I'm going to be honest, when I registered to attend the 2019 APTA Federal Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC, I was incredibly hesitant.

I thought to myself, did I just register for a three-day event of boring discussions about complicated policy and legal issues surrounding physical therapy? Did I just sign up to miss two days of classes to get the door slammed in my face by legislators? Can a student even benefit from an event like this?

Well, I'm here to tell you about how this event gave me perspectives, contacts, and knowledge that are crucial to my future growth within this profession.