getting my hands dirty.

Wow. What a day! I spent seven hours at the rehab gym today with a Baylor PTA, probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. She explained everything in so much detail that I felt like I was already in school, furiously scribbling notes as she discussed treatment plans and documentation.

Medical terminology from today:
supine—from a lying down position
bilateral—both, as in bilateral lower extremities
dorsal flexion—pulling the foot up
plantar flexion—pushing the foot down

I had a moment in which I considered becoming a PTA instead of a PT because of the amount of paperwork a PT does versus the amount of patient care a PTA does. But I think I will like the break in seeing patients. And I've never minded paperwork, though I don't care much for shorthand and acronyms. I'm a writer, which will come in handy, but I can't imagine what my documentation will look like. It will definitely have perfect grammar. And it will probably be written entirely in AP style.

But I digress. We saw four patients today, and I actually got to be hands-on; grabbing equipment, entertaining the patients (all residents at the facility), cleaning up spilled water—I know, it doesn't sound that glamorous, but I was thrilled to actually get my hands dirty.


Important lesson of the day: Getting along with the nursing staff is crucial. The PTA I worked with had the respect and favor of everyone on the nursing staff, and they were willing to work with her in getting patients ready for therapy. She spoke to everyone she encountered, kept a smile on her face, interacted with each resident, and did it all while coaching me through the process. What an amazing person!

After lunch we saw a dementia patient. I'll admit, I almost took my Chick Fil A and made a mad dash through the secured exit. I wasn't sure I wanted to come back after lunch; I wasn't sure I could handle what might come next. I had no idea what to expect, except that I was praying it wasn't a screamer or a cryer. It wasn't. It was actually one of the sweetest, most adorable elderly men I've ever met, and though he fell asleep several times during his treatment, when it was time to throw the ball to each other, he livened up quite a bit. He held his head down most of the time, but occasionally he would look up from underneath his black corduroy pageboy with his wide blue eyes and smile at us as if he was wholeheartedly enjoying the undivided attention from two young women. And each time, my heart would melt.

So far, so good.