I began working in settings such as retail that required me to talk to other people throughout the day. When I worked in retail, I was forced to talk to nearly 30 or more people a day. I had to work the counter and the fitting rooms. I noticed that the heaviness in my chest from my anxiety of talking to others began to fade away as I began talking to more people. It got to a point where I wanted to work at the counter so I could interact with my fellow co workers and customers. My confidence let me flourish in the store, to the point where I was given bigger responsibilities such as monitoring the entire store when my manager was not working. When I am comfortable in a certain environment my belief in myself and my capabilities become stronger. I became comfortable in that setting, which is the main reason why I was able to relieve my anxieties of talking to others. When I am put into a new situation or given a new kind of stress, is when my anxieties begin to take over and I must build myself up from the bottom

I went through periods of uncertainty pertaining to the career path I wanted to take. As previously stated, I originally came to Temple University as a pre-pharmacy major. After taking the vigorous courses and being on a tight schedule, I realized that pharmacy was not my passion. I then moved onto kinesiology to become a physical therapist. After consulting with other physical therapists I realized that I wanted to take a different career path, but in a similar field. Through anatomy, I became more interested in the heart and the functioning of the body. This lead me in the direction of cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation allows me to work with others similar to my previous career choices. I also knew from past experiences of working desk jobs that I needed a career that kept me active. Cardiac rehabilitation is a unique occupation that allows me to work hands on with the patients, be active in their rehabilitation process, and also lets me study and see first hand how the heart functions in regards to the rest of the body. Although I found my passion for cardiac rehabilitation, I still struggled in the process of getting into that career