The physical therapy assistant will screen patients, educate patient and family, utilize exercises and physical therapy modalities in the treatment and rehabilitative of persons who have medical problems, health related conditions, or a developmental disability that limits their ability to move or perform functional activities.…
The field of physical therapy requires the ability to relate well to people, not only in a physician - patient scenario, but also in the constant interaction with other health care professionals. It aims to restore movement and function, relieve pain, and prevent illness and injury. APTA’s vision for physical therapy “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience” means differently for every motivated future physical therapist. For me, this vision means changing society by addressing each patient’s needs differently than the next patient. Keeping this notion in mind will help me achieve my goals as a future physical therapist.…
Evidence-based practice is a patient/client-focused approach, and it is an essential part of the physical therapy profession. It enables the physical therapist practitioner to use current best evidence in making a decision that will impact patient care. Formulating a clinical question is an important first step in evidence-based research and with the advancement of technology, the physical therapist can use multiple electronic medical databases simultaneously to search for pertinent journals and articles using varieties of keywords, filter and phrases to name a few to answer the clinical question formulated.…
What new knowledge and/or skills did you learn during this rotation? In what ways has this learning changed your perspective on this particular field/career?…
There are numerous contemporary issues that impact physical therapy care, and vary by state or region. Many issues in the delivery of care have come and gone, or are difficult to determine because physical therapy is going through a regeneration of sorts. Proving to be a rather acquiescent profession, physical therapy is undoubtedly transforming, with new techniques at the forefront of legislation and research, the progression to specialized clinicians, and business models adjusting to economical payment structure and third party limitations. There are too many topics to talk about for the scope of this paper, so I will focus only on a few, especially those effected by reimbursement, and health care legislation changes at the federal level.…
Many students have thought about the different variety of jobs that can be obtain after becoming a Physical Therapist Assistant. The goal of the college is to highly prepare professional specialists with basic communication skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These skills are necessary for a Physical Therapist Assistant. According to American Physical Therapy Association, there are minimum required skills that have to be familiar to a Physical Therapist Assistant.…
As evidence by: Patient complains of fatigue; walked short distance with 4 wheel walkers and 2 people assisted. Patient had pain at the shoulders, hardly moved himself or transfer from bed to wheelchair.…
As an intern, I will gain important experiences of understanding how a physical therapist diagnoses and develops a treatment strategy, its purpose and outcome of recovery. I will also learn the importance of the patient’s medical history and how it pertains to the diagnoses. I will observe the physical therapist’s techniques in testing and measuring the patients’ strength, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, muscle performance, respiration, and motor function. At the end of each patient’s recovery, I will learn how the therapist determines the patients’ ability to continue with their normal life activities or workplace.…
The author’s town recently experienced a tragic accident, which left two teenage girls for dead, and a few weeks later, their close friend took his life by suicide. Needless to say, the lives of many peers have been thrown into major upheaval. One adolescent in particular, known to be friendly, loving, and honorable, is now of deep concern to his parents and close loved ones. Since the death of his girlfriend and two close friends, he has become an adolescent who bursts into anger, calling his mother names while using profanity, he sleeps little, no longer eats at the family dinner table, and avoids any family members or places which bring back…
If you have a child who has recently been diagnosed with autism, you may want to look into what physical therapy options are available to your child. Here are three benefits of physical therapy that your child may experience by working with a physical therapist.…
The APTA’s vision of “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience” is a profound statement. This statement is a testament to my life because I have lived it. I am not the individual blessed with Greek like genetics who can eat whatever they’d like without repercussion. Rather, I was once an obese teenager on the verge of developing metabolic conditions. This lead too many frustrating experiences that stemmed from my inability to perform gross motor tasks. Like many Americans who need Physical Therapy this life style led to a life event where I injured myself. I had a choice: I could complete the recovery procedures while continuing to live the way that caused the injury, or I could get serious about my health and change my reality. Fortunately, I chose to change my life for the better; I chose to optimize my movement and improve my quality of life.…
Since last year I donned a cap and gown of my alma mater's colors and said goodbye to my undergraduate career. Although graduating was a joyous and momentous occasion, the first few words on the letter from the admissions office quickly humbled me. However, this setback reaffirmed my passion for people and my fascination with the human body, and I knew I had to fight harder. It was quite unusual but in my moment of discouragement I found solace in a silly movie quote. Rocky Balboa screamed at me, “It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." My dream is to help encourage patients who have been knocked down by life and bring them transformation through movement. What better way to embody that spirit than to get up and fight after experiencing a set back myself. In hindsight, I am thankful for how events unfolded.…
However, I value the relationship between doctor and patient as the best advantage. Simply working with the patients and seeing them progress due to their commitment and hard work is a breathtaking experience. In order to build a strong relationship with the patient, I will organize an innovative rehabilitation program that supports their individual goals and needs. The progression between doctor and patient goes hand in hand because as the patient begins to regain working function I can attain the confidence to work with others. Injuries can vary from patient to patient whether rehabilitation can take a short time or it can take quite a while. From my volunteer experience working at Los Feliz Country Villa hospital I observed how physical therapists are so composed and cooperative when working with a patient with major injuries. It takes more than just exercises and rehab to restore the patient’s bodily functioning but it requires trust and cooperation between doctor and patient. The purpose of the rehabilitation is to insure that the patient is able to keep up with the routine such as exercises to promote a steady recovery.…
The ability to walk and move freely is something I think many people take for granted. Most people do not have to think about when to take a step or how to turn their head, they just do it; yet some people are never blessed with this ability, and still many others may lose this in a mere matter of seconds. However, this is why I am so happy to live in the world that we live in; a world where scientists, researchers, and doctors refuse to accept that a diagnosis is final. Restoring movement to a patient who has lost it can enable them to more fully enjoy all that life has to offer. The role of physical therapists is integral in assuring patients that there is a reason to hope. The process of rehabilitation is very slow and sometimes painful,…
In summary, I think I developed a trusting relationship with the patient. I tried to understand the patient’s problems. I briefed him on importance of physical therapy and its outcomes. What I should have done better is I should have been an active listener, I should work hard on doing multi- tasking and I should have been more curious in asking questions. I should have even considered patient education. And, patient comfort and safety should always be the first priority (Fruth, 2014, p.24, 25,…