Personal Narrative: My Shadowing Experience

I asked him a question if he had to ever deal with a patient that made his job harder for him he explained “an elderly lady who was in immense pain and would not cooperate with the staff even when she was told the therapy will do wonders for her. I talked her through the procedure, asking her about her children, grandchildren and even her garden! 45 minutes went by in a whiz and the procedure was over already” (“Salgado”). It was very smart of him to distract her so they could go through the therapy smoothly because after all the main priority for and medical job is good health. Another question I asked was if during therapy was his observing skills quick to tell what was wrong with the patient and if he learned from it he gave feedback “I believe that every observation is education in itself. While I may not be able to provide you with just one incident, I can tell you that whatever I have learned this far has been from observation mostly” (“Salgado”). You must have really good observation skills and always be aware of many things when you are a physical therapist assistant. I learned quite a few things from this

As I walked in everyone was very kind, each person had a smile and I was helped to be directed to Victoria. This made me feel confident about observing the therapists. There were other students observing as well, we had to sit on the second floor and observe from up there. Its understandable to be seated upstairs because the therapy for each patient is very delicate and it would have been

I could tell that he enjoyed his job and appreciated being able to help others recover from an accident or a surgery such as mine. Not long after finishing physical therapy, I separated some of my ribs and dislodged one of my vertebrae in a diving accident. That same physical therapist was able to put me back together for a second time. Yet again, I knew there was another possible career choice that could be waiting for me in the

Today I started out shadowing again like last week but this week I was determined to see a patient by myself and I did. Once I again felt comfortable with what was going on in the clinic after just observing for a patient or two the M3 student asked me if I wanted to see a patient by myself and I did.

When I had a shoulder surgery four years ago, my treatment team consisted of a surgeon, two NPs, and an anesthesiologist. I remember meeting my surgeon for the first time with a list of questions. But after a quick assessment and a lecture on the complex surgical procedure, the surgeon shook my hand to say goodbye before I was able to ask my questions. In total, my surgeon spent 15 minutes with me for the initial consultation and 5 minutes for a follow-up appointment a week after my operation. I left each appointment feeling more confused.

I really enjoyed my activities this week. Shadowing my Task Supervisor during a therapeutic home visit was interesting. I loved her interaction with the foster family. She took the time out to interview each child and properly observe the children in their home setting. She also addressed any concerns or questions that the Foster Parents had.

When he came into the examination room he was different, I had his medication record and a record of his vital signs and blood glucose checks but had not looked at them. He started to talk before I had a chance, he told me that when he left from the previous visit that he went back to his room and prayed the entire night. He said that God told him that he needed to start following his treatment plan. I than looked at his records and saw that he had been taking all of his medications and that blood pressure and blood glucose numbers were decreasing. I could not believe it, I just looked at him dumbfounded. The patient told me he felt great and that I needed to keep continue what I was doing because I really did make a difference and had changed his life. I must have looked so silly because I was crying and smiling at the same time. He said that he just could not believe that someone cared that much about what happened to him. I continued to see that patient for several more months, and he would tell me how he had started to repair all of the relationships in his life through understanding, forgiveness and god.

This tremendously improved my confidence and strengthened my beliefs that I too could do exactly do what he was doing one day. In addition, the patients welcomed me into the room with a smile on their face and treated me like I was family. It was such an indescribable feeling. Furthermore, I was amazed at how Dr. Sastry was never exhausted from the hectic workload that has kept him busy for the past few decades. He never once complained about all the work he had to tend to. I inquired how he was so energetic, as I usually feel tired after a long day’s work. He answered saying, “It’s extremely important to be healthy physically and mentally. Keeping a positive outlook and truly enjoying your work will keep you going.” I now know that I should keep my work exciting and fun to sustain in medical field. Overall, my time spent at Dr. Sastry’s office was very wholesome and enriching experience. I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity to grow as a person and will treasure the past few weeks for the rest of my

My Story: Today, was an awesome, extremely busy clinical day; I absolutely loved it. I saw five total patients. The first patient that I saw was with Laura, this patient was diagnosed yesterday, 2/7, with cirrhosis of the liver and HEP C. The patient’s chart says he has a history of anxiety, however, the patient stated that his anxiety started when he was told in the ER on 1/25 that he could have cirrhosis of the liver (more information in part D and E). This patient was very interesting, and I was amazing by how much he was going through; I felt bad for him. I did vital signs and my part D and E with this patient, and built a therapeutic relationship with this individual. I completed my part D and E on my first patient, due to not knowing if other patients were going to cancel because of the snow, as well as I didn’t know what patients I could see because the NP, Tanya wasn’t in the office in the morning. At the end of the visit, the patient asked me if I would be coming back again. This made me feel good, because I knew listening and being there as support for this patient helped him. The rest of the day I followed the

On the 27th of January, I had the pleasure of Job Shadowing Billie-Jo Deal at the ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) Region Five Office in La Grande. ODOT is responsible for the construction, improvement, maintenance, and safe operation of Oregon’s transportation system. Billie’s official job title is a Region Five Traffic Safety Coordinator and is the only one working as a Coordinator in all of Eastern Oregon. On a normal day, she is typically working on writing grants, coordinating safety and enforcement programs, or giving presentations to schools and workplaces all across Eastern Oregon. I specifically chose Billie for my Job Shadow not only because I already knew her, but I have always been curious about what her job is like. I

As I pulled into the rehabilitation center’s parking lot Monday afternoon I couldn't wait to get inside and feel the breeze of the air conditioning as I escaped from the 95 degree blazing hot weather outside. I was very anxious because I wasn’t sure how this interview would go, let alone if it would happen. I wasn't certain the physical therapist I was going to interview would have time to fit me in. I was up the night before trying to figure out what I wanted to learn from this interview and what kind of questions I would ask. I decided to focus my questions towards the physical therapist I have been shadowing to get to know more about him and his experiences with the job. So far through out my research I have been focusing on the physical therapists and their relationships with patients. I wanted my readers learn more about the person who is caring for these patients and what goes on that patients do not see.

When I went in and sat down, I waited for Dr. Stanpole to call me. As I looked around to try and distract myself. Immediately I heard the footsteps of the nurses running past me like a horse in a race. I was confused, then got up from the bench and tapped one of the nurses passing by and queried "What's going on and why is everyone in such a hurry?". She passed me like if I wasn't even there so meanwhile I decided to wait here until I saw Dr. Stanpole coming. I asked him while hesitating, "What's going on, but mainly how's

Shadowing has been an incredibly satisfying experience for me. During the months of June- July 2016, I assisted in many medical areas including pediatrics, family medicine, pediatric emergency, obstetrics and gynecology. I have seen many different patients from an infant born with HIV to a teenage girl with severe bed sores who doesn’t want to leave her bed because she feels disabled in her wheelchair. Over the course of 17 hours, I shadowed five doctors, who gave me a personal glance into the day in the life of a physician. During this time, I assisted in taking patients to their rooms, ordering tests, and interacting with patients on a medical basis. Throughout the entire experience, one patient stood out to me. This patient was a regular

I had the chance to shadow Carlson through a family friend that she works with. I have always been fascinated by emergency medicine, so I was naturally very excited to shadow her. Through email Carlson told me her shift was from 10am - 6pm. She also told me to wear comfortable shoes, since her job is very faced-paced. I arrived at Parkland Medical Center at 9:55. I checked in at the front desk in the emergency room. I waited for fifteen minutes, the lady at the front desk said she was caught up with a patient. “Already?” I thought, I knew then I was in for a busy day.

This past Friday at the Cardiac Catheterization Lab my mentor was not there but I still got to do everything that I enjoy doing, like watching procedures and talking to the doctors, nurses, and staff. When I arrived I knew my mentor would not be there so I had asked another one of the ladies in the office if there were any surgeries that were going on for me to watch. After I was given scrubs to change into I was able to go into where the surgeries are happening. I went into the control room that I was told to go and the nurses and other staff were preparing the patient and setting up the computers and everything they needed before the doctor arrived. The surgery overall was one I have seen before and not as exciting as some of the more unique and different ones that I have seen previously.