Well-Remarkable Patient Experience

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

My second clinical day took place on September 24th, 2015 at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, New Jersey. My preceptor Maria Brilhante, MSN, RN, allowed me to observe the morning huddle that took place with all the nurse managers that are in the hospital. The purpose of this huddle was to keep the director of nursing informed about the census on each unit. I found this processed to be very uniformed and professional because the DON was engaged. The day went on with me attending meetings on how managers could implement plans to contain cost for the hospital. Maria did her daily rounds on her patients and her nursing staff. She has a folder that contains papers on how each nurse is progressing from the time they get off orientation. Her motto to the nurses is, “You are good at what you do, so when I coach don’t take offense. I am only trying to get you to be great”. This boost their confidence which I thought to be important.

After sustaining a knee injury that required for surgical intervention while in high school, I struggled with recurring ailments throughout my intercollegiate career. It was not until my father, who is an Osteopathic physician, was performing manipulation on me did we begin to diagnose the potential causes. The issue was muscle imbalance and limited flexibility in certain areas of my body that was shifting majority of my weight onto my knees while performing certain movements. This went unnoticed by physicians because while performing examinations the scope was concentrated on the immediate areas around my knee. With the knowledge I obtained through manipulation I have been able to treat my knee ailments by strengthening and lengthening muscles throughout my body. Having this experience helped solidify that if I am to be the physician I aspire to be, it is imperative to be trained in this form of medicine.

Not only do I have a good understanding of the patient population I want to work with, I want to help reshape healthcare. I particularly want to improve the access of primary care to medically underserved populations. Everyone deserves equal access to healthcare and there should be no disparity in the quality of care provided. Therefore, each additional encounter I had with a PA or a patient has elevated my passion for helping people in need.

During my first day of clinical, I encountered an issue that I believe is very significant. As a student nurse, our duty for this day was to follow our health care aide around the ward and assist in completing resident care. The resident required assistance in many of her daily tasks. The health care aide asked if I would perform one of those and do perineal care for her. I turned down her offer because I did not feel comfortable with my skill level. The resident had a bowel movement during the night. There was a significant odour in the room that overwhelmed me. I really wanted to leave the room because it was so unpleasant, but I stayed in the room so that the resident would not be embarrassed. This feeling of embarrassment, I assume,

Throughout my clinical experiences, there have been quite a few circumstances I have been placed in that have remained with me whether good or bad. All of them have been learning experiences for me whether it is how to improve and to do better next time from a mistake, for me to learn that this is or is not how a patient should be treated, how to handle family situations, and many others. One experience that I was able to participate in that will remain with me because I had not experienced this before was during my critical care rotation in the fall of 2015. This patient was dying and we were implementing comfort care for him.

The profession that I am interested in is an Athletic Trainer. I have chosen this career because it is something that I have recently become passionate about within the last two years. I have never been the kind of person to struggle with weight, however after having my 3rd and last child, weight has become an issue. I mention my personal struggle to give insight on why I have chosen an Athletic Trainer. This profession’s main goal is physical fitness. As a trainer you become responsible for another person’s physical active lifestyle. Assisting clients from injury to recovery, evaluating their bodies and advising the individual what is best. Athletic Trainers has many responsibilities. AT’s are professionals in the health care world who mainly caters to athletes. An AT however isn’t limited to just athletes. They work with just about anyone. Ages ranging from a child to an adult. Different skill and jobs, people such as soldiers, high school athletes, and professional athletes.

The article that I chose was published by Mayo Clinic School of Health Science, the title of the article is “Physical Therapy”. The article informs the reader on the roles, goals, as well as the overall definition of a physical therapist. According to the article, “Physical therapists (PTs) work with patients who have impairments, limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease or other causes.” Therefore, a physical therapist works directly with the population that has a form of impairment in their movement, whether it is from an injury or an illness. The roles of a physical therapist are examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis

Within this case study I am going to use two of the Chapelhow et al. (2005) enablers to discuss and reflect on the care of a patient I have been involved with on placement over a period of 5 weeks. ‘Enablers are the essential and underpinning skills that come together to provide expert professional practice’ (Chapelhow, C et al. 2005, p.2). These include; assessment, communication, documentation, risk, professional decision making and managing uncertainty. The enablers work together to provide a holistic approach to the care of patients in health care settings. I am going to focus on and discuss two of the enablers, linking them both together, which will be assessment and communication as I believe these two enablers can be related most to my patient.

To satisfy my curiosity and gain a broad understanding of athletic training, I chose to interview my boss, Pete Stevens. Pete is employed by Physiotherapy Associates, a nationwide corporation that specializes in physical/occupational therapy, athletic training, and fitness/sports training. He has worked there for three years. He is currently the Head

Works in conjunction with other sports-related individuals, such as strength and conditioning staff, to create safe and effective exercise plans in terms of “fitness, nutrition and conditioning programs [that are] customized to meet individual student-athlete needs”.

Currently attending the University of Dubuque, this bright-eyed young man found himself falling in love with the health wellness and exercise science program. Dreams of being able to work with the NFL or NBA as a professional physical therapist. Keeping his head on right is allowing him to successfully get through his first semester strong and well-balanced. With his background in football itself, he knows the ins and outs of what makes a person who is an athlete tick. Being able to aid someone who is hurt,

My talents and experiences have prepared me to support the Metropolitan State University School of Nursing mission and prepared me for graduate education. I currently work in healthcare as a certified pharmacy technician and work with diverse and underserved population daily. Unfortunately, I can see how communication barriers, access to health care, physical barriers, and monetary barriers can prevent individuals from living up to their full health potential. I have had patients call our pharmacy to tell us they are unable to pick up their medications due to a lack of transportation access and an inability to pay for their medications. I have also had patients who are unable to take their medications regularly also due finances and an inability to read or understand the directions of their medications.

The internship that I acquired during the summer of 2010 at the Greenwood Sports and Industrial Rehabilitation Center (GSIRC), allowed me to gain an immeasurable amount of experience during my tenure at this facility. Within this period, the exposure to new concepts within the physical therapy industry allowed me to observe and work hands on with patients of all ages and disabilities that exposed me to various treatment plans and programs to restore client’s mobility. The essential Physical Education and Exercise Science (PEES) courses taken at Lander University were beneficial to my academic knowledgebase, which prepared me and developed me for the opportunity within the physical therapy discipline. Working as

Kaufman, S. R. (2015). Ordinary medicine: Extraordinary treatments, longer lives, and where to draw the line [Electronic].