Four months of waiting are finally over -- I finally received word about where I'll be for my yearlong clinical. It took every ounce of maturity and focus not to have a breakdown while I was waiting, but I'm happy that I kept myself together because I couldn't be happier about the placement. During the first six months of the rotation I'll be at ...

We recently had to attend the third year's presentations of their performance-improvement projects, the final requirement of the program and what looks like the most frustrating assignment to date. The annual project basically populates an existing database with key information regarding process of care and patient outcome information. From what ...

One thing is true in the field of rehabilitation: Change is constant. This has never been more true than at the present time. Within the past year, there have been staffing shortages followed by staffing surplus; needed equipment, but not enough room; along with insurance changes that are limiting patients' ability to obtain necessary help. ...

The search for a case report continues on a daily basis at work. Although I have to come up with a patient by early 2013, my eyes and ears are on the lookout for an interesting case so that I can share treatment intervention and outcomes. The sooner I find a patient, the sooner I can start researching information on surgical techniques, ...

Yesterday, I had an hour-long conversation with my rugby coach about what he, as a chiropractor, does with his patients. I have never been to a chiropractor and therefore know very little about their scope of practice. I have to say that I was surprised by the many similarities between some of his treatment techniques and those that we have ...

Our daily routines often get so busy that we overlook the needs of those around us, besides our patients and their families. At any given time, we as physical therapists may be able to extend a gracious hand to assist others, while reaping the benefit of satisfaction knowing that we continue to help, outside our work environment. This is why many ...

Ever since we started the musculoskeletal series, we've been taught the many mobility and special tests that we can implement in the clinic to rule in and out pathologic conditions. The catch, as always, is that we practice these techniques on our healthy classmates, so it's hard to get a feel for what a ''positive'' test would be. For example, ...

Last week I interviewed for a part-time job at The Children's Institute here in Pittsburgh. The position is coordinator for an SCI wellness program offered during the evenings in the PT gyms at the institute. I would be supervising the participants who, free of charge, have access to the gym three times per week. They range in age from 13-25 and ...

Last week in clinic, I had my first experience with a crying patient. She had been dealing with low-back pain for a few months when she finally decided to see the doctor. Turns out she had an L4-L5 herniated disc. I guess her interaction with the doctor wasn't very helpful, so when she came to PT, it was the first time anyone had actually sat down ...

The first exams of PT school are over. Our first anatomy exam was Monday, followed on Thursday by exercise physiology. By the time it was over, the four-day week felt more like a month. (Thankfully we had Friday off for the 4th of July. Otherwise, I don't know what people would have done). The anatomy exam met my expectations. I have heard so many ...