Enthusiasm

 I recently got a new job at Silverado Assisted Living Center as a Physical Therapist Aide. I started on November 22, 2010.  After my first day I almost quit because I did not think that this center was for me.  But, I am to prideful to quit something before I have tested the waters well enough, so I decided to go back in the following day. I am still working there now and I have learned that this place is perfect for the time being.  Silverado is giving me the opportunity to see If a career in Physical Therapy is something that I will want to do for the rest of my life. It has done just that.

It did take me the first week to feel comfortable with my job and confident that I was doing it properly.  Working with geriatrics in an inpatient setting is nothing like working with middle-aged people in an outpatient clinic. The major difference between outpatient and inpatient clinics is the overall goal of the therapists. In an outpatient clinic the therapists main goal for each of their patients is to aid them in their recovery from an injury in order to get back to their previous level of activity at work or sport as soon as possible. There is a lot more urgency for recovery in the outpatient setting by both the therapist and patient. In an inpatient setting the therapists main goal is to prevent atrophy so when the patient is discharged they still have enough muscle to complete routine tasks such as walking up stairs, bending over, and maintaining balance while standing. So you can imagine that this therapy is much less intensive and with less importance on time of recovery, and more importance on preventing further degenerative side effects of being bed ridden.

While working at Silverado I found out that I really do enjoy assisting people back to health and because it is inpatient I see the patients daily and also see improvements everyday.  The satisfaction of gradually seeing patient improvement is unmatched, further reassuring me that a career in Physical Therapy is exactly what I want to do. Now all that is left is acceptance into Graduate school!

I chose to label this entry as enthusiasm because I have found that I thoroughly enjoy waking up everyday and going into a job where I am asked to help other people. I cannot wait until the day comes that I am a certified Physical Therapist and have the knowledge to heal anyone back to health.  The next step is acceptance into Graduate School!

-Focus on what you can control!