Welcome to Health Care POV | sign in | join

BROWSE BY TAGS

Toni Talks about PT Today

'I Am a Troublemaker'
by Toni Patt
Last week I described being warned not to make trouble by reporting the nurses watching the baby camera while at work. I've been thinking about that. Why would I be the troublemaker for reporting someone else doing something wrong? Shouldn't it be the Read More...
2 comments »     
Finally Something I Enjoy
by Toni Patt
Anyone who reads my blog with regularity knows the last year has been a struggle for me. I lost my beloved job. I was fired for being ethical. I encountered more than my share of unethical and self-serving people. During all of that, I hung on and kept Read More...
3 comments »     
Not All Patients Work on the Weekend
by Toni Patt
This morning while I was walking a patient, I overheard another patient walking behind us. She was telling the CNA taking her to the dining room that she recognized me from the weekend. She was upset with me because I came to take her to therapy and she Read More...
1 comments »     
Maybe it's a Question of Time
by Toni Patt
Last week I questioned what the definition of skilled therapy was . I had worked with several patients the previous weekend whose only deficit was the need for supervision. I've realized I wasn't clear in describing those patients. All of them had been Read More...
0 comments »     
What Is the Definition of Skilled Therapy?
by Toni Patt
I've been noticing a disturbing trend lately. More and more facilities are considering the need for supervision as a need for skilled therapy. Back in the day, patients referred to SNFs and outpatient had an obvious need. They had trouble walking. They Read More...
10 comments »     
Time and Money
by Toni Patt
Now that I'm home from CSM, I've had an opportunity to process all of the information. Most of the presentations were excellent. Those that weren't purely theoretical had a common theme. We have to maximize what we do because we're spending less and less Read More...
2 comments »     
Something is Wrong With This Scenario
by Toni Patt
Yesterday I heard something that's still bothering me. I was evaluating a woman. Her husband told me the following. He couldn't tell me when the problem started, just that for the past few weeks she couldn't sit up without leaning on something. He had Read More...
0 comments »     
The Squeaky Patient Gets the Attention
by Toni Patt
There's an old saying the squeaky wheel gets the oil. In healthcare that translates to the patient who complains the loudest, is the most uncooperative or makes the most unreasonable demands, also gets all the attention. Often this means other patients Read More...
1 comments »     
Take-Your-Horse-to-Work Day
by Toni Patt
Last week one of my horses, Expsychment, made his debut as a therapy animal. It was a win-win situation. The residents love him and I got to spend the day with him and still get paid. Dogs, and sometimes cats, are frequent visitors to rehab facilities. Read More...
1 comments »     
My Patient Went to Vote
by Toni Patt
Last week, one of my patients took advantage of early voting. For the past few weeks, he was concerned about being able to vote. Finally last Friday his family picked him up, took him to a polling place and made a day of it. I think he'll be the only Read More...
3 comments »     
What Is a Physical Therapist Extender?
by Toni Patt
Reading Jason Marketti's blog last week reminded me of a discussion we're having here in Texas. It's called RC-3 and is an amendment to the Texas Physical Therapy Practice Act. It proposes unlicensed individuals such as athletic trainers and massage therapists Read More...
4 comments »     
Biting Off More Than I Can Chew
by Toni Patt
Last week, I wrote about my experiences teaching my first CEU course. I mentioned how much work it was but didn't go into details. It took me nearly four months to finish, including two months of working at least an hour or two every night. Now I'm going Read More...
1 comments »     
Putting Up With Bad Behavior
by Toni Patt
Today was one of those days. There is a full moon. Healthcare workers often joke about the effects of the full moon on their patients. I believe there is something to that, which means my patients gets more of a workout than usual. I am used to brain-injured Read More...
0 comments »     
Working from Home
by Toni Patt
My current job comes with a perk I've never experienced before -- working from home. No, the patients don't come to me. Our documentation is Internet-based so I have the luxury of being able to write notes from home. Some people might say that is a curse, Read More...
2 comments »     
How Much Help Is Too Much?
by Toni Patt
I've been using the Nintendo Wii with more of my patients. This has created a dilemma for me. I don't know how much help to give my patients. At first I didn't help them at all but that wasn't successful. Since then I have alternated between verbal cues Read More...
0 comments »     

Search

About this Blog

Keep Me Updated