10/29/2017 0 Comments Reflective Journal #10This semester I have particularly enjoyed seeing the different types of conditions that walk into the physical therapy clinic. The PT clinic has shown me such a larger variety of injuries and conditions in comparison to the athletic training clinic, and it gives me a more global outlook in regards to the profession as a whole. For example, I am working with a patient in the clinic right now who has a diagnosis of abdominal migraines. The patient has a constant 5-6 pain on a numerical pain scale, and the pain is predominantly concentrated in his legs. His ultimate goal was to be able to ride his bike again, which he has been doing for 20 laps around the parking lot as a warm-up for his rehab session. He has been able to perform each exercise in the clinic easily, but still complains of pain. His case is a particularly confusing one, and I am unsure of what will be deemed as successful at the end of his rehab. Additionally, there has been a patient that I have been working with a lot for about two months. He is recovering from a bilateral rotator cuff tear, where his right rotator cuff underwent a repair. He was completely immobilized for six weeks and has struggled gaining much of his ROM back since then. His pain is gone for the most part, but the lack of range of motion is frustrating for both us and him. Those are just a couple examples of the cases that I have seen that are different from those that I would be exposed from in the AT clinic.
This semester’s clinical experience has also allowed me to make new relationships. I have met so many incredible people in the physical therapy clinic, and I have been able to learn from so many different people in that clinic. Everyone there has a different style of rehab, and it was awesome to be able to pick and choose what I liked most from all the different people. I also have created awesome relationships with the patients in the clinic. I have learned that it is important to be much more gentle, both physically and with my words, when interacting with the patients in the clinic. It has been easy to communicate with athletes, but learning how to communicate with other individuals has been a really fruitful experience. This week I earned attempts from Beth’s PBL and one attempt in the clinic.
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10/22/2017 0 Comments Reflective Journal #9After thinking back to my sophomore year, I wish someone would have told me to just jump right in and ask as many questions as I needed. I wish I would have known earlier that it was okay to not worry about messing up and to just ask for clarity when needed. Therefore, I have been sharing that information with those who are new to the program. I have given them the advice of taking advantage of every opportunity and not waiting until being asked to offer one’s help in the clinic. I believe that taking initiative in the clinic setting helps to build confidence and get over the awkwardness of coming up to someone and taking charge of a situation by asking questions. It’s always nice to see those who are new in the program helping athletes in the clinic with confidence instead of timidity. Additionally, it’s encouraging to me to see them working through hard scenarios in their head or talking it out with another student or preceptor. Their focus makes me want to work harder and be better in the major.
I specifically remember a few older students who went out of their way, and still got out of their way, to offer their help when it is asked for. My mentor, Tori, did a fantastic job at giving me the space I needed to learn on my own, while also being close enough to offer help or guidance when it was needed. I feel like the best thing that Tori did for me in the program was just being a friend. It was very easy to be comfortable around Tori, and she never made anyone feel lesser for asking questions, even if they were “dumb” questions. Additionally, it was always nice to see how hard most of the upperclassmen worked when they were in the clinic, and how they talked excitedly about certain material or a situation in the clinical setting. It was always encouraging to be around people who truly enjoy what they do and how they help others. I hope that once I get back on campus after being off site for so long, that I can bring some of that excitement, friendliness, and openness to the athletic training clinic. This week I received two attempts from the physical therapy clinic and three more attempts from the PBL that we completed in for clinical class. 10/15/2017 0 Comments Reflective Journal #8The class that has proven to be the most challenging this semester is definitely chemistry. What I find most difficult is remembering which formula to use for specific problems. I also find it confusing and difficult how he uses the flipped classroom approach. It is hard for me to focus on the lectures online and follow along with the examples. Additionally, the examples that are given to us in the homework and in the book that are worked out are the simplest form of the questions the majority of the time. When we get to the homework, the problems get exponentially harder, leaving me confused and sometimes frustrated. Most of the time, a concept does not truly sink in until we go over it in class, but then the homework is already due and graded. Also, it is impossible to answer all the questions that individuals have for all the homework problems in one class period.
However, this class has been accompanied by a huge learning curve. I have really had to focus on the lectures as well as I can to make sure that I absorb as much as the information as possible before going into class. Most of the time, I can do homework anywhere without worries of distraction, but with chemistry I have had to learn to isolate myself to a quiet place to be able to focus on the material and perform my best in the class. It has also forced me to take advantage of all the possible resources that have been provided to us. I always use the slides, the video, and the reading to finish the homework and learn the material. I have found that the videos and readings both emphasize different parts of the chapter, so I feel like using both resources is the best way to absorb the most material. Additionally, I have never been much of a group studier, but this class has pushed me in that aspect as well. It is very helpful to get together to try to learn the new material and learn from each other as well as the resources on moodle. Sometimes I find that my classmates can explain the problems in a way that makes much more sense that I could have ever made out of it. I have also found that my usual note taking skills do not work very well for this class. It’s hard for me to learn by taking the notes from the video or slides, but the best technique for me seems to be just writing problems and examples thoroughly. This week I have earned attempts from the three sections that were completed in the PBL from Beth’s class. 10/1/2017 1 Comment Reflective Journal #6This week I was able to perform another evaluation on a patient in the clinic. The patient came in with a complaint of pain on the side of her foot that had been persisting since her most recent ankle sprain on August 22 of this year. She had a bad sprain in April of this year which took six weeks to heal, but healed completely with no lasting issues. While squatting in August, she lost her balance and felt immediate pain go through her foot and ankle. She tried to give it time to heal, assuming that it was another sprain, until weeks later she went to the doctor. She had a negative x-ray, and that is when she started coming to the physical therapy clinic. She presented with palpable tenderness on her styloid process of her right ankle at the insertion of her peroneus brevis. She had pain with joint mobility of her metatarsals, and complained of pain that occurs consistently throughout the day. The patient stated that the pain resides at about a four out of ten consistently throughout the day, and higher on days when she is on her feet more often. There were no obvious deformities or discoloration, and the patient had been wearing a brace when working out since the injury.
At first, I thought that the patient had point tenderness at her calcaneofibular joint, but after further examination, I decided that is was primarily pain along her peroneus brevis. After talking it over with Matt, I was right in my assumption that the patient was experiencing peroneal tendinitis that began after her sprain in August. In the AT clinic, we have had some athletes experience tightness in their peroneals; however, I have not seen a patient that presented quite like this one. It was very encouraging to be able to complete an evaluation and feel confident about what the patient was experiencing. Additionally, one of my goals for the year is to better my rehabilitation programming, and I have been able to plan this patient’s program which has been going really well. She already reports feeling less pain throughout the day. In the future, thinking back to this experience will help to trust in my knowledge that I have gained thus far to make good evaluation and rehabilitation decisions. This week I had nine attempts from Beth’s PBL and one attempt in the clinic. |
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April 2019
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