Amer-I-Can Work Observation

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Irene Rademeyer, LPT of 1945 Barcelona Drive. Dunedin, Fl. 34698. In talking with Ms. Rademeyer, I learned that she obtained her Physical Therapist license 43 years ago in 1972 (I. Rademeyer, personal communication, June 22, 2015). Ms. Rademeyer developed an interest in this profession from the influence of her mother who was a nurse. Although she did not want to follow directly in her mother’s footsteps, she had a desire to help others in a medical capacity and the independence physical therapists have in managing the care of their patients appealed to her (Rademeyer, 2015). Ms. Rademeyer expressed that she had a desire to be able to change the lives of people by helping them to regain functionality and

Have you ever bent down to pick something up or sprinted after your dog because he got loose? Not many people in today’s society pay attention to their body movement. They often take their body’s ability to move normally for granted. A person’s biomechanics are essential to everyday life, without being able to move properly one cannot perform everyday tasks. Unfortunately, there are people who are not able to do so and face many hardships in their life and may be in a lot of pain. Therefore, these people seek professional assistance to help them regain their ability to function normally. Usually, they end up in the care of a physical therapist and his assistant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapist assistants

In the words of Field (2007), "physical therapists develop therapies and exercise modalities to help patients ease pain, recover from injuries or illness, or regain use of body parts." The relevance of physical therapy as a health care profession cannot hence be overstated. This is more so the case given that due to injuries, accidents, old age or disabilities; individuals could at some point need intervention designed to alleviate pain, improve mobility or even restore function.

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed into law in March 2010, a few things have changed in the provision of physical therapy services, in specific productivity standards and reimbursement in outpatient physical therapy clinics. The Affordable Care Act has resulted in an increased demand for physical therapy services primarily due to the construction of the Health Insurance Marketplace. This created new health insurance options to help Americans acquire health insurance, who previously were not able to afford it. Although the ACA is a very extensive and complex piece of legislation, it has ultimately resulted in more individuals who are eligible for physical therapy services. This increased demand not only comes from the ACA but also from reimbursement cuts from insurance companies, subsequently causing physical therapists to overload their schedules as a means to offset these cuts. These demands are without factoring in the aging baby boomer population, which is expected to increased the physical therapist need by 30% from 2008 to 2018 (cite). Physical therapy is about providing the best patient care, however patient care is also a business and businesses are centered on revenue. Below are some of the current proposed solutions along with personal solutions and insight on the productivity issue.

There is not evidence that practicing under a direct access environment is harmful to the public. Furthermore, there is sufficient evidence suggesting that direct access to PT is cost-effective, effective and patients are satisfied with the services received. Bury et al. claim that “professional legislation, the medical profession, politicians and policy makers are both barriers and facilitators to direct access.” The future action of the physical therapy profession should continue to place an emphasis on practice, education, and research. The main issue I notice with the study of this topic is the fact that all the studies were completed by physical therapists. This could be bias to the proponents of this issue. Lastly, efforts to lobby for advancing direct access should be fundamental to the progress of this issue. This can be accomplished by the unification of all active members of the profession, contacting their legislators and marketing the benefits to the

In addition, this writer proposes early intervention physical therapy in addition to medical management to address the treatment of lower back occupational injury. The rationale behind this proposal serves as an incentive for the achievement on timely return to work in physically demanding occupations. Effective management not only promotes cost containment of medical and incurred costs for the employer’s expenditure of talent management in addition it serves as a value added behavior modification tool. The tool produces positive coping mechanisms for the injured worker. In addition it can lessen subsequent injuries of the same nature. This writer believes that this intervention can positively impact the bottom line of cost on the management

I believe that my personal and professional growth and behavior as a physical therapist is of utmost importance. I base this firstly on my strong connection to those in society who are disadvantaged when it comes to physical therapy, and also on the movement system, movement being “the key to optimal living and quality of life for all people that extends beyond health to every person’s ability to participate in and contribute to society” (American Physical Therapy Association, 2013). This perspective, I believe, is aligned perfectly with the vision statement for the physical therapy profession – to transform society through optimization of movement to improve the human experience (APTA, 2013). After reviewing the vision statement, I strongly believe it will act as my guide by strengthening compassion, reinforcing advocacy, improving quality of service, and strengthening cohesion.

I believe impacting the lives of other people positively in the society is a great achievement. As a physical therapist in future, I will leave an impression by helping patients to obtain maximum health care through rehabilitation. Furnished with knowledge from a program of physical therapy specialist, I will help patients to manage pain, improve their movement, limit or prevent permanent disabilities and restore functioning (Porter and Teisberg, 2006). My aim is to offer high quality care that will eventually help patients to promote their health and fitness through active

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

This study by Charles Levy is where they sent Physical Therapy activity DVD’s to those that are less fortunate then most of us. So Charles decided to help out not only the veterans but the people that cannot afford this to send me a video that will help them get back to normal. They sent this video to 26 veterans to help them and to see how successful this study would be and they found out that the ones that followed this program step by step. ”However, Veterans receiving on-going management to ensure compliance with a home exercise program for low back pain could be candidates for the RVTRI” (Levy 3). The Veterans Tele-Rehabilitation Initiative (RVTRI) would accept any veteran that did not get any benefit from the at home DVD but they did everything right and didn’t take a day off. They started out with the basic 2 minute walk test just to see their overall health and ability to move than it moved on from there based on your time. This has affected many poor veterans that cannot afford much that need help, it is something that over time is going to make it big but it also might hurt the physical therapy

Throughout my life, I have had many experiences that have led me to pursue a career in the health sciences. My interest in the science of movement and passion for patient care has led me to physical therapy. Most recently, my employment as a rehab tech has furthered my belief that physical therapy is my dream profession. Working as a tech in both inpatient rehab and acute care has given me an unbelievable amount of experience, not just in physical therapy, but in all the intricacies that come with an inpatient setting. Prior to my experience in this position, I never thought I would enjoy working as a physical therapist in an inpatient setting.

An abundance of physical therapists will continue to be needed in the medical field because of the continuous rate of injuries. Physical therapists treat injury or medical problems that limit a patient’s ability to function in everyday life. Physical therapist treat patients of all ages and promote interactions with patients, family, caregivers and other health professionals. Most people have been through physical therapy or will go through physical therapy sometime in their lives. Participating in physical therapy without a physician’s approval is called direct access. The factors that contribute to the importance of direct access include many entities such as the the regulation of medical services on the state and federal level, the cost of services to the consumers, and the level of control held by the patient. A physician referral can be helpful and hurtful to a patient. The removal of these referrals has caused some opposition between doctors, physical therapists, and patients. Although direct access is legal in forty-eight of the fifty states, the topic still remains controversial throughout the United States and other countries.

On September 8th, 2015, I first began interning for Dr. Dawn Cox and her staff of experienced Physical Therapists at PRANA Functional Manual Therapy in Lancaster, PA as a Physical Therapy Aide. Intermittently, on the first day of my internship, I would ask the therapists “Why choose Physical Therapy as a profession?” One of the Physical Therapists conveyed that aside from the substantial benefits a job provides, it was the intangible materials that gave the profession a meaning. As a student exploring the field of Physical Therapy, I have infallibly witnessed professionalism at PRANA and other Physical Therapy facilities through the therapists’ altruism towards patients -without violating ethical practices as professionals; their apposite use of communication with each individual at the workplace; and their sense of accountability when things go unforeseen.

The internship that I acquired during the summer of 2010 at the Greenwood Sports and Industrial Rehabilitation Center (GSIRC), allowed me to gain an immeasurable amount of experience during my tenure at this facility. Within this period, the exposure to new concepts within the physical therapy industry allowed me to observe and work hands on with patients of all ages and disabilities that exposed me to various treatment plans and programs to restore client’s mobility. The essential Physical Education and Exercise Science (PEES) courses taken at Lander University were beneficial to my academic knowledgebase, which prepared me and developed me for the opportunity within the physical therapy discipline. Working as

Physical therapy has grown increasing more useful as the years’ progress and more is learned about the human body and its movements, interactions, and mechanisms. Someone may go to physical therapy for injury, recovery, in order to maintain function, or even due to a stroke and is trying to work on walking again. Patients of a physical therapist can include, but is not limited to, elderly, children, accident victims, athletes, those with conditions such as arthritis or fractures, etc. The possibilities are endless for potential physical therapy patients (Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences).