Reflection Paper On Physical Therapy

Learning to handle people at their worst, was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a Physical Therapist intern. Over the summer of 2016 I gained first hand insight of my desired career as a community volunteer in my area. I assisted patients daily for over three months, devising the best treatment plans and guidance for using equipment, preparing patients for electric shock therapy, but more importantly, being patient as people are less friendly and not talkative when faced with pain. I had to learn when to engage or when silence was golden.

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

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

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.

I took that experience and began to look into the field of sports medicine. When I looked in the sports medicine field I learned that there are many different players in the sports medicine field. The field is built up just like the football team. There are many different players that have certain specialties or licenses. These players work together in order to get to the win or the common goal which is the recovery of the player in this case.

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,

9th grade I fractured my lateral condyle of the femoral head, leaving me with 2 months of physical therapy. At first I hated it never wanting to go, saying my trainer was too young to even know what he was doing. However, when my trainer, Adam, started to make it a game with me on how fast I can progress my competitive side came to play and i couldn't help but want to take him up on his offer. As the weeks passed by I started loving the atmosphere watching patients work towards

Physical therapists jobs are educated health care professionals who help people recover from pain and help them gain back their abilities prior to the injuries they are suffering. I've always wanted to be a Physical Therapist because I enjoy making people happy and making them feel better. The annual pay in US dollars is around $84,020 and the median pay is around $40,400 US dollars. The entry level of education to become a physical therapist is a doctorate degree.

As my high school career comes to an end, I am about to take the first step into the next stage of my life. My fellow classmates and I have been asked for many years, "What do you want to study in college?" and "What career would you like to pursue?" Also for many years, we have been asking some equally as difficult questions: "Why are we learning this?" or "When are we ever going to use this in the real world?" After a lot of consideration, I have decided to study to become a physical therapist (PT), and I have realized the importance of the seemingly "useless" information that I have learned during my time at EHS.

There was a young girl that played volleyball, she was a very outstanding girl she was known for being the nice girl in school and very smart. One night they had a volleyball game at her school everything was going fine during the game until… she jumped up to hit and once she came back down she landed wrong and twisted her ankle. How fortunate that there was a physical therapist at the game she ran to the young girl too check her out. Knowing how much this women knows about the human body and using her knowledge is so awesome. Physical Therapist have a lot of travel opportunities and job responsibilities this is an industry of hard work and dedication.

1.What is physical therapy? Physical therapy is difficult sometimes it just depends on which one you would like to do. There are many different types of Physical Therapy. There's Orthopedic Therapy, Pediatric Therapy, Wound Care therapy, Cardiopulmonary Therapy , Sports Therapy and many more. Ever since I was a little kid,I loved working or helping elderly people there tons of fun once you get to know them. My mom has worked in nursing homes since I was born she would take me and my brother to work all the time and I would ask people if they needed help because it was fun. I knew I wanted to do something to help the elderly get better or help them feel like they are at home.I choose this career because I love working with people especially elderly people. So far I think this is a good career and it's meant for me.

My area of interest in the field of exercise science is physical therapy. Consequently, the National Organization that I researched was the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). This organization uses the guiding principles of identity, quality, collaboration, value, innovation, consumer-centricity, access/equality, and advocacy to work toward and achieve their vision of “[t]ransforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience” (American - Vision). In addition to this mission, further research led me to discover the perks that this organization offers and the connections that it forms. This organization is one that can I can utilize and greatly benefit from in the future.

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.

Altruism: The ultimate goal of a physical therapist is to improve a patient’s quality of life. With this ability to do so, it is important for a therapist to use their skills in a way to give back to their community. This devotion to helping people inside and outside of the clinic is important to share as it improves overall wellness within our society. Prior to working as a PT technician, I spent a year volunteering in physical therapy settings. I was able to learn and assist in PT related tasks within a hospital, outpatient clinic, and pediatric clinic. I’ve also participated in community events that have involved high school sports physicals and as well other events involving physical activities.

This semester I had the opportunity to complete my fieldwork at Northern Physical Therapy. While Northern Physical Therapy has many local clinics, I attended the Wayland location. My experience at this site involved me showing up on Mondays for 5 hours and Fridays for 4 hours, totaling around 9 hours per week. At the Wayland location, the clinic had two Physical Therapists, Matt and Denise, an Occupational therapist, Anna, an Occupational Therapist Assistance, Stephanie, and two Personal Care Assistants, Kassie and Lisa. Although I was anticipating my supervisor to be Anna, the Occupational Therapist, I ended up working with Matt majority of the time. He has been a Physical Therapist for around 3 years after