Provo, UT; Utah State Hospital Physical Therapy Clinic - Phillip

My internship at the Utah State Hospital has been a great and unique experience. I have had patient responsibility and been able to work directly with several patients. After the Physical Therapist evaluates a new patient, he will create a treatment program for them. It is then my responsibility to help the patient through their treatment program each day. This includes exercises and modalities that focus on recovery as well as improving strength, endurance, and flexibility. Having already taken classes at BYU in Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Biomechanics, and Psychology, among others, helped prepare me for this experience working with patients.

Patients of all ages come to the physical therapy clinic (there are units with pediatric, youth, adult, high-risk forensic, and geriatric patients). Each patient is very different and deals with physical difficulties as well as mental illnesses of varying degrees. Because of this, I have learned to be adaptable in many different situations. I have developed greater patience and care for others. It is challenging to work with those who are struggling, but also very rewarding to know that I am making a positive difference in their lives.

Overall, my internship at the Utah State Hospital Physical Therapy clinic has been a wonderful experience. I’m sure I will remember these experiences for the rest of my life.  I have become more aware of mental disorders and I have become more kind and understanding. I also feel more prepared for my future in the health care industry where I will be working with patients on a daily basis.

Provo Ut; Intermountain Healthcare Cardio Rehabilitation- Kaitlin "100 Day Heart Challenge"

For the last 100 days, I have had the opportunity of working with the 100-day heart challenge participants here at the hospital in Provo.  At the beginning of the program, I was given three participants for whom I would devise work-out routines, and essentially, oversee their physical fitness during the course of the challenge.  With my three participants this summer, I have seen struggles, disappoints, failures, heart aches, successes, and joys.  I have watched as they have motivated themselves to work through pain and trials to change their lives for the better.

I will admit, at the onset, I was skeptical.  I did not really know if 100 days could make a significant difference in the lives of these individuals.  How wrong I was!  And the benefits run deeper than I ever could have imagined.  They are physical, emotional, and spiritual.  Not only have these people learned to sweat and enjoy it (both physically as well as through emotional and spiritual trials as well) but I have gained so much from my experience with them.  Not only have I learned that I actually could love personal training (who knew?), but I've seen the examples of these individuals, and have learned greatly from their life wisdom.  Each has been a blessing to me in my life as I struggle through the many decisions I am facing.

Soon, these contestants will have their final weigh in, and one of them will be declared a winner, but to me they are all winners because of the decision they made to change their lives for the better.  At this time, our paths will part, but I know that I will forever be changed by the decision I made to do an internship this summer. 

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/.