PhysioEdge Physical Therapy

Internship
Samantha McGarity

APPLIED LEARNING PRODUCT: INJURY PAMPHLET

WHAT IS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST? WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
Physical therapists (PT) work one-on-one with patients to treat an injury or Product
Through the completion of the capstone research paper, I have learned more
pain. They provide patients with a treatment plan, typically consisting of elements such My STEM Internship Capstone Project is a pamphlet about PhysioEdge Physical Therapy as well as the diagnosis and treatment of hip injuries. The
about myself. Many sections of the paper, such as “Chapter Three: Personal
as specific exercises, ice/ heat routines, and sometimes referral to another doctor, such pamphlet has six panels, which include: a title page/ front cover, patient reviews of PhysioEdge, services offered at PhysioEdge, common hip injuries and their
Assessment,” taught me to examine the qualities I possess, and I have learned my
as an orthopedic surgeon. Although physical therapists are often seen in small/ causes, general treatment for these hip injuries, and an overview of the physical therapists at PhysioEdge.
personality type and learning style. According to the Myers Briggs Personality Test, I
individual practices, they are also employed in hospitals to help patients rehabilitate have the personality type of an “INFJ,” meaning my strongest traits are “introverted,
from traumatic injuries, such as paralysis. PTs work about nine hours a day, a typical Need intuitive, feeling, and judging” (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2024). I am prone to
workday in the United States, five days a week, and they spend most of that time The PhysioEdge pamphlet I have created connects to both the educational and marketing side of physical therapy. As a physical therapist, it is important for wanting to “make the world a better place” and “take care of everyone else” through
working with patients. Each patient is typically seen for 40 minutes to an hour to patients to understand their injuries as well as how to help them find a solution. Through the pamphlet, a patient will get a better grasp of what their issue could empathy and passion (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2024). In a career, my personality
ensure that the physical therapist can properly investigate the patient’s issue and potentially be (if not yet diagnosed), other issues like theirs, and general instructions on what they could do to help themselves recover. Although the PT will give looks for a job that involves “helping and connecting with people,” which is the base
provide treatment. the patient specific directions, they need to have additional (and reliable) resources about their hip issue so they may be able to do additional activities to speed up of what a physical therapist does for a living (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2024).
It takes 7-8 years of higher education to become a physical therapist. First, a the recovery process. Additionally, a patient might have a friend or family member who is suffering from an injury, so they can pick up a pamphlet corresponding Additionally, I am a tactile learner; I like to learn through feeling and “physical
bachelor’s degree is required, typically in “biology, kinesiology, and exercise science,” to that person’s injury to give them information about it. It will allow that person access to dependable information about their injury, their healing process, and a movement” (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, 2022). This quality
and this will take around four years to complete (Mozafaripour, 2024). After an place where they can go for help: PhysioEdge Physical Therapy. also works with my interest in being a physical therapist because PTs are always
appropriate bachelor’s degree is earned, an aspiring PT must apply to a DPT (Doctor Just as important as the patient care side of physical therapy is the “back-end” of it, as my mentor Al Gesite calls it. The back end consists of running the touching patients their and equipment to analyze an injury or pain.
of Physical Therapy) program through a PTCAS (Physical Therapist Centralized business by keeping up with patient information, insurance, scheduling, and marketing. My pamphlet focuses on the marketing of the back-end work. It From this project, I have also learned the importance of the knowledge and
Application Service). An aspiring PT will also go through “clinical education,” in introduces PhysioEdge to new customers by providing images of the building and the physical therapists that work there, the qualifications of the PTs, and their practice incorporated into being a physical therapist. While creating the informational
which they will undergo “supervised experience in a clinical setting in different areas contact information. Additionally, there is a panel containing customer reviews, which will show new customers that PhysioEdge is a reliable and well-liked section about hip injuries, I noticed that there was a lot of information I did not
of physical therapy” (Mozafaripour, 2024). A DPT program will take about three years physical therapy practice. By incorporating both the front and back end of a physical therapist's work into the pamphlet, it successfully portrays everything a know, ranging from anatomy to correct exercise form. To become a physical
in total if the proper educational track is maintained. Finally, after passing the NPTE patient needs to know about PhysioEdge and the help they can provide for specific injuries. This pamphlet will serve as a prototype for PhysioEdge to use in the therapist, I will not only have to know and understand these aspects for hip injuries
(National Physical Therapy Exam), a physical therapist needs to obtain a license to future creation of pamphlets about other types of injuries, such as the shoulder or knee, and the company would be able to copy the entire format besides panels but for injuries to all parts of the body. It will take me many years to become
practice in their state of residence. four and five, on which they can edit information to coordinate with the body part the pamphlet focuses on. accustomed to all the new information, and it will take practice on real patients for
There are some specific personality traits beneficial to being a physical me to fully understand anatomy and injuries. However, this level of knowledge and
therapist: problem-solving, quick thinking, and empathy. Each patient comes to Methods practice is a challenge that I am ready for because human anatomy and helping others
physical therapy with a problem, and it is the PT’s job to figure out what the issue is 1) To gather information for the pamphlet, I made a “Patient Satisfaction Form” that I left on the front desk for patients to fill out as they were leaving. I got are both aspects of my career that I will enjoy. Additionally, I have learned important
and how to correct it. Additionally, they need to work quickly during a session. Each reviews from many patients and incorporated the results, along with Google reviews of PhysioEdge, into the second panel of the pamphlet. life skills, such as customer service, perseverance, and workplace etiquette. During
patient only has about one hour of the physical therapist’s time, so it is crucial that the my internship, I served customers many times by answering their phone calls and
PT has plentiful knowledge and can promptly decipher what the problem is and how to 2) I created a QR code for both the PhysioEdge website and a digital “Patient Satisfaction Form” to add to the pamphlet, also on panel two. This QR code scheduling their next appointments. I also have learned how to persevere through
solve it. Lastly, a PT needs empathy to understand the patient’s pain as well as the ensures that patients have easy access to both information about the practice and a way to leave a review of their experience. daunting and long-lasting projects, both in the capstone research paper and my
pace of their recovery, since it is individualized to each patient. assigned project of cleaning out the filing cabinet. Finally, I have learned proper
3) I used photos of the physical therapists at PhysioEdge to create a panel (panel six) about their qualifications. This information makes the patients familiar workplace etiquette. I have never had a job before, but through my internship at

MY INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE with the staff and allows them to feel comfortable with their treatment. PhysioEdge, I was able to learn how to work under a “boss” (my mentor, Al Gesite)
and follow their directions while forming good relations. Overall, the internship and
My internship at PhysioEdge Physical Therapy was a great introduction into
4) I created a panel (panel three) about the different treatments and services that PhysioEdge offers, including dry needling, functional movement screening, and process of completing the capstone project have been beneficial to me and I have
pilates. I gathered this information from the PhysioEdge website and other reliable sources. This panel allows the patients to know how the PTs may work to learned more about both myself and working in the real world. I am grateful for this
physical therapy as a career. Not only was I able to talk to patients and gain customer
help them and provides a visual for each procedure that can be done at PhysioEdge. experience and all that it has taught me, and I look forward to applying what I have
service experience, but I was also able to see physical therapists at work from the
point of view of an employee. I had previously known my mentor, Al Gesite, owner learned in my future career.
5) The pamphlet then focuses specifically on hip injuries in the fourth and fifth panels by providing information about the most common hip injuries and basic
of PhysioEdge, because I was a patient at PhysioEdge for my cross-country injuries.
instructions for treatment. The information used to create these panels comes from PhysioEdge’s own website.
However, getting to see him work on different patients, as well as the “back-end”
work of running a business, was an enriching experience. REFERENCES
From my internship, I learned how to do hard work consistently and have
Cleveland Clinic. (2024, April 12). Work out smarter, not harder, with blood flow
patience, important qualities needed for a physical therapist. Although sometimes I
restriction training. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/blood-flow-
was able to assist the physical therapists with their work, I mainly worked with the
restriction-training
receptionist, Tiffany Bass, to help patients schedule appointments and settle insurance
Introduction to hip. PhysioEdge Physical Therapy &I Rehabilitation. (n.d.).
issues. I was also assigned the long-term project of cleaning out old patient files in a
https://www.physioedge.net/Injuries-Conditions/Hip/Introduction-to-
huge filing cabinet. Once I had taken all of the old papers out of their folders, I
Hip/a~2461/article.html
decided which ones could be thrown away and which ones must be shredded. Papers
Introduction: Infj personality (advocate). 16Personalities. (2024).
with only patient name/ date of visit could be thrown away, while papers with
https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality
personal information, such as social security number or address, must be shredded. I
Mozafaripour, S. (2024, February 26). How to become a physical therapist in 6
worked on the project for the majority of my internship (estimated 30+) hours, and I
steps: USAH. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
finished it on the last day of the internship.
https://www.usa.edu/blog/how-to- become-a-physical-therapist/
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as an intern at PhysioEdge. On top of
What’s Your Learning Style? The Results. What’s Your learning style? 20 questions.
gaining work experience, I was able to learn more about human anatomy and physical
(2022). http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-
therapy, which are both topics that interest me. I will be able to use this information
Outside of the pamphlet (panels 2,6, and 1). Inside of the pamphlet (panels 3, 4, and 5). assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml?event=results&A=5&V=7&T=8
going forward as I pursue a career in the medical field.