Utah Valley Pediatrics - Internship

Over the course of the 2014 winter semester I have been allowed the great opportunity to shadow several pediatricians of Utah Valley Pediatrics.  Nearly each Friday I would go to their local office and observe what commonly happens in the day of a pediatrician.  This was an extremely valuable experience to learn different ways pediatricians interact with their patients as well as address the needs of them.  Often the patients would come in for what is called a well-child checkup.  These routine appointments are essential to aid in the continuing development of these children.  Occasionally patients would come in with illnesses or other concerns that really needed the expertise of the pediatrician to care for them.  Because this is a practice with several pediatricians, occasionally these pediatricians would be able to quickly ask a second opinion about a diagnosis and really aid getting the best care for the patient.  The pediatricians showed great interest in their patients and care for them.  It is this aspect that I really enjoyed and want to model in a future career.  To be able to aid and assist others in making their lives better would be great.  I also saw how busy doctors are even when their patients are late.  If doctors are not seeing patients they are often reading lab reports and doing various paperwork all related to assisting their patients. I am grateful for this opportunity to shadow at Utah Valley Pediatrics.

Provo, UT; Now I Can -Elizabeth

This summer I had the opportunity to be an intern at Now I Can, an intensive physical therapy center for children with neuromuscular disorders. This experience was incredibly valuable to me in preparing myself for my future as a physical therapist specializing in pediatrics. I got the chance to work one-on-one with our patients and in the process I developed greater patience, skills working with children, and appreciation for the miracle of our bodies, as well as knowledge of physical therapy philosophy and implementation. There have been struggles along the way but the overall experience has been life-changing.

Being an intern at Now I Can challenged me to develop greater patience and creativity in working with children. Most of the patients I worked with were about four years old and they had therapy four hours a day, five days a week. Understandably, it was a challenging thing for them physically as well as emotionally. My job as an intern was to help motivate them, keep them on-task and make the experience fun for them. With practice and by watching the physical therapists and the physical therapy assistants interact with the patients, I developed new skills at keeping children of all ages engaged in the task at hand and working their hardest. I learned empathy in trying to understand how the patients were feeling and what I could do to make the incredibly challenging therapy experience more enjoyable for them.

The kids' positive attitudes in spite of all of their difficulties have been immensely inspiring for me. They set an example of courage, perseverance and hope that inspires me to be better, to keep a positive perspective and have more gratitude for the many blessings I have received, especially in regards to my own physical body. I have realized that many of the things I take for granted every day, like walking, or putting on my own shoes or being able to use my hands are constant struggles for these children. It makes me appreciate how blessed I have been. As I have worked with the children at Now I Can I have gained greater gratitude, patience, creativity, and perspective. 

This internship was also an awesome opportunity for me to learn more about the work of physical therapy. The therapists and physical therapy assistants were very helpful in answering my questions and explaining why they were doing what they were doing. I had to take an active role in my learning and ask a lot of questions, but for every question I asked, the staff at Now I Can was ready to answer. 

I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to be an intern at Now I Can.  I feel like I am more empathetic and creative and I have a greater understanding of how physical therapy works and how therapists can really make a difference in the lives of their patients. Because of the hard work of the therapists and myself, our patients made amazing strides towards independence and greater ability. Interning at Now I Can gave me greater hope and an increased desire to work hard and prepare myself to be a physical therapist and continue to help children reach their goals.

To learn more about Now I Can visit: http://www.nowican.org/.