Have you gone to a Recruitment Fair?

I went to NYU's Recruitment Fair a while ago but too lazy to post until now. It was good practice for next year when I have to look for a job after graduation.

Top things I took away:
- Dress up. I think its always better to leave a lasting impression of looking good rather than looking like an amateur. Button down for men. Blouse for women. Slacks for both. Suit jacket, not necessary. 
- Come with a resume. Why wouldn't you, its a recruitment fair.
- Ask questions. Like all the sites & interview books say, its as much as an opportunity to interview them as it is for them to interview you. Also, its just a recruitment fair and the likelihood of them remembering you if you asked a "bad question" is slim. It will be good practice for when you have to ask questions for the actual interview.
- A lot of companies recruit from North Carolina, Virginia... down south because there are no PT schools down there. This is just an odd fact that I found interesting.


My favorite questions to ask:
1. What is the ratio of new grads (0-5 years out of PT school) versus older PTs (5+ years)?
    - You get a sense of the staff demographics -a seasoned support staff or all new like you.
2. What do you like about working at your institution?
    - You can tell if someone likes their job or company or not. Sometimes, they will give you dirt of what
       he/she hated in their last jobs. PTs are so honest. 
3. What are the biggest challenges for new grads? How does your institution help with the transition?
    - You can get a sense of the types of challenges that you may/may not have in this setting. 
4. Are you a PT? How long have you been at this company?
    - I always like it when companies send PTs to the fairs. Then you can actually ask questions   
      about the workday rather than get an automated response from an HR person that knows second hand
      about the institution that you are looking into.
5. Do you have any special programs geared toward new grads?
    - Some institutions - Visiting Nurse Service, Fox Rehabilitation offer a mentoring program & scholarship
      opportunities to new grads. I think its a selling point and would be more attracted to a place that offered
      it. Also find out how long it has been running and if there is a time commitment in order to be in the
      program.

I asked A LOT of questions to see what stuck. If someone finds your questions annoying, well.... they should not be representing their company at a career fair. I definitely made note of those places.

Picture from California State University.

Hola, me llamo Jennifer.

Nothing takes the place of having excellent verbal & physical cues. I believe the best physical therapists can apply the right kind of pressure on a patient to indicate what motion he/she would like the patient to do [ie. during a MMT] and minimal conversation has to take place. However, I suck.... ahemmmmm-am learning. I have a lot of Spanish-speaking residents/patients at the nursing home and I decided its best that I learn a few verbs & phrases to help me with the evaluations & treatment.

I made a cheat sheet [1-sheet, 3-column word document] with words pulled from Texas State University -San Marcos site and slipped it into my folder that I carry around. I hope this helps you as much as it helped me! Mavro also has an application for your iPad/iPhone.

Picture from iTunes.com.

Popliteal Pulse

Finding the Popliteal pulse is hard work. Patient or classmate is sitting in supine with the knee bent. I'm searching and searching their Popliteal space behind their knee. First I hear that its more medial and when I can't find it, I'm palpating laterally. Not getting the best feedback from my professors or assistant professors. A whole semester goes by and I still have not felt the Popliteal pulse. Its like searching for gold.


Then in my clinical decision making class, this professor watched my class as we felt around with a lost look on our faces and said to us.... its because you're not deep enough. You need to grab the knee from both sides and push [your beautiful trimmed] fingers [from both hands together] into the center of the space. Let's just say, don't be surprised when you find out this pulse is A LOT deeper than you think.

Picture from University of Glasgow.

Nursing Home Internship

I never got a chance to write about it but....I got into PT with geriatrics in mind as my end goal. My dad and stepmom are seniors and they were the ones who got me interest in physical therapy for the elderly. They both received therapy and talked very positively about the profession. Then I volunteered at a extended care facility that catered to the senior community and I was sold. I knew my clinical rotation at the subacute facility would either solidify thoughts or remind me that it is very different to observe a profession than to do the work in the profession. So far......


So good. I really love the company of people that are in their 60s-70s-80s-and 90s and 100's! Its crazy to be in the company of someone with so much history! Love talking about old NYC and Queens. How people from their generation used to fall in love, develop relationships with their family, the war, recreation and work. My supervising therapist said the best thing that I have to totally agree with. When working with the elderly - you are really helping them with life. Being able to maintain independence and dignity in your golden years is very difficult as your body begins to deteriorate. I really feel like I'm helping people when I get them to walk, stand up, sit down, manage stairs, move from bed <--> to chair/wheelchair with as little help as possible. Hope this feeling lasts.

Picture from thinkprogress.org. 

Second clinical internship

I started my second clinical internship at a nursing home/subacute rehab center. I will here for 9 weeks. On the first week, I almost broke down in tears. Saddest thing - I have the coolest and informative CI, a comfortable schedule from 8-4, a great supervisors that guides me with my treatment, and some pretty awesome coworkers and students alongside with me. But I was plagued with this fear everyday that I was supposed to know how to act in front of the nurses, doctors, other therapists, how to do a perfect exam, diagnosis, etc and that I should be able to treat 50% or more of a full time PT workload. Stupid APTA guidelines. I felt like I wasn't doing enough. I nearly passed out while listening to my CI because I was so overwhelmed by all the things that I thought I had to be doing perfect.


By the third week, I got the hang of things. I kinda ignored my weekly progress notes until the 3rd week because I couldn't bear with the thought of being told that I suck. But I bit the bullet this week and wrote about my 'concerns'. My CI's response on my weekly progress report....'student has high expectations for herself compared to most students which makes her feel overwhelmed. Just focus on basics, it will get easier as student get familiarized with all the forms.' FINE, I am drama queen. Maybe things aren't that bad. Her note made me feel better.

Picture from wired.com.