May 9, 2009
After volunteering at the Central Maryland Rehabilitation center in Columbia, Maryland, my application of natural science was extremely beneficial to my knowledge of what a physical therapist’s daily tasks are.
From freshman to senior years of high school, I played lacrosse non-stop. I became aware of the wear and tear occurring in my body when I tore my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in my left knee at the end of my freshman year. Following the injury, I had surgery and lots of physical therapy. This first account is when I realized that I would like to be involved in some type of sports rehabilitation. Towards the end of my junior year of high school, I tore my ACL again, in my right knee this time. With the similar process, I had surgery and lots of physical therapy to help me become healthy again. For physical therapy sessions, I went to Central Maryland Rehab. They were very personable and really helped me strengthen my leg muscles and knee joint. Because they did such a good job, it was then that I decided that I wanted to enter into the field of physical therapy when I got older. Having said this, my volunteer opportunity was most appropriate at CMR because of the history I had with its staff. As it happens, when I came to CMR to volunteer, I knew some of the staff that had worked there when I injured myself and thus found it much easier to get acquainted with the my site supervisor and the physical therapists that I was working with.
At the site, I was able to do a variety of things. While shadowing Terri, my primary physical therapist, I conducted in ultra sounds on patients, massaged joints with conducting cream, created and broke down exercise set ups for patients, and demonstrated a variety of “homework” skills that patients were to do.
In terms of the science related to the site, I learned that organic chemistry is not really needed, although it’s required by most PT schools. Anatomy and physiology are probably used 100 % of the time as a physical therapist. Not only must you know the names and places of muscles and bones in the body, but also the points of insertion, the neural, endocrine and sensory systems, and the physiology behind each mechanism. Previously, I thought that physical therapists were not actual doctors, but they are! They are required to know lots of information about the human body, and although it’s not to the same extent of neurosurgeons or rocket scientists, I feel like I and many others underestimate their capabilities.
Working at this site has opened my eyes to my future. The term “physical therapy” is such a broad term. Specially, my post-bachelors academic plan has changed. I want to be more involved in sports rehabilitation instead of just physical therapy. I think sports rehabilitation, which is something I experienced, would allow me to relate more. There are both in-patient and out-patient jobs awaiting physical therapists, however, like the CMR, I would most enjoy working in an outpatient clinic. The freedom that physical therapists have working in such an environment is most liberating.
To sum it all up, this experience in working in an out-patient physical therapy clinic has only fortified my desire to work with the public. I do realize now that the type of physical therapy that I plan to do is more along the lines of sports medicine or sports rehabilitation. Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, I will hopefully be enrolled in a physical therapy program and working towards my doctorate degree, depending on what the future holds!