It's been 8.5 weeks since I started my first clinical experience and it has not been nothing short of a blessing. Although the long 12 hour days and waking up at 6 AM everyday was not ideal but overall I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences. It was nice not to be stuck in the classroom but being able to work and interact with real patients. I've been privileged in meeting and working with a variety of people from all different backgrounds and ages.
I have no doubt that my clinical experience was different from most of my classmates. I got to experience working at two different clinics, one being one that had only been open for about a month and the other a very well established one in DC. It was interesting to see 2 extremes as far as patient load, the DC clinic had a full patient load with continuous patients throughout the day. When I first started, the Chevy Chase clinic had only been about a month or so old and for the first couple weeks I would probably only see about 8-10 in a 10-12 hour day. When I left a few days ago, we were seeing about 22 patients in a full day. It was a privilege to be a part of two different clinics and being able to see a new clinic grow in such a short period of time.
I enjoyed my time working in the clinic, for the first time since I started school it allowed me to feel like a "real" physical therapist. Chris, my clinical instructor (CI), was the only therapist at Chevy Chase and at the DC clinic there were 5-6 other therapists who were all very helpful and my transition into the busy clinic went smoothly. Being at a newer clinic 3 days a week, particularly early on, allowed Chris and I to have 1 on 1 time which was really helpful in reviewing and learning new things. I honestly could not have asked for a better CI and now have a far better understanding of how a physical therapist should treat. Every patient was treated as an individual with specific exercises and plans catered to their specific goals rather than "generic" exercises. Furthermore, he made sure to spend a minimum of 15-20 minutes working manually on patients. I never felt scared to ask questions and never felt stupid when I didn't know the answer to things. Furthermore, customers seemed to enjoy working with us and a few even driving a longer distance just to come to this clinic.
The experience was nothing short of challenging and I learned something new everyday. I could to interact with several therapists and patients who all made me feel comfortable and welcomed. I was blessed to meet and work with everyone and would not have traded my experience for anything. I enjoyed my time there and could definitely see myself working there in the future. Furthermore, this experience reassured me that I made the right decision in pursuing PT which I had questioned at times this past year. Patients showed a genuine appreciation working with me and typically called me the "nice one" since I didn't press as hard when performing manual techniques. I had a patient write an e-mail to a teacher at school expressing his appreciation with working with me. Words could not have expressed how thankful I was for his appreciation and how thankful I was for him along with all my patients for their willingness to work with a student. While I am not overly excited about moving back to NH in a couple weeks, I am excited about being one step closer to my goal and becoming a physical therapist.
