Physical Therapy Internship Report

Participating in sports has led me to the career of physical therapy. I have been an athlete all of my life. I have played every sport from tackle football to softball and every sport the community of Sitka offered. Being involved in several sports at one time helped me realize how easy it is to get injured and how crucial it is to have a physician that is supportive and understands an athletes injuries. By going to McKendree University I will be able to become a physical therapist and help injured athletes recover.

I am incredibly lucky to have been fortunate enough to say that I worked hands on with a Physical Therapist over this past summer. It was an experience I will never forget and one that I will treasure forever.

I was told, at the age of thirteen, that the U.S. was the land of opportunities. My parents came here from Peru, so we could pursue the American dream. Despite the challenges encountered, while incorporating into a new society, my parents constantly encouraged me to overcome any difficulties. They taught me the value of hard work, which is necessary to achieve my goals. Watching my parents work long hours in menial labor jobs for the past 11 years, has inspired me to strive for a professional education.

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

Ever since I was young my life goals were to help others when I grew up, however I wasn’t exactly sure how. Throughout the past couple years, with a wonderful support system; I have been able to make the decision about wanting to achieve the goal of becoming a physical therapist. It is my belief that I have a high spiritual calling to be a physical therapist, because I have the intention to be able to guide others. I gather that this can be spiritual, because helping others is what God’s intentions are, and would recommend others to follow in His footsteps. My mindset is indeed compassionate, empathetic, selfless, and strong with a thirst for knowledge. Being a physical therapist has many rewards such as happiness, equality, and a sense of accomplishment which can be very valuable and will affect my life in a positive manner.

When she sees a patient for the first time she talks to them about the doctor’s report and asks specific questions about their injury or experiences leading up to the need for physical therapy. Megan explained how important it is to make the patient feel comfortable and keep a positive attitude towards the patient’s recovery. These consultations were the most interesting to sit in on because it allowed me to observe the therapist’s ability to take the patient’s information and create a diagnosis and treatment plan for the injury or pain described. Megan may have multiple patients at a time so she stressed the importance of keeping up with each patient and why the physical therapy techs are so helpful. Scheduling is another job of the therapists that is important in keeping the clinic running smoothly. There is also paperwork that has to be filled out for every patient after every visit about their

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

A physical therapist assistant plays a very important role by providing treatments to patients, under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist. They use physical therapy treatment procedures to help improve the mobility and relieve pain and disability caused by disease or injury. Some examples of the patients that call for a physical therapist to assist them include accident victims and persons with disabling conditions, such as, lower back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy.

My first Physical therapy observation experience was at TIRR Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center. The therapy done here were for inpatients who went through a brain or spinal cord injury. On my first day I did not know what I was going in for. I only thought that PT was about orthopedic rehabilitation but in reality there is therapy for everything.

By sending mail directly or making personal calls to all the doctors, administrators, and any other relevant personnel as well as visiting them if possible, we can establish a relationship with the customers at virtually no cost. However, the expected time commitment for the product is the most important part of our marketing strategy. Firstly, we will have to determine the persons to contact at the hospitals and nursing homes. Secondly, our team will have to determine when and how often we contact the target audience. Lastly, we will need to work on our communication skills and make sure that we are striking the right tone and positively convincing them to switch to our product. The response we receive is going to be our yardstick for determining

Finding the career of my dreams or as some would put it “my calling” has been a rather difficult task. It is always hopeful that someone would discover what they are called to do in their younger years (elementary-high school) so they have plenty of time for planning out there career map but then there are those who are pulled in different directions…like myself. When I started my college career in 2007, I just did what seemed to be the norm. To make a long story short, I started as a nursing major and ended up graduating 5 years later with two totally different degrees, a Child Life degree as well as a Family and Community Services degree with a concentration in early intervention. In this economy, finding a job with two fairly non-specific

While there may be many experiences and attributes that I possess that will be a catalyst in my success as a physical therapist there are three that I feel have thoroughly prepared me for the physical therapy profession. First is the attribute of empathy. I feel that I am empathetic as a result of growing up with an older brother who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. I can definitively say that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has shaped me into the person that I am today and has allowed me to develop skills in ways that others may not have been exposed to. This experience will be valuable because when patients are receiving physical therapy, they may feel alone and frustrated with themselves. It is important for myself,

Reflecting from mistakes and practice are major key components of the learning process. This history taking experience with a patient has been truly effective for my future as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. This experience has helped me a lot on improving my communication and interpersonal skills with patients both verbally and non-verbally. Feedback and review were also truly beneficial aspects in the learning part of this experience.

Body mechanics has always been a source of great interest to me from a very young age. I was homeschooled from my elementary years through high-school, and my favorite subjects were always anatomy and health sciences. I disticnly remeber a antomy coloring book I had during 4th grade. I always wanted to read and color the muscle sections only.

If I am accepted into the University of Texas at El Paso Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, I plan to use my past experience and training from the program to oblige under privileged areas and communities. Moreover, I began to prepare for the mission of providing culturally skillful and dialectal experienced care through my experience shadowing and volunteering under Sandra Terrazas, where I have been in contact with patients of different ethnic backgrounds. By sitting in on patient evaluations and therapy sessions of primarily Spanish speaking patients, I am taking steps to learn Spanish in order to better serve the patients in my community and beyond. Likewise, I have been volunteering at a clinic where I can observe different diagnoses and populations such as geriatric patients, breast cancer survivor therapy, incontinence patients and sports injuries.