Reflection - 5/2

I have gained so much from my mentorship over the past year. Most of this included the hands on experience that I obtained from the staff at the Atlanta Rehabilitation and Performance Center. I learned so much about the career of physical therapy and the different job skills required for the job. I was also able to apply the exercises I learned at my mentorship to my own life. This definitely opened my eyes to the importance of this career field. Being able to see patients see improvement, and actually experience the improvement myself was definitely quite the opportunity.

I took a lot of action in order to gain the most from my experiences, the big one was staying informed. If I did not know a certain exercise or a piece of equipment I never hesitated to ask. The more that I knew about physical therapy, the better. My mentorship has also greatly helped me for the future. I now know what it takes to become a physical therapist, and the things that I expect to learn in college. This experience has also shown me that I do want to pursue this career, and I will at nothing to ensure I get there.

My mentorship has also greatly changed my view on this career field. I have learned so much about the different titles and roles of the employees at Atlanta Rehab. For example, physical therapists do not only specialize in sports injuries, they work for the rehabilitation of all people. Athletic trainers are the ones that work solely with athletes. Learning this swayed me more to the athletic trainer side, because I want to specialize in sports injuries. And finally, the advice that I would give to future hmp students is: pursue your passion. If you do not enjoy doing something, don't force yourself to do it. And most importantly, do not let anyone persuade you to do something aside from what you enjoy doing. Physical therapy is my passion, and I did not need anyone to tell me that. I discovered it on my own, and so should you.

Picture URLs:
Top: http://atlantarehab.org/images/header_03.gif
Middle: http://ptlifetime.indefree.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Physical-Therapy.jpg
Bottom: http://www.bayareapt.com/images/whatispt.jpg

Public Speaking - 3/14 Assignment

Public speaking has always been a struggle growing up, but as soon as I get started everything just flows. The video I watched gave me various pointers that helped me develop public speaking skills. I learned that posture is important; what you eat before the speech can effect your stomach and make your nerves worse; and it's super important to relate to your audience to keep them captivated. All these tips I plan to use in the future, and they are very important when it comes to my video presentation. Since my video is already complete, I regret not making these things more important. The next time I am required to speak publicly, i will keep all of these tips in mind, so I can have ta great speech and/or presentation.

Summary - 2/15

Hayhurst, Chris, and Donald E.Tepper. “Physical Therapy’s Emerging Leaders.” PT In Motion 6.9 (2014): 36-42. Consumer Health Complete – EBSCOhost. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

            The article I found is called “Physical Therapy’s Emerging Leaders.” The article begins

by introducing two physical therapists that were athletes when they were younger. Both of them were injured and required physical therapy at some point, which sparked their desire for this career. In the article they share a few experiences. First they answer the question “what is a natural leader?” Natalie Garland explains how important it is to build relationships and help out in the community in which you work. It is impossible to lead if no one follows, so get involved. Also putting patients first is key. If the needs of the patient are put before the needs of the PT, then the more likely they are to return, and the more likely you will be a successful PT. The main points of this article touch on the desire of physical therapy and how they develop over the years.

            There are also a few potential quotes in this article. The first one being: “Nathan Nevin, PT, DPT, discovered physical therapy in high school when he tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow…” (1). This quote is significant because he found physical therapy in the same way I did, from a sports injury. Another quote is: “It’s key to build relationships of familiarity and trust quickly. As someone with a marketing background, I believe it’s even more vital to start building relationships before physical therapy is even needed.” (2). This quote means a lot to me because I learned the same thing at church. You cannot be a good leader without building relationships first. Learning this from two different sources makes my thoughts on the validity of it even stronger.

            This article credible because it is written by a group two people that have written numerous articles on physical therapy, each one posted on a credible research sight. All of the information gathered are accounts from different physical therapists. They talk about their experiences and thoughts on what it is to be a physical therapist, and how they got to where they are today.

            This will help me with my research because it is on the topic of my essential question. It helps me with my point that most physical therapists have an athletic background, and what drives those who do not. It also presents skills that are most beneficial to PT’s and what it takes to be very successful in this career field. Knowing these things will help me as I develop my resume in physical therapy, and when it comes to interacting at my mentorship. 

Summary - 1/25

Malone, Daniel, et al. "Physical Therapist Practice In The Intensive CareUnit: Results Of A National Survey." Physical Therapy 95.10 (2015): 1335. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.

The article I researched is called "Physical Therapist In The Intensive Care Unit." This article describes the lack of training certain physical therapists have in the ICU. It explains how PT's in the ICU have the same amount of training as those that work in the typical rehabilitation center. This is an important topic because the hardest patients to treat are the ones fresh out of the ICU. It is said that the safety of the patients relies on the skills of the Physical Therapists. Special training should be required to operate in the ICU in order for the doctors and patients to thrive.

I have also gathered a few potential quotes from the article for my research. They include:“In the United States, however, there is a paucity of information describing how ICUbased physical therapist services are implemented…” (2). “The purpose of this study was to characterize current physical therapist practice, specifically, practitioner demographics, ICU staffing patterns, methods of training for ICU practice…” (2). These quotes express the idea that PT services are not recognized when placed in the ICU, as well as methods of training are not really apparent. These are a few things that need to be fixed in order for patients fresh out of the ICU to receive the most benefits.

The source I chose is valid because I obtained it from a school sponsored research cite. This is also an article written by a group of PT's that are serious about their careers. They believe that for the safety of all patients, training must be necessary. They have also used a variety of experiments and studies to test the validity of the problem, and how it should be solved. This article gave me insight on other areas that physical therapists study. I was not informed that PT’s operates in the ICU before reading this article. I will be able to use this article in the research of my capstone project and for future reference in my field of study.

2/1 Assignment

I have been working on my project so far by gathering information. At my mentorship I have been very observant and attentive when it comes to helping out. I have also began to ask more questions about the career field, ensuring that I get all the information I need. So far I have not gotten much on paper, but I am benefiting a lot by my time at my mentorship. All of this is going to help me out when it comes to my final project, and I can not wait to begin working on the visual aspects to get this project along further.

Graphic Organizer - 1/19

Bibliography	Malone, Daniel, et al. "Physical Therapist Practice In The Intensive CareUnit: Results Of A National Survey." Physical Therapy 95.10 (2015): 1335. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
Annotation:	This article contains various studies on the training of Physical Therapists in the intensive care unit. It describes how there are several different types of training for PT’s in the ICU, but only in foreign countries. There have been few instances in the United States where training is clear. It is said that the safety of the patients relies on the skill of the Physical Therapist, and proper training should be required for them to operate in the ICU.
Potential Quotes:	“In the United States, however, there is a paucity of information describing how ICUbased physical therapist services are implemented…” (2) “The purpose of this study was to characterize current physical therapist practice, specifically, practitioner demographics, ICU staffing patterns, methods of training for ICU practice…” (2)
Assessment:	This article is credible because it is written by a group of PT’s that are serious about their careers. They believe that for the safety of all patients training should be necessary, and they used a variety of experiments and studies to test, and reveal that it is a problem.
Reflection:	This article gave me insight on other areas that physical therapists study. I was not informed that PT’s operates in the ICU before reading this article. I will be able to use this article in the research of my capstone project and for future reference in my field of study.

1/5 Assignment

There has been a lot of things driving my research this year. The biggest one is the thought that Physical Therapy might be a part of most of my life. The more I know and participate in now, the easier it will be in the future. My current essential question is -What drive's a person to become a physical therapist? It has changed a little since the beginning of the year, mainly because I will be able to get a little more information out of this one. The good thing is that I can still get the answer out of the new one that I wanted from the last one (In blog post labeled essential question). And for my final project I intend on creating some handouts as well as a type of presentation for further enhancement. For the real inquiry part of the project  I will most likely interview one of my mentors or a family member. I can not wait to dive deeper into this career field!

Skills and Assumptions - 12/7

When I pictured myself in my mentorship a few months ago I thought it was going to be very difficult. I imagined that it would be really hard to make friends with my mentors as well as talk to the patients, and I thought all I would be doing was running errands. At this point I realized I was very wrong. Making conversations with my mentors came easy, they were very nice and understanding. Furthermore, the patients were very nice and easy to talk to as well. I haven't met a single person that wasn't afraid to talk about why they were in rehab in the first place. And instead of just running errands for my mentors, I actually get to perform exercises for different patients. It feels like just another job and it is very fun. What I pictured to be very difficult and frustrating, actually turned out to be very fun and entertaining, and I look forward to helping out at Atlanta Rehab each and every week. There are also skills that I see are very important, those being knowledge and communication. It is important to be knowledgeable of all the body parts and exercises to perform for each injury.It is also very important to communicate appropriately with each patient, insuring that they trust you and your procedures. Knowing all this has made my mentorship quite the experience.

Essential Question - 11/30

How some physical therapists with no athletic background decided on their career choice?

I selected this as my essential question because I expected most physical therapists to have some sort of athletic background. My passion for sports is what drove me to pursue physical therapy, yet I work with a couple physical therapists that have no athletic background.  I know a few other interns that are student-athletes and excites my interest in what pushes non-athletes toward physical therapy. I believe this question gives me a desire to dive deeper into this topic and further research my career choice. I hope to find out what it is that truly excites people about physical therapy, and maybe I will find my true passion for this career. I will also soon ask what drove my mentor's to this career field and hopefully they will enlighten me on the subject.

Social Intelligence - 11/16

These days many recent college graduates struggle when it comes to handling the work place. Students will either treat it like their room: sloppy and unprofessional. Another problem is that the youth are obsessed with their identity, and when asked to change for the sake of the costumers, they refuse. The article "The First Soft Skill to Develop in Students" describes this as a lack of social intelligence. Social intelligence is defined as "The capacity to effectively negotiate complex social relationships and environments." In other words, it is the ability to handle all matter of social situations. Social intelligence is important because adults need to have the ability to communicate effectively, especially when it comes to the workplace. It is really hard to build healthy relationships when communication skills are lacking. One thing from the article that really spoke to me is that social relationships have an impact on certain aspects of our health. It says the deeper the relationship, the larger the effect it has on you. I learned that I really need social intelligence in my career field. Keeping conversations with patients is very important to build relationships, and to keep business flowing. I will surely remember to keep this in mind throughout my mentorship.

All information was found here: http://growingleaders.com/blog/first-soft-skill-develop-students/

My Mentorship 11/9

My mentorship thus far has been very educational and enjoyable. Every day is a new experience and it is always something I look forward to doing each week. I have learned a lot about physical therapy in the past month. Even though most of the time I am doing busy work (laundry and cleaning tables), I get a lot of hands on experience with the patients.  I've been learning a lot of strength exercises and beneficial stretches to give to patients, it's as close as I have ever been to the real thing. I can not wait to learn more about physical therapy, though schooling will be tough and long, it is definitely higher up on my list now because of this mentorship.

If there is any one class that I have taken to help me prepare for my mentorship, it would probably be a class I am taking this year as well, Essentials of Healthcare and Human Anatomy. Learning about the human body is very important for a PT, however, that  is not the only reason this class has helped me. My teacher designs the class to help her students gain all the knowledge of the career field as possible. We have either made fake job applications, or taken various surveys to help us decide on the careers that we want. All of this has helped me develop my future, learning how to act and such. It surely has helped me, and I am only learning more as I go through the year.

11/2 Assignment

The Atlanta Rehabilitation Center has helped me further my education on the workplace. It has helped teach me what a real job is like, and it has given me insight on the future career that I want to pursue. This internship has taught me a lot about life, and it has been a fun experience. Interacting with my supervisors, and the conversations I have with patients that  come in daily has really been a joyous experience. I have also learned about a few jobs that are along the lines of physical therapy. Them being: Occupational therapy, athletic trainer, and physical therapist assistant (PTA). These are all interesting careers that all have the same goal, helping athletes and just people in general get back to full health. Though these careers are great, I still aspire to be a physical therapist. In my mentorship I have also learned that in certain ways, I have made my supervisors' life easier. There are a few people that I shadow at Atlanta Rehab, Brian and Lori are the usual ones. I make their lies easier by offering another set of hands, and doing whatever I am told. They no longer have to drop everything there doing to get an ice pack, or a hot pack; they can just ask me to grab it so they have one less thing to worry about, I also make sure that I arrive on time, make sure I do what I'm told, and make sure that I have a good attitude which makes it easier for them to trust me. All of the stuff I have learned has helped me have a great experience so far.

10/19 Assignment

My perception of the internship has changed greatly since I started. At first I thought that it would take a while to get used to, but it was actually really easy. My mentors are very nice and they welcomed me in on the first day; showing me the ropes, and introducing me to various patients. As time went on it became easier to make conversation with the patients, which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the job. What really surprised me was that the mentorship became something that I looked forward to during the week, and not just some boring internship that I was required to do. The thing that I learned when business gets slow is to always look for something to do. Time moves by a lot faster when it's occupied doing something productive, which makes my mentorship much more enjoyable.

10/5

The title of my article is "Comparison of Efficacy of Neural Therapy and Physical Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain" This article describes the treatment types of  neural therapy and physical therapy, and which one is better to treat lower back pain. The study showed that there is no real solution for lower back pain, and that treatment helps, but it will always be a problem for those who have it. There also is no better of the two different therapies, people just have their preference. and each injury can be different as well. The article fits into my research because it has to do with patients experiencing pain that are in need of therapy of some sort. The source was helpful by describing the effects of certain injuries and how they can be crippling, but physical therapy can help even if it isn't a permanent solution. I chose this article because it backed up my belief in the fact that physical therapy is a necessity for those with chronic injuries. I can use this source in the future if I need to reference to treatment options or helpful alternatives for helping with injuries. I believe that the article is a credible source because it was clinics, schools, and hospitals putting forth a study with a lot of data supporting it. I definitely can't wait to further my knowledge in this field of study, the more that I learn about physical therapy, the more I want to pursue it as a career. This source relates to my potential topic which will be decided in the future.

Graphic Organizer - 9/28

Source #____ Bibliography	Simsir Atalay, Nilgun, et al. “Comparison Of Efficacy Of Neural Therapy And Physical Therapy In Chronic Low Back Pain.” African Journal Of Traditional, Complementary & Alternative Medicines 10.3 (2013):431-435. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Annotation:	This article is a study to evaluate the effects of neural therapy, and physical therapy on level of pain, disability, quality of life, and psychological status in patients with chronic low back pain. A total of 60 patients were involved in the study, there were no significant differences in age, gender, and educational level. The results showed that PT and NT are effective for pain treatment and quality of life for those with lower back pain, one no better than the other.
Potential Quotes:	“It was suggested that the illness and dysfunction are always associated with the dysfunction of autonomic nervous system that results in decreased blood supply to a particular tissue and impairment of healing process.” (4) “Neural therapy is a holistic therapy that affects the neurovegetative system and uses local anesthetic agents.” (4)
Assessment:	This source is credible because it was a group of schools, hospitals, or clinics participating in a study to find out which treatment therapy would best affect those with lower back pain.
Reflection:	This article gave me some of the background and treatment types for lower back pain in neural therapy and physical therapy. I will use it to prove that any pain is treatable even if it doesn’t go away, physical therapy is always helpful.

College and Scholarships - 9/14

I was asked to search for some colleges and narrow it down to certain schools that fit my preferences. The three colleges that fit me the best were Mercer University in Macon, University of Georgia in Athens, and Georgia Regents University in Augusta. A quality program of study for me would include open study halls, independent assignments, and free time that allows me to compete on a cross country team. All of the Universities that I listed above have the criteria that I listed. I know this because I also have friends that go to these colleges and they hold them to the same criteria as me. The size of the school does not really affect me that much as long as it is not over crowded. I'd like the school to be within 100 miles of home as well, just in case of any family emergencies, or when ever I come back to visit. I also do not mind what type of people go to the school either, I get along with people of all races, shapes, and sizes. The school I apply to must also have a cross country program, because that is my one passion other then physical therapy. The school I am most interested in is Mercer University which is ranked around 200th in the country out of physical therapy schools, it may not be the best, but it has the environment and athletics that would make up for it. Three scholarships I can apply for are the Tommy Aaron/Charlie Aaron Foundation Scholarship, the Holcomb Family Education Scholarship, and the Jim and Dee Snow Optimist Scholarship. These three scholarships include graduating in the hall county area which I will try to take advantage of.

College Websites:
www.mercer.edu
www.gru.edu
www.uga.edu

Time Management - 9/8

Many high school students juggle multiple responsibilities. I for example, am one of these individuals. Without proper time management it would be nearly impossible for me to handle all of my responsibilities. I start off the school day with early morning cross country practice at 6:00 with school following right after. And on two of those days I go to my mentorship immediately after school, which consists of helping out physical therapists for two hours. I am also deeply involved in my church, and I lead a small group on Tuesday nights and further my faith on Wednesday nights. Along with all of these, I have a part time job, and I have to squeeze in time for homework. Without time management there would be no way for me to get all these done. It helps me get all my work done with as little stress as possible, and as efficient as possible. This will definitely help me when arriving at my mentorship, making sure I get everything else done on time. It is also important for each physical therapist to pay attention to each patient, equally distributing the time when there are more than one person in need of help. Also, there is a time for paperwork, and a time to help those in need of therapy. And it's always important to stay caught up on paperwork, but it should not cut into the time of the patient. That is how time management is necessary in my career study, as well as in my own daily life. It may be the most important thing when it comes to getting your responsibilities done with the best results.

Internship-8/31

Tim Elmore wrote an article about a bad experience one of his friends had with summer interns. He invited six college students to intern at his company and he wanted them gone by the month of June. These college students didn't get the necessary preparation for the line of work. To change the view on an internship, Tim called it a "twelve week interview." He does so because it is like a career simulator preparing you for the job you will have one day. Necessary attributes are teachability, initiative, responsibility, and energy. These talents can lead to a great experience from both the interns, and for the growing leaders that teach them. Tim's blog can be found at  http://growingleaders.com/.

This applies to me because Physical Therapy is the career field I want to go into and I am going on a year long interview. I want to be able to search for what needs to be done and complete it. I also need to complete any task given to me and complete it respectfully and responsibly. If I don't learn from my mentorship than I will have nothing to apply to my career, so I will do everything necessary to give myself the best experience. Therefore, if I come into my workplace with a passion to work and the right work ethic than I think my experience will be a great one.

Work Ethic

I learned that work ethic is usually divided up into three categories: Interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability. Individuals with good interpersonal skills are often very good at communicating, whether it be in their professional lives or personal lives. They also work very well in groups, and are great when interacting with consumers or clients. Workers without initiative usually procrastinate or miss some golden opportunities which can lead to the loss of a job. Dependability includes honesty, reliability, and punctuality. These types of workers are valued by employers. Workers that aren't dependable can be expensive and result in a loss of resources. These are the attributes that are necessary for work ethic and each one is just as important as the other.

I learned that there are some areas that I need to improve on in my work ethic. Usually I'd like to think I'm a good worker but I still have my struggles. One of them being procrastination. I always wait until the last minute which can cost me missed opportunities as well as poorer results. I have to carry theses things over to my mentorship and really work on my punctuality, dependability, and initiative in some ways. When working with physical therapists I need to be respectful, be patient, and be willing to be there when they need me. I expect to further my experience in this career field as I work on these qualities of work ethic.

Communication

Communication is one of the most important job skills to obtain, and each situation is different. Whether we are talking to our friends, talking to a boss, writing a blog, using visuals, or just listening, communication is key. First off we can't talk to our boss like we talk to our friends, the slang we use around our friends is most likely inappropriate in your work place. A proper way to write or post online is important as well, you may not be speaking and changing your voice like you would during a speech, but the effectiveness is also determined by the language that you use. And listing is just as important when it comes to communication. If your boss tells you to do a job a certain way but you weren't paying attention and you do it wrong; it may result in a punishment of sort or the loss of your job. All these communication skills are important to master and use in order to gain the best experience in whatever situation you are put in.

Every person is expected to talk appropriately. Not all employers understand the slang terms that we use with our friends or even our family. Not only will they not understand it, it is also very inappropriate. When in an interview, always respond respectfully and with more than one word. Be confident and speak clearly in order to set yourself apart from the rest. When I am interacting with my mentor, I will be sure that I will answer questions with more than one word, as well as asking questions about things that I am unsure of. Firstly that shows that I have been listening, and secondly, it is important to make sure you do the job right the first time. I also intend to speak up if there may be a problem, which my mentor most likely expects from me as well. Communication will be key in every situation of life, and I intend to use this advice that I have obtained to the best of my ability.