Today was a very busy day. One of the therapists called in sick, so all of his patients went to to others. This caused major problems trying to find people places for them to go and trying to figure out which patient was whom in order to check them off as here. The good side is that it made the morning go by very fast though that wasn't the other thing that did.
Observing really makes the time go by. Today I did two. The first one was a woman with hip problems, and I got to work with one my favorite therapists at the clinic. She placed a heating pad over the area first to relax the muscles a bit. Then came the Biofreeze. Biofreeze is a cool gel that helps with massaging an area. The therapist placed it on the patient and started rubbing it with a golf club. Why a golf club you say? It helps smooth out the muscle when it is tense. You just glide it over the area. If there are parts where it acts like a speed bump, that is where the muscle is most tense. You just keep gliding over it for awhile and the muscle will smooth out.
The most fun today was working with the soon-to-be fire fighters. They came to the clinic today for post offers. Pretty much what that is is a person may be hired for a laborious occupation, so they come to the clinic to be examined to see if they are physically fit for the job. Today it happen to be fire fighters. It first started out with them getting a physical examination checking their reflexes, strength, etc. Then came the fun part: the obstacle course. They had to walk up and down the stairs four times stepping on each step with a 50 foot hose. The next part was swinging an axe 20 times. Then they had to pull a ladder up and down and take a ladder off and on a couple of pegs. Next was carrying 60 pounds 60 yards then carrying a dummy that weighed 180 pounds. The last part was carrying a hose as far as it will go and turning it on. The coolest part after that was the chief let me spray the hose! It was definitely a moment I would never forget.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Lessons and Rewards
So, it's been a week working at the rehab clinic and I have got to say, it's been an amazing experience so far. Already I'm getting to know a number of the clients by name and to which therapist they belong. I get to hear some very interesting stories from them, including what happen to bring them into the clinic. I have several that I've become close, but many others I am still getting to know and become close to them. Because of confidentiality I will not mention private information.
One of the ladies I have gotten close with is a 95-year-old. She had a hip fracture and is now experiencing knee troubles. She does work with the P.T. Assistant about 2 times a week. She has told me quite a bit about how her family is very helpful with her and how she was the first majorette at the university she attended. From what I've been told, she has progressed a lot. She also tells me to make sure to keep on with schooling and that I'm going into a great field. I have to agree with her on that.
Another lady I have to agree with also works with the P.T. Assistant as well as the head physical therapist. She has had knee problems as well. I watched one time when she was being worked on, and you can see the pain in her face as she was going through the motions. The P.T. Assistant works really hard on his patients, perhaps a little too hard. But anyways, this is what the lady told me about them: "They may put me through hell, but there is a reason why I chose them." Patients know those who will work them above and beyond their limitations, and even though they will experience pain, they know that that pain will get rid of the original symptom.
An interesting time was when I got to observe a P.T. with a new client. She came in with back problems. The P.T. asked her several questions about how she felt during the day and when the pain would hurt etc. I watched as the P.T. looked at her back and made her move her back side to side and front to back. There seemed to be no problems with that, so it wasn't a spinal problem. Then, she would move the patient's knees to see if the problem was actually coming from her knees and causing the back problem. No pain again. Then, the P.T. began to massage different areas in her lower back and found out the problem was actually in her buttock region. She was involved with a lot of sitting for quite some time and it caused less blood flow to those regions. So, the P.T. came up with some exercises for her to do to help out with the problem. Physical therapy is like a solving a puzzle. A person can come in for one symptom, but the cause could be hidden somewhere else.
One of my favorite things I have done so far was help out with the O.T. (occupational therapist) with a client of hers. She has had a broken wrist and had to have surgery for it. My task was to help her with some of her exercises to move her wrist. We had her using a hand grip, picking up small items with her thumb and different fingers, and this one machine where you put a peg with the outside looking like an everyday tool and you would have the person turn it to work the wrist. I must say she did fantastic. I was thinking she didn't even need therapy anymore! It was my first time working hands on with a patient, and I really enjoyed it.
Even though it has been a week, it has been a rewarding experience so far, and I know that this will be a rewarding occupation. I'm so glad to have chosen this path for myself and I can't wait to continue on.
One of the ladies I have gotten close with is a 95-year-old. She had a hip fracture and is now experiencing knee troubles. She does work with the P.T. Assistant about 2 times a week. She has told me quite a bit about how her family is very helpful with her and how she was the first majorette at the university she attended. From what I've been told, she has progressed a lot. She also tells me to make sure to keep on with schooling and that I'm going into a great field. I have to agree with her on that.
Another lady I have to agree with also works with the P.T. Assistant as well as the head physical therapist. She has had knee problems as well. I watched one time when she was being worked on, and you can see the pain in her face as she was going through the motions. The P.T. Assistant works really hard on his patients, perhaps a little too hard. But anyways, this is what the lady told me about them: "They may put me through hell, but there is a reason why I chose them." Patients know those who will work them above and beyond their limitations, and even though they will experience pain, they know that that pain will get rid of the original symptom.
An interesting time was when I got to observe a P.T. with a new client. She came in with back problems. The P.T. asked her several questions about how she felt during the day and when the pain would hurt etc. I watched as the P.T. looked at her back and made her move her back side to side and front to back. There seemed to be no problems with that, so it wasn't a spinal problem. Then, she would move the patient's knees to see if the problem was actually coming from her knees and causing the back problem. No pain again. Then, the P.T. began to massage different areas in her lower back and found out the problem was actually in her buttock region. She was involved with a lot of sitting for quite some time and it caused less blood flow to those regions. So, the P.T. came up with some exercises for her to do to help out with the problem. Physical therapy is like a solving a puzzle. A person can come in for one symptom, but the cause could be hidden somewhere else.
One of my favorite things I have done so far was help out with the O.T. (occupational therapist) with a client of hers. She has had a broken wrist and had to have surgery for it. My task was to help her with some of her exercises to move her wrist. We had her using a hand grip, picking up small items with her thumb and different fingers, and this one machine where you put a peg with the outside looking like an everyday tool and you would have the person turn it to work the wrist. I must say she did fantastic. I was thinking she didn't even need therapy anymore! It was my first time working hands on with a patient, and I really enjoyed it.
Even though it has been a week, it has been a rewarding experience so far, and I know that this will be a rewarding occupation. I'm so glad to have chosen this path for myself and I can't wait to continue on.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Choosing This Field
I have figured out what I want to be, and that is a physical therapist. How did I come to this conclusion? Well, my parents come to me whenever they need a massage or whatever. They do so because I'm not afraid to hurt them while doing it. My mom and I were talking about it back in August and it just made sense for me to go into this field. So, from then on out, I have been working hard to get there. I transferred to a different school that has a major that goes perfectly with what physical therapy schools want. I’m starting to take the classes that I really need and have finished up all my core classes. I even joined a Pre-PT club at school. So, with academics, I have been on track.
There is another thing that PT schools take into consideration, and that is volunteering. They want students to start getting a feel of how it’s going to be. I started volunteering at a rehab center near my home and it has been an amazing experience so far. I know I’ll be able to get a lot of hours during May before I have to go back to school for the summer. Also, I have to prepare for the GRE (Graduate Recording Exam) in order to even apply for grad school. And on top of that, I also have to figure out which PT school I want to attend once I finish up my undergrad work. I’m in for a long, stressful time, but if something is easy, it’s not worth it.
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