Athletico has been such a wondeful learning experience for me. Not only have I learned so much about phyisical therapy as a career, I have also met great thearpists who have already begun helping me with the application process for Physical Thearpy school. I am grateful for everything I have learned thus far and cannot wait to update all of my coworkers on my progress as I move forward. 

Reflection:

My academic internship was more than I expected it to be. I learned more about my future career path, expanded upon my knowledge as a biology major, learned patient care tactics, met great mentors, and became friends with my co-workers. By connecting this experience at Athletico with my previous work as a dental assistant at a small practice I feel much more confident about how I want to act as a medical professional when I complete my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. I’ve learned that taking the time to establish a personal relationship with each patient can go a long way as far as the patient’s compliance with treatment and the effectiveness of treatment. I think treating the patient as a whole makes a situation that may be unpleasant better for both the clinician and the patient. My most critical learning moment came within the past month when I discovered how many opportunities there are for further education. It reassured me that I will never be bored in this field. I can always find a new challenge to embark upon. It is exciting to be able to see such a wide variety of patients and injuries throughout my career.

The most meaningful connections I made between my internship and this course was the “Exploring Leadership” article we read. Each therapist I work with has a unique leadership style and it is interesting to make connections between each of them and the styles we learned about in class. For example, my direct supervisor falls under the category of servant-leadership. She is continually looking for ways to further educate the rehabilitation aides because she understands that we are students and looking to learn as much as possible from them. She explains different techniques she is using on a patient or why she modifies exercises for certain patients. Throughout this course I have been able to reflect on my academic career as a whole at Loyola and then correlate that with my internship at Athletico. For example in my portfolio I included papers from my evolution class as well as my philosophy of medicine class. At first these may seem completely unrelated but these courses have made me more well-rounded. My evolution class has taught me to effectively digest dense primary research, while my philosophy of medicine class has encouraged me to question how I want to practice medicine in the future. Both can be applied to my internship because there are always new studies to learn about to improve physical therapy manual techniques, and of course patients are at the center of physical therapy. Understanding how to effectively and respectfully interact with patients is essential.