ElizabethStupicaHawkenProjects2022

During my time observing I was able to see much of what the job of a physical therapist entails, and I was surprised at how much communication the job calls for. Going into this project I knew that physical therapists had to communicate with the patients, but I did not know how much small talk there is. The physical therapists ask patients questions relating to their injuries and issues but they also ask them questions about their daily lives. Patients are constantly returning to the clinic for treatment, as physical therapy is not a one-time appointment and done type of situation. To heal you have to be consistently working at exercises to get stronger. Because of this, patients repeatedly come back for each session with the physical therapists, allowing them to create strong bonds. During these sessions updates on what is going on inside the patient's lives are often given and a lot of small talk with the patients is conducted in the downtime between exercises and even when helpi...

Throughout my time at the Mayfield Village Clinic, I have been observing Rosie Hajdukovic, my mentor. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy. Throughout the majority of my time observing I have followed her and her patients around as they complete their physical therapy exercises. At times I am not able to shadow Rosie, I spend time with one of the many other physical therapists working at the clinic. Everyone is super nice and helps to explain the science behind each injury to help give me a better understanding of the recovery process. The patients are also very nice and willing to explain their injuries and how they occurred so that I am able to understand each of their situations.  The clinic heavily affects the lives of others through its use of physical therapy. There are a variety of patients that come into the clinic. Some patients have had surgery to help fix an injury or condition while others have a condition or injury that surgery is not...

For my senior project, I will be observing the outpatient physical therapy clinic at the Mayfield Village Health Center. My inspiration to complete this project stems from my interest in becoming a physical therapist in the future. Before starting college, I wanted to shadow to see if physical therapy was something I was actually interested in pursuing as a career. I hope to learn more about what you need to become a physical therapist and what the daily job of one entails.