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August 26, 2010

Preparing For My Next Clinic

My next clinic starts Monday in acute care at our local University Hospital. Acute care means that I be working with people who have just come out of surgery or who are in one of the various Intensive Care Units (ICUs). What I know about this type of clinic setting is that I will learn a lot about medicine and that is interesting to me.

The importance of physical therapy during this time in a person's life is to prevent problems from occurring. Inactivity can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, embolism, and pneumonia. The other side effects of prolonged immobility include, but are not limited to, weakness, decreased tolerance for sitting or standing, tissue contracture, and other factors that can lead to functional limitations.

So I'm boning up on things that I may run into in this setting. For instance, heart and lung issues are big in this setting, so I'm reviewing cardiopulmonary techniques. Also, memorizing normal lab values will be helpful in having me spot abnormalities quickly. recognizing significant changes in EKG patterns will also help me to know when to ask for assistance or cease treatments such a walking.

I found a really good website from Brigham and Women's Hospital that has all kinds of physical therapy standards and protocols. I've focused on the in-patient standards of care to help me get an overview of the type of work I can expect to do. Of course, it's my responsibility to fill in the gaps (such as those lab values and being able to read EKGs), but the details will come with training.

I'm excited about this clinic. My previous exposure to this setting once a week during my first year of study left me fascinated and wanting to learn more. I am hoping that I discover that this setting may be the one where I want to practice.

Posted by linda at August 26, 2010 8:00 AM