I did something fun and cool today that I wanted to share.
As most of you know, I’ve been in PT for my back and legs to get reconditioned. Last week my PT had a physical therapy assistant student observing and I gave permission for her to interact in my session. She asked me a bunch of questions about my wheelchair, daily activities, etc. I thought well, if she is interested then I bet her classmates might have similar questions! So I called the community college where she attends class and they liked my idea. So today, I went to their class and talked about my mobility issues, what I do to get around my home and whatnot. I also gave them a long time to ask questions and they asked some good ones. I gave them my email addy so they could ask anything else they wanted to later.
I thought this was so cool that I was able to use my disability and knowledge to help students learn. They seemed to really be interested in someone who actually lives what they are learning in their textbooks. I told them it’s important to be creative in helping their clients because there won’t be a truly “textbook” patient. Each person is different and what they learn in class won’t be exactly how it is in real life.
Anyways, I thought it was a really cool experience and wanted to share 🙂
Jamie
cool experience! i’ve talked to some med students in the past and will be talking to some pt students at columbia later this fall — i love it, the students love it, and it gives them a much better education than any lecture or textbook.
i love pt — i hated it as a kid but now, doing ongoing pt helps me keep up my strength and flexibility and lets me do what i need to do. i think that way more adults with sb need to be in therapy…too many of us drop out after while b/c it’s thought to be a peds thing. i feel lucky that my physiatrist believes in ongoing pt, writes my scripts, and supports my evals, and that my insurance pays..