Caitlin Sweet2015 Rising Alumni

Caitlin Sweet photo

Caity Sweet received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree from Northwestern University in April 2014 and was immediately hired at Cincinnati Children's Hospital after completion of her student clinical rotations. While at Northwestern she conducted original research examining physical therapist’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices when working with patients with limited health literacy that she presented at the American Physical Therapy Association’s conference. Already in her brief career, Caity has developed considerable expertise with both athletic and pediatric populations.

Employer

Physical Therapist,
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

CEHD Degree

B.S., Kinesiology

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a kid I really really wanted to be a Target worker.

What professor(s) or course(s) were most influential during your time in the College of Education & Human Development (CEHD)?

Without a doubt the Supervised Practical Experience course was the most influential class I took in CEHD. The course encouraged me to explore different areas of healthcare to find what I was really passionate about. Through my SPE course I was able to intern with the University of Minnesota’s Athletic Medicine Department, volunteer in the physical therapy department at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, and participate in research.

What skills are important to succeed as an emerging professional today?

Flexibility!!! I can not stress enough how important this has been as a new healthcare professional. Being flexible and willing to try new things has allowed to me to gain new and diverse experiences I may not otherwise have had the chance to do. While working with a pediatric population flexibility is key. You not only need a plan A, B, and C but a plan D, E, F, G, H, I and J in your back pocket in case your initial plan doesn’t work out. And while working in a healthcare team environment flexibility is a necessity. Schedules get changed, appointments run long, and space gets tight. You need to be able to adapt quickly to these changes while thinking of your co-workers needs at the same time.

Who has inspired you the most during your career?

My patients are my biggest inspiration! They challenge and inspire me everyday to be a better physical therapist. I am constantly inspired by my patients’ resilience, strength, and determination on a day to day basis. Some of the patients I work with have overcome complex medical issues early in life and have had to work very hard to do things that most of us take for granted, like sitting or lifting our heads up. Seeing them achieve a new goal inspires me to create new challenges for them and myself.

What gets you excited about work?

Two things really get me excited about work. Trying new things and when a patient is excited about therapy. I get so excited to try out a new treatment strategy I learned about, a piece of equipment that might help improve the child’s function, a new taping technique, or a new exercise that will really challenge the kiddo. When a patient is really excited about therapy and learning new things, their excitement is infectious.

When you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you do?

When I have a free time there’s a good chance I’m reading celebrity gossip. I love all the red carpet fashion and seeing pictures of celebrities at the grocery store. Being relatively new to Cincinnati, I try and get out and explore new restaurants or different areas of the city as much as I can. I’m currently working my way through the 9 best tacos in the city.