Client Interview Summary

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

While observing at Amer-I-Can Work Rehab, I was able to see what it is like to work at a privately owned outpatient physical therapy clinic. Many of the patients at the clinic were over the age of 50, with none under age 16, and many suffered form back injuries. In order to treat all of the patients, a variety of methods were used including stretches with and without resistance bands, isometric strengthening, traction, massage, electric stimulation and ultrasound.

I am delighted to provide a recommendation for 123 for her application to the Occupational Therapy Program. I had the fortune of ABC volunteered in the Occupational Department at HH Hospital during the period of February 16, 2015 to March 30, 2015. ABC has completed a total of fifty-seven hours of shadowing with an Occupational Therapist. She has gained a valuable experience of rehabilitation observation, both at bedside and in the rehab gym. Her duties include: accompany and assist the therapists during therapy sessions, set up treatment area, transporting residents to and from therapy gym, and numerous clerical duties.

The purpose of the Ergonomics Hazards Policy is to prevent the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MDS). According to OSHA, Ergonomic Hazards is referred to as any injury due to risk factors at work, such as lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively (OSHA, 2017). Training will be given to all new employees on basic MDS information, and will be conducted by a qualified Healthcare Provider. Employees will be informed of any MDS they may experience and the risk factors that can cause or aggravate them and how to prevent them.

I loved living in New York. The always-busy city’s streets and the diversity of the people residing there gave the metropolis strong character.

Physical Therapy is one of the most important medical health related fields out there. Physical Therapists play a crucial role in their patient’s overall health. However, the main goals of a Physical Therapist is to aid in recovery, rehab, increase range of motion, and reduce pain for their patients. During a normal work day, they will typically see a variety of patients whose age can range from an eight-year-old to an 85-year-old, and each one with a challenging and unique health issue. These issues can be anything from a post-surgical athlete trying to get back on the playing field to a 65-year-old grandma who has hip and knee problems and needs exercises to strengthen those areas.

The smell of human excreta filled the room and sitting on the floor in front of me was an adult woman with playing with dolls and stuffed animals. I soon realized she was the origin of the odor as feces were smeared down the inside of her thighs. This was the first time I laid eyes on my client who for the purposes of this statement I will referee to as Anna. Although, I was slightly intimidated by her appearance, I approached her and introduced myself. I helped Anna to her feet and began her morning routine. I bathed her, dressed her and brushed her teeth and fed her breakfast. I dropped her off at an adult day care. I thought about Anna all day. I thought how difficult it must be for her parents to take care of her and how embarrassed

Ergonomic training of the workers is also very important as it makes the workers aware of all the body postures and workstation setup in order to avoid muscular problems and injuries (Robertson & O'Neill, 2003).A study by Mahmud, Kenny, Zein, and Hassan (2011), which was a randomized control trial was carried out to determine the effects of office ergonomics training on individuals. After the intervention, it was found that there were significantly lesser complaints by workers regarding the musculoskeletal problems, and it was also noted that workstation habits of the workers improved along with reduced stress levels. Thus, showing that the training was helpful for the workers (Mahmud et al., 2011).

A systematic ergonomics improvement process removes risk factors that lead to muscle and skeleton related injuries and allows for improved human performance and productivity. So, ergonomics at workplace provides benefits like reduction in the cost, improved quality, improved productivity, proper and improved employee engagement in the work and creation of safety culture in a workplace. Hence ergonomics at that particular work place should be investigated before adding an extra

Ergonomic assessment methods and programs are important to many organizations and corporate bodies because of their significance in work related illnesses. Actually, it has frequently been documented that the major purpose of an organization's ergonomics program is lessening of work related illness. Nonetheless, an ergonomics program also plays a crucial role in a corporation i.e. to help in protecting an organization's assets such as the quality and productivity of production, employee safety and health, and the organization's reputation. Notably, the most common objective of ergonomics is to identify and manage work-related musculoskeletal disorders (Larson & Wick, 2012, p.5091). As a result, ergonomics programs have largely been used in the past two decades to respond to calls for help associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorder concerns. Since ergonomics programs are important in protecting a corporation's assets, there are various ergonomic assessment methods and programs that have been developed to help in achieving this objective.

Ergonomists have helped many businesses improve working conditions and employee health issues related to computer and office work. In many cases, most employers are responsible for any health issues that may arise from their employees due to work hazards. Work hazards may be caused by many different factors in the environment. In the average computer workstation, employees are prone to over a dozen hazards. There exist two factors that can prevent this: forming good work habits and ergonomically designed computer workstations. These work hazards can cause several different injuries such as, Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD), and Repetitive Motion Disorder (RMD). They are described as painful conditions of the hands, arms, neck, and back that develop over days, weeks or years. Epidemiological research has determined that if these biomechanical conditions are present, the incidence of work-related injuries increase. These conditions are therefore known as risk factors for musculoskeletal injury. Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) takes place from the repeated physical movements of certain body parts which result in damage to tendons, nerves, muscles, and other soft body

1.1 Summary about ergonomics and repetitive strain injury and why it is important to consider in organisations:

Employee exposure to work related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) from ergonomic stressors that have not been effectively identified and addressed in a facilities safety and health program.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) involves muscles, nerves and tendons. Work-related MSDs (including the neck, upper extremities and lower back) is one of the main causes of lost workday injuries and illnesses. Workers in many different industries and occupations may be exposed to risk factors at work, such as heavy lifting, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and perform the same tasks repetitively. Exposure to known risk factors for MSDs increases the risk of an employee from injury.

Motions such as reaching and bending are issues abundant within healthcare. Staff are repeatedly injured because of processes like transporting a patient from wheelchairs to beds which aren 't designed ergonomically. Staff take time off for rehabilitation when unnecessary motions incapacitate them, which can result in a loss of productivity, efficiency and enhance overall costs of employment and training.