Donald Physiotherapy – Blog Post 1 – From a Student’s Perspective
Hello! My name is Glyn, a 2nd year Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) student studying at the University of Saskatchewan and currently on a 5-week placement at Donald Physiotherapy. Part of the reason for writing this blog is to provide a sense of what it is like as an MPT student working in a private clinical setting, but to also provide some info for those who may consider Physical Therapy as a profession... from my perspective.
About Me
I grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of rural Saskatchewan in a town outside of Saskatoon. Growing up and working on the family farm, I developed an appreciation for the natural world and pursued a Biology degree after high school. I found that I was most interested in my Physiology courses, which led me to a Master’s degree in Neurobiology. During my MSc, I worked part-time as a carpenter’s assistant, met a girl, and got married! Later, my wife and I were blessed with a wonderful little daughter. While working as a laboratory manager, I felt like I was missing something and I was eager to apply myself to something I was truly passionate about.
Why Physical Therapy?
Physical Therapy is a profession that is dynamic, challenging, and encompasses some exciting aspects of health care. There are many settings to work in, from hospital to private practice, and within those settings, there are many types of specialties including Sport, Acupuncture, Pediatric, Orthopedic, Animal Rehabilitation, Neuroscience, and more! Physical Therapy is a division of medicine that is evidence based and uses exercise, manual therapy, education, and many other techniques/modalities to not only assist with healing, but to also prevent potential injuries. One aspect I appreciate is the ability help heal without relying exclusively on drugs or medications. Although the MPT program is challenging, my placements and school experiences to date have only solidified my choice. There are many opportunities to continue to grow and learn, so if you like working with people and challenging yourself, it may also be a good fit for you. For more info check out the School of Physical Therapy webpage here: http://medicine.usask.ca/department/schools-divisions/physical-therapy.php
My Private Clinic Experience and A Few Things I Learned on The Way
Working as a Physical Therapist allows you to meet many different people from all walks of life and hear the stories that makes them unique. A large part of our job is to build trust, people need understand what you are doing is in their best interest and will help. Building rapport is paramount in our profession and I think there is more pressure to do so in a private setting, as a client may cease treatment or simply go to another therapist if they feel the care they are receiving isn't adequate. Of course, there are also cases when a therapist-client match just doesn't fit. While there are opportunities to get to know people in a hospital setting, working in a private setting allows for a different kind of therapeutic relationship to develop as clients are there specifically for therapy and may have seen the same therapist for a long time.
In a private setting, you are not provided with a “diagnosis” as you would in hospital and you can’t prepare ahead of time, so your subjective history taking, objective testing, and differential diagnosis is key. Also, because you may know nothing about the person walking into the clinic, their safety is your sole responsibility. In hospital, you are part of a team of health care professionals working together to provide care. While you must be vigilant in all settings, as a primary health care provider in a private setting, you need to be able to identify signs and symptoms that may indicate something severe, requiring immediate medical attention.
An interesting dynamic of private practice is the role of non-medical entities that affect client care, for example private insurance, or if the client was injured at work then perhaps WCB. This is a challenging component of private practice as each case is different, just as each person and injury is different. So not only do you need to individualize your care, you need to ensure your client’s interests are being protected by advocating for them, while at the same time respecting the process. As in any setting, treatment should be client-centered with goals established by the client and therapist, but when other factors are involved it gets much more complicated.
Although new to the world of Physical Therapy, I’m certainly not new to the working world. Something I learned in my experience working was to appreciate the people you work with, since they massively affect the work environment and ultimately how much you enjoy your work. Also, having someone else to count on is incredibly important, especially in Physical Therapy where discussions of cases and sharing of information is essential, for example one treatment technique may work for one person but not another. Mentoring in private practice is also a big deal, especially if one has decided to pursue their Orthopedic levels (like me), but also having someone to help on difficult cases is very important.
Be Safe, Be Good, Be Better...
In all my placements, I found that as a profession we look out for and help one another. There are certainly differences of opinions and treatment approaches, but our core values remain the same: We are responsible for the client, we are responsible to society, and we are responsible to the profession (CPA Code of Ethics). I consider myself very fortunate to have had Donald Physiotherapy as my first experience in a private setting, as these values hold true every day. There are opportunities for mentorship from senior therapists, clients are always being advocated for with their own unique and individual interests in mind, and there are clinics and other educational sessions put on to promote health in our society.
A past clinical instructor once told me that in my pursuit of becoming a Physical Therapist I should first be safe, then become good at what I do, and always strive to be better. Our education prepares us to be safe and competent, to understand pathology, anatomy and biomechanics, principles of caring, and to think critically. However, it is only with experience and through the mentorship from other therapists that we truly start to do good and it is only by putting the client first, treating through reflection, continuing education, and pushing ourselves forward as a profession that we can do better.
About Me
I grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of rural Saskatchewan in a town outside of Saskatoon. Growing up and working on the family farm, I developed an appreciation for the natural world and pursued a Biology degree after high school. I found that I was most interested in my Physiology courses, which led me to a Master’s degree in Neurobiology. During my MSc, I worked part-time as a carpenter’s assistant, met a girl, and got married! Later, my wife and I were blessed with a wonderful little daughter. While working as a laboratory manager, I felt like I was missing something and I was eager to apply myself to something I was truly passionate about.
Why Physical Therapy?
Physical Therapy is a profession that is dynamic, challenging, and encompasses some exciting aspects of health care. There are many settings to work in, from hospital to private practice, and within those settings, there are many types of specialties including Sport, Acupuncture, Pediatric, Orthopedic, Animal Rehabilitation, Neuroscience, and more! Physical Therapy is a division of medicine that is evidence based and uses exercise, manual therapy, education, and many other techniques/modalities to not only assist with healing, but to also prevent potential injuries. One aspect I appreciate is the ability help heal without relying exclusively on drugs or medications. Although the MPT program is challenging, my placements and school experiences to date have only solidified my choice. There are many opportunities to continue to grow and learn, so if you like working with people and challenging yourself, it may also be a good fit for you. For more info check out the School of Physical Therapy webpage here: http://medicine.usask.ca/department/schools-divisions/physical-therapy.php
My Private Clinic Experience and A Few Things I Learned on The Way
Working as a Physical Therapist allows you to meet many different people from all walks of life and hear the stories that makes them unique. A large part of our job is to build trust, people need understand what you are doing is in their best interest and will help. Building rapport is paramount in our profession and I think there is more pressure to do so in a private setting, as a client may cease treatment or simply go to another therapist if they feel the care they are receiving isn't adequate. Of course, there are also cases when a therapist-client match just doesn't fit. While there are opportunities to get to know people in a hospital setting, working in a private setting allows for a different kind of therapeutic relationship to develop as clients are there specifically for therapy and may have seen the same therapist for a long time.
In a private setting, you are not provided with a “diagnosis” as you would in hospital and you can’t prepare ahead of time, so your subjective history taking, objective testing, and differential diagnosis is key. Also, because you may know nothing about the person walking into the clinic, their safety is your sole responsibility. In hospital, you are part of a team of health care professionals working together to provide care. While you must be vigilant in all settings, as a primary health care provider in a private setting, you need to be able to identify signs and symptoms that may indicate something severe, requiring immediate medical attention.
An interesting dynamic of private practice is the role of non-medical entities that affect client care, for example private insurance, or if the client was injured at work then perhaps WCB. This is a challenging component of private practice as each case is different, just as each person and injury is different. So not only do you need to individualize your care, you need to ensure your client’s interests are being protected by advocating for them, while at the same time respecting the process. As in any setting, treatment should be client-centered with goals established by the client and therapist, but when other factors are involved it gets much more complicated.
Although new to the world of Physical Therapy, I’m certainly not new to the working world. Something I learned in my experience working was to appreciate the people you work with, since they massively affect the work environment and ultimately how much you enjoy your work. Also, having someone else to count on is incredibly important, especially in Physical Therapy where discussions of cases and sharing of information is essential, for example one treatment technique may work for one person but not another. Mentoring in private practice is also a big deal, especially if one has decided to pursue their Orthopedic levels (like me), but also having someone to help on difficult cases is very important.
Be Safe, Be Good, Be Better...
In all my placements, I found that as a profession we look out for and help one another. There are certainly differences of opinions and treatment approaches, but our core values remain the same: We are responsible for the client, we are responsible to society, and we are responsible to the profession (CPA Code of Ethics). I consider myself very fortunate to have had Donald Physiotherapy as my first experience in a private setting, as these values hold true every day. There are opportunities for mentorship from senior therapists, clients are always being advocated for with their own unique and individual interests in mind, and there are clinics and other educational sessions put on to promote health in our society.
A past clinical instructor once told me that in my pursuit of becoming a Physical Therapist I should first be safe, then become good at what I do, and always strive to be better. Our education prepares us to be safe and competent, to understand pathology, anatomy and biomechanics, principles of caring, and to think critically. However, it is only with experience and through the mentorship from other therapists that we truly start to do good and it is only by putting the client first, treating through reflection, continuing education, and pushing ourselves forward as a profession that we can do better.