“Your job as an aide is to make sure all the patients are attended to without compromise, maintaining the flow of the clinic, and that you represent not just yourself anymore, but the entire physical therapy staff”. I was told these words on my first day as a physical therapy aide. Since this was my first experience in a Physical therapy setting, it made me afraid of the therapist who spoke the words to me, and of the job requirements ahead of me. Overtime, these words set me on the path to learning the important values necessary to be a successful physical therapist. Values such as professional demeanor, accountability, and striving to give the best effort to help the patients were the main points the therapist emphasized in his words to me. All these values had one main goal, and that was so the patient can receive the best possible care. These values stuck …show more content…
Everything I do at work, and even outside of work has a direct effect on fellow coworkers, patients, and the profession of physical therapy. Having professional appearance and manners reassures the patient that you are going to give them the best care possible. Not living up to these standards can alienate the patient, and even show the therapists, and support staffs lack of professionalism and commitment to their patient. My goal was to strengthen all these qualities daily, and is still ongoing. Similarly I will continue to exhibit, and strengthen these qualities utmost as a DPT student. As a DPT student I will be representing the program, professors, clinical instructors, and my entire cohort. The way I act, and the mistakes I make have a negative effect on the entire program. Striving to be the best possible in all manners, appearances, and work ethic are my goal to bring utmost respect always to the program, and give the best care to the patients I have the privilege of treating during my clinical
Observing therapy assistants in the field and seeing what they do in their jobs was an eye opener for me. Getting to experience on-the-job shadowing helped me to identify the roles of a therapy assistant better than reading or talking to people about the job description. First, I shadowed at Athletico Physical Therapy, an outpatient facility in Festus, MO. Paul Kohler is the Occupational/Hand Therapist that I shadowed during my experience. There were several different injuries that I saw, ranging from people with work related injuries to jamming fingers in machines. After observing Mr. Kohler throughout the day, I got to see him interact with patients and perform activities that helped his patients in their rehabilitation phase of recovery. He told me that the improvements he sees first hand from his patients is rewarding and he feels achieved when he sees patients make steady recoveries. From this experience, I also learned that occupational therapy offers a diverse number of avenues for employment. I was pleased to know that I can specialize in a specific area if I desire to do so in the
During the interview, the Physical Therapist I conferred with was very thorough and straightforward in his responses to the questions that were given. I decided to interview another one of my mother’s fellow co-workers, Mr. Stephen Chan, considering his new experiences in the Physical Therapy field. I met with Mr. Stephen Chan at the Kaiser Permanente Outpatient Orthopedic Clinic that is located in Union City. The essential subject matters that we discussed consisted of his Major and Minor in college, the Residency Program that he takes part in, variations of attitudes, and advantages in the workforce.
Now that you have a better understanding about Athletic training, I will explain about physical therapy and why I would like have as a lifetime career. In an article I read, the author Sue Klappa said that, “PT’s reach into our communities through engagement and social responsibility. It compels us to bring hope and love to others. It urges us to learn to see things differently. It holds the promise of defining moments, as we take the time to see things in a new light” (Klappa 2). Klappa is a physical therapist that traveled the world to help others and when she went to different countries. She learned how important physical therapist are in the medical field and how she can get others attention. Starting a career path in physical therapy can
In general, PTs and PTAs practice and specialize in many areas to help with endurance, reducing pain and inflammation, scar prevention, and educating patients on wellness strategies and movement techniques. Practice settings in which PTs and PTAs are employed are hospitals, nursing homes, homecare, pediatric specialty clinics. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Guide to Physical Therapist Practice is used to define the role of PTs and PTAs and their practices, along with the difference between patients and clients. “The Guide differentiates between patients and clients, two different groups who may benefit from physical therapy services.
It takes a unique individual to want to become a Physical Therapist. These professionals have a lot of personal traits that are a must need to excel in the Physical Therapy field. A Physical therapist could be faced with a patient/client that might be angry, sad, or confused, so being able to relate to these individuals is a great quality all therapist must have. These personal traits are skills like being relaxed and determined, supportive, and of course knowledgeable.
People who have been in accidents or having disabling conditions turn to physical therapists, commonly called PT’s, for help. Physical therapists are professional health care providers who are licensed in each and every state they practice. Physical therapy has a long history of returning people to their maximum level of physical function. Physical therapists use a variety of techniques to restore a function, improve mobility, relieve pain and prevent physical disabilities in their patients. However, being a physical therapist also has many downfalls such as dealing with patient’s insurance, motivating patients, and dealing with criticism in the workplace.
Physical Therapist (PT), are skilled health care practitioners that aim to improve movement, reduce pain and increase patient enjoyment of life. All while providing moral, legal and ethical care to patients. However, each of these requirements of practice are dictated by different entities. Meaning, that the requirements sometimes may or may not correlate with one another. Legally, therapist must abide by both state and national laws that are put in place for all health care professionals, in addition to those specific to the field of Physical Therapy. Whereas, ethical responsibilities may be dictated by the professional organizations and society norms. While morals vary according to different cultures and subcultures, making them specific
In my experience as a PT aide, I have learned that both nonverbal and verbal communication skills are essential in behaving like a professional and creating positive relationships in the workplace. This includes body language that is welcoming and respectful towards superiors, coworkers, and clients in particular. Ideas, whether spoken or written, must be expressed clearly to facilitate communication between clients and the physical therapist and minimize any errors. Additionally, the professional conduct of a PT aide includes being an effective listener. From remembering clients’ names, to reporting patient concerns to the physical therapist, to asking clients how their child did in a soccer game last week, listening to clients’ specific needs has helped me build strong relationships in my
Physical therapy has recently become one of the most sought out professions, which is why it is now even that much harder to become one. A physical therapist is one who will provide treatment for one to maintain or restore maximum movement; while it is a fascinating profession this research essay will not focus on the actual profession. Physical Therapy is obviously associated with injuries, but let’s discuss the schooling behind the profession, how long do you assist a seasoned Physical Therapist, and what is the salary for a physical therapist.
My journey to pursue an education in physical therapy actually originates from my early childhood. I endured a very impoverished upbringing and my family’s socioeconomic status was below the poverty line. At a very young age, money became the central issue of my life. I found myself worrying about mortgages, health bills, and grocery money. As I grew older, I vowed to myself that I would not endure my family’s financial burdens into my adulthood. I knew the best way to accomplish this was by obtaining a college degree and having a professional career. However, I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue. I experimented with many different career ideas, but during my sophomore, I discovered my passion and skill for physical medicine. For my
The profession I will be going over is going to be Physical therapy. I will give you an overview of the job and that will consist of what they do, how much they get paid, and different types of conditions and symptoms.
If you play sports or are interested in the sporting world, then you may know that an ACL injury can be a nightmare to your playing time or success in your game. But what happens after you survive surgery? Well, If you’ve had this type of accident then you know Physical Therapy is prescribed so that you can be rehabilitated and get back into your passion. This type of therapy is important because injuries such as ACL, meniscus, rotator cuff, and labral tears can be troublesome for the rest of your life. But the question is, what did it take for your Physical Therapist to get to his or her position? What do they sacrifice and What does the future look like for this profession.
However, physical therapist should use their clinical experience to critically appraise treatment goals and evaluative measurements in term of activities and participation. In other words, when treating patients, there is always a compromise between existing evidence on the one hand, and the patients’ clinical state and circumstances, the patients’ preferences, including cultural and ethical factors, and constraints, such as time available to apply the guideline and available equipment and expertise may on the other. Consequently, clinical practice guidelines cannot be seen as a simple cookbook in which steps are taken automatically. THE THERAPIST-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IN PHYSICAL THERAPY According to Hall and Colleagues (2010), the review of the research investigating that influences of the therapeutic alliance on physical therapy outcomes.
The author began the interview by asking the interviewee if he had ever heard of the profession of occupational therapy. The interviewee stated that his brother was the owner and coordinator of a nursing home, so he had heard his brother talk about the therapy that some of the patient’s received. The interviewee shared that he assumed physical therapy was very similar to occupational therapy. The author commented that they are similar but that an occupational therapist will build on a physical therapist’s work, by guiding the patient to being able to reach their maximum potential and perform their occupations. The author then referred to a passage that she had read that stated the following, occupational therapy practitioners recognize that health is supported and maintained when clients are able to engage in home, school, workplace, and community life.
Physical therapists are health care professionals that provide therapeutic services to their patients who have temporary or chronic physical conditions that were caused from injury or disease. Physical therapist also provided therapeutic services to patients after they have gone through surgery to help them gain back mobility and manage their pain. They can also work in preventive care by promoting healthy life styles and instructing individual patients or groups on preventing injury by using exercises that stretch and strengthen muscles. To help their patients try to recover they use massage techniques, wellness plans, and different types of equipment. When a physical therapist sees a patient for the very first time they must do an examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and then put together a physical intervention to start the rehabilitation process. They also work as a team with other health care professionals to help with their patients needs. Physical therapist can really make a difference in their patient’s lives by not only providing therapeutic services but also encouraging and motivating them so they can get better. The main goals of physical therapist are to help their patients retain or gain back lost physical mobility, eliminate or reduce pain, increase productivity and help promote a healthy life style so patients can have a better quality of life and become more independent.