US Medical Supplies Scholarship

I think I'm going to apply for this scholarship after my finals are over. US Medical Supplies Scholarship

Best Part about Outpatient

A big part of PT school is the clinical rotations. I have 4 of them - 1) outpatient 2) subacute rehabilitation 3) acute care 4) elective. First, it gives you the necessary experience you need in order to come out of grad school and practice as an entry-level clinician. Secondly, it is supposed to give you an idea of the type of environment that you might like to or absolutely would never want to work in once you graduate. I personally think this should be a part of undergrad.

I had a real tough time in a Outpatient setting for a number of reasons that I will list:

1) I am not as fit as some of the athletes that walk through at door and at this point in my education, I can't say that I am more knowledgeable than my patients on their problems. So you can say I felt a little inadequate to treat.

2) I have terrible balance. Nothing was worse than demonstrating a Single-Leg Stance and Reach exercise and stumbling over after the second rep. I am glad that my patients had a sense of humor.

3) Even with 8 hours of sleep, healthy eating and copious amounts of caffeine, I just looked exhausted by 4PM, sometimes earlier. New patients, new conversations, new treatments every 1/2-1 hr was hard for me to keep up the energy level. On top of it, my clinical instructor went easy on me and I didn't have to complete all the paperwork for all the patients.

4) I have never used 75% of the exercise machines that the PTs used for treatment in my life! I had to learn correct form and how to adjust when my patients looked like he/she was worming away in the seat or tossing the weight around.

I'm sure there are more reasons why I suck but I wrote this entry to make one contrary point.

The BEST part about the outpatient setting is the great conversation!

Everyone that comes in during outpatient - generally walked into your clinic (and is generally healthy), is usually of sound mental status and is motivated to get better (otherwise he/she would not seek the help of a PT). I loved, loved, loved some of my patients - we talked about anything from Comic-con, Frank Lloyd Wright, marriage, relationships, kids, getting into college, respective hometowns, religion, buying a home, Broadway shows, movies, heritage, Rochester, yoga, why he/she came to NYC, celtic music and the list goes on. I may have been tired all the time but everyday was just so interesting beyond the scope of PT! Just for this reason, I can imagine why graduates choose the outpatient setting.

Picture from Commonwealth Orthopedics.

Clinical Shoulder Tests

Special Tests for the Shoulder

I'm in my second year of PT school and the time has finally arrived. We are learning application of theory. I'm enrolled in a Musculoskeletal Diagnosis & Management Class. Our class tomorrow is about Special Tests for the Shoulder.

I love to find reasons not to study.

Here 2 sites that I found that were really helpful to prepare for my class:

Thank you Minnesota State University for your SPATA.

Thank you Shoulderdoc.co.uk.

Picture of a Positive Sulcus Sign from ShoulderSurgeon.com. I don't know why but it makes my shoulders ache when I look at this picture!

Color Run -5K

I participated in the Color Run in NYC on August 26th. Its a 5K course at Floyd Bennett Field which is a converted Army Training Center in Brooklyn that now, hosts a bunch of athletic events. Basically, you run about a 3 mile course on pavement and volunteers squirt powdered, colored cornstarch on you as you run through checkpoints. See picture below.

I am not a big fan of running. I can never get to that point (usually the 1 mile point) where running becomes mindless. It is always work to me. However, since this 5K had a fun, interactive theme, it wasn't hard to stay motivated.

Best part was finishing, listening to the fun DJs, throwing around packets of colored dust as a big group, and picture taking! Its an event for all ages. Its a good way to get non-active people into running.

My Disadvantage - Endurance

This is a follow-up to my post about whether you need to work out to be a PT student. Now that I am in clinic, standing for 8-10 hrs in a day, I realize its a real disadvantage if you are not fit. I consider myself fit but after a long day, I just crash. I even take a 15 minute power nap at lunch!

Since I started, I stretch almost every night and work out at least 3 times a week. I mainly concentrate on core exercises. Looking at the list on Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Blog, I cover most of those points - eat often and in small portions, sleep a full 8 hours, pretty much abstain from alcohol, only drink caffeine in the AM, eat a healthy breakfast, fiber bar by mid-day, drink lots of water, and every chance I get, I sit down. All I have left is to hope that my endurance will build up during my last 3 weeks of the clinical. Wish me luck!

Best Link for Learning MMT & Goniometry

Wow, its been a while. Since I last posted, I finished my first year at DPT school and I started my first clinical internship. Boy am I wiped out but still loving the experience.

I just remembered this very neat site that this former PT student developed for her senior project. Its a organized, COLOR manual with patient and PT instructions, pt positioning, origins, and insertions. Its an alternative to my textbook. The pictures don't look as clinical.

Thank you Jennifer Pedersen for this site.

Helpful in Cadaver Lab

Look familiar...its cadaver lab! Or dinner?

I deboned my first chicken about the same time that I had my first semester of cadaver lab. Kinda gross. But it was very helpful to learn how to cut a chicken in clean swipes rather than sawing motions. I used those same skills to clean the fascia off the organs and skin of the cadaver. If you happen to cooking a whole chicken, take the opportunity to cut out the bones and remove the skin. Your teammates in lab will appreciate how efficiently and effectively you are with the knife. Also, you will be able to identify when you need a new blade in the scalpel.

Video on how to debone a chicken.

Picture from Homeec101.