George Ciresi: A Career As A Physical Therapist

My first experience observing a physical therapist, commenced in the summer of 2014. At the time, I was given the opportunity to observe a physical therapist named Jennifer Moreland. Throughout my time observing her, I began to recognize she was not just a physical therapist with her patients. Many times, she took on the role of a consoler, cheerleader, friend and supporter for her patients. Reflecting back on this, I am able to see that the primary reason she has succeeded as a physical therapist; is due to her amiable, encouraging and empathetic nature. These character traits have allowed her to do more than heal patients' musculoskeletal problems. She has also been able to heal hearts, souls and minds by cheering, supporting, listening

Running Head: Professional Presence and Influence 1. Professional Presence and Influence Lisa Carson Western Governors University Professional Presence 2. Healing and health services are defined and acted upon in many different ways in the world today. Although in the United States we predominately focus on biomedicine or conventional health care practice, it is only one of many different types of healing. Thru time we have progressed between several different eras of healing. The first era being in the 1860’s which predominately looked at biomedicine type therapy. The second era taking shape in the 1950’s and

None of the doctors let the negative relationships with their family members get in the way of accomplishing their goals. What stands out about George’s experience at home is that he had the most stable environment of the three doctors. He didn’t move around constantly, his family always had food, and his mother paid the bills. He was blessed with people who told him positive things and he believed them. What stands out about Sam’s experience at home is that he had both of his parents around and they were there for him. Even after his parents divorced, his father stuck around and did what he agreed to do and more. Hs mother was a strong woman who told him she’d always make a way to get through tough times. What stands out about Rameck’s experience at home is he always had his grandmother to be there for him. She was more than a grandmother to him. She was like a mother to

The ancient Hawaiians used rituals and energy healing as part of tradition. In Hawaiian there was the notion that health was the result of pono. Pono in Hawaiian means 'right living'. If there was some part of your life that was out of balance it could cause illness. This wasn't just physical, it was also mentally or spiritually. The healers used methods such as prayer, revelation or group discussion to help heal whatever the illness was or what part their life was affected by it. The Hawaiians viewed the body in the whole - body, mind and spirit. In order for the body to be healed the spirit must also be healed. They used natural treatment, herbs, spiritual and even spychic techniques to heal people. It is said that the Kahuna (shaman)

They started out with an executive committee of elected officers that included 274 charter members. In 1922, men were allowed to be admitted and they changed the name to the American Physiotherapy Association. When the job first started out, they were called reconstruction aides (Evans). Still today, ⅔ of the APTA members are women (Becker Exhibits). By the late 1940s, they had changed the name to what it is now, American Physical Therapy Association, and opened their first office in New York City. There are now more than 95,000 members in the United States alone (American Physical Therapy Association).

Fritz, some “traditional” healers show appropriation of Western public health symbols by wearing gloves and using new and clean instruments on each patient (West 2006: 31). In both types of healing, patients have to be okay with their healer having little to no education or formal medical training. Despite their lack of a degree, the healers have authority similar to the Western medical physician bureaucracy. Dr. Fritz Dr. Fritz and other Brazilian spiritists combine Western practices with Shamanic practice. However, “traditional” healing focuses primarily on Shamanic practice. “Traditional” healing rituals and practices usually take place in villages and other rural settings, while Dr. Fritz hosts patients in a center that more closely resembles Western medical settings. For patient diagnosis, Brazilian spiritists read a piece of paper describing the patient’s condition as it was recorded through previous registration, examine the patients for a few seconds (Lynch 2005: 25). In “traditional” healing, spirits and “voices” make diagnoses known to the healers (West 2006: 27). For treatment, both types of healing involve a degree of spiritual aid. Treatments in “traditional” healing are most often noninvasive and involve eating or drinking various

Earning the distinction of a healing hospital is highly regarded because it indicates that the facility promotes a healing environment that supports efficiency and inspires compassionate care. Creating an environment that fosters both physical and spiritual healing can prove to be a challenging undertaking, however by focusing on establishing an

We learned through many years of practice or through practices of firing someone of the simplest illness to a very severe illness through many different types of practice. We see how the science of medicine to the works of tribes and cultures utilize their own resources made available to them

Walking into the gym, for the first time I was aware of the informality of my workout clothes. I was assured that my attire was not an issue as I stood next to the most formally dressed person in the gym, a physical therapist that I would be shadowing. Usually

My supervisor holds the job title of a Doctor of Physical Therapy. He graduated from East Tennessee State Universities Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program in 2011. Currently, he works in an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic. Along with holding a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, my supervisor also holds the professional designation of a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT). This certification follows the Maitland based approach to orthopedic manual

When encountering the setting of a physical therapy clinic, the key observation that stuck out to me was the vast amount of human interaction. Interactions ranged from a therapist explaining or demonstrating a certain exercise to a normal conversation on how their day has been going imposing that a therapist

This writer has learned to be caring and compassionate to all. People are incredible assets in this world, taking their misfortunes and being able to turn their point of view around just from coaching, listening and empowering them to look inside

“The word healing comes from the Anglo-Saxon word haelen, which means to make whole. One way to look at it is as harmony of mind, body, and spirit.” (Keirtzer, 2013) Healing not only pertains to being cured from a disease or sickness but also at peace with what is happening or has happened. Because most of the world is deeply religious it is important that they are healed physically, physiologically and spiritually. The components of healing involve technology, the environment, and the culture. To be completely healed a hospital need to look at the spiritual side of healing and must make sure that the patient has been satisfied and is able to cope with the sickness.

The world is full of people suffering from all types of emotional and physical illnesses. Many of them try to go to a regular doctor for treatment of their condition, but most physicians seem to care more about how much money that they are going to get than they do about the health and wellness of their patients. They either hand out stacks of dangerous prescriptions for medications that do more harm than good, or they refuse to even run a few simple tests that could discover the true cause of an illness. Their uncaring nature goes against the field of medicine, which is why so many people who have been stricken down with an illness are starting to go to a spiritual healer instead.

I sat in the examination room feeling defeated and frustrated. I had spent six months in the medical system trying to get answers and relief. Pain was interfering with my sleep, studies, and daily activity, not to mention keeping me from the sport that was part of my identity. The doctor walked into the room, doing the usual introductions, took one look at my face and understood. With direct eye contact and empathy, he said, “I’ve looked at your chart and understand that you are in a lot of pain and I can see that you are frustrated. I may not have the answers today but we will figure this out.” We talked through my history and goals, letting me feel heard and understood. He explained things in a way that made sense and reassured me that this was not the end of me doing things I loved. I felt strengthened and optimistic, from such a simple conversation with the doctor. He outlined a plan and gave me choices, returning to me the control I had lost since being injured. I realized then that he was the type of health care professional I wanted to be. I could see myself in him.