What Are The Similarities Between The Clinical Clinics In The Classroom

Throughout our experiences at both clinics we observed several similarities between the therapists, clinics and what we had learned in the classroom. First, both clinics schedule one patient every thirty minutes per PT. The PT stated that this was a common trend amongst most outpatient orthopedic clinics. Another similarity was the selection and use of manual techniques as both therapist have coincidentally received their Fellowships from The Manual Therapy Institute. Which also made them both exhibit manual therapy driven treatment sessions. Likewise, they chose exercises that were similar to those we are taught in our program as they are both adjunct faculty and aid in the labs. Other congruences we noticed between the clinics is that both …show more content…
A few of the differences we observed include the use of modalities, reps and sets versus timed exercises, the use of technicians, outcome measure use and whether or not there was a warm up. When at the MARC, the PT chose to end sessions using modalities, whereas, current evidence and classroom curriculum has discouraged the use of most modalities due to lack of evidence supporting their effectiveness. The MARC also differed in that the clinic runs with several technicians allowing the PT to multitask more efficiently. Contrastly, the therapist at Momentum was required to supervise one patient while treating another patient. We believe that was the rationale for having patients perform exercises in doses of three to five minutes rather than sets and reps. Another difference between the MARC, what we learn in class, and what the research states is the disuse of outcome measures in the Momentum clinic. Outcome measures according to the APTA, “are important in direct management of individual patient care and for the opportunity they provide the profession in collectively comparing care and determining effectiveness.” However, as learned in class, many electronic medical record systems contain parts of outcome measures and may account for some disuse. Lastly, the PTs at the MARC had all of their …show more content…
Although this was not our first observations, it enabled us to understand our strengths and weakness while in this particular setting. We both had the opportunities to see diagnoses that we had learned about in class. And with our current level of knowledge, it was relatively simple to create an exercise plan. However, it further clarified that situations in the clinic will not be as black and white as the classroom. At the beginning of these observations, we felt more confident as to what to expect and what our capabilities were. Some aspects such as documentation and efficiency are areas that will continue to progress with time and practice. Additionally, the preceptorships that we completed has enabled us to see what physical therapy settings we may want to pursue in the future. It is constructive to observe under multiple therapists because we are able to see the similarities and differences between their manual work and are able to ask questions in regard to why they use specific techniques over others. Classroom work and literature searches are a great place to start a solid foundation of knowledge, but it is in the clinic while working with real patients where we learn the