Shock Trauma Case Study

In general, the work of a physical therapist involves giving exercises, treatment with modalities, and gate training without any experience of what the patient goes through. In the limited time of experiencing a disability, I became aware of the emotions and difficulties behind what it is like to be handicapped. The Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical System was the building I chose for my disability awareness.
The patient case scenario I adopted was a 24-year-old male with a right ankle fracture 2 days’ post-surgery; therefore, non-weight bearing. The patient ambulated through the hospital, with axillary crutches, 2-point gait, supervision, and level surface with frequent breaks. We had a second patient scenario using a quad cane for left CVA stroke with right side loss of balance. The patient ambulated throughout the hospital with a quad cane, 3-point gait, supervision, and level surface with no breaks. While ambulating, I switched roles between a patient and caregiver of the patient while evaluating
I was lacking structure in where to go next and what the next step is. In the future, I would pre-plan my activities before meeting with a patient. This would allow me to better explain to my patient what procedures we will be doing and then following those steps to be organized throughout the therapy.
In the perspective of a caregiver, not having to walk with a patient for a long distance in physical therapy school, I saw myself walking too closely and not minding the personal space of the patient. This lead me to step on the patient’s foot several times, which agitated the patient. Regarding the same issue, while walking with the patient, I would walk past or in front of the patient and forget to guard on posterior lateral side. Both, involve a learning curve and patience to slow down my pace for the patient. I will work on this in the