Capstone
Liz Pautz
Physical Therapy
Lesson Plan 1 : Examine the Healthcare Community
The healthcare community consists of a broad range of people from healthcare professionals to patients; their ages, physical ability, lifestyle, etc. can majorly impact the role of physical therapists (PT) in the future. These variations of conditions determine what kind and how much work a PT will have to accomplish. Along with the diversity of people within the healthcare system, there are also numerous procedures, technologies, teams, and laws that need to be applied in the daily workplace. As a starting physical therapist, you must first obtain a Wisconsin State License for the practice by taking a Medical Examining Board at the State and National levels, as well as any other exams that the state you live in or the profession you’re going into requires. All healthcare organizations, such as the Joint Commission, FDA, HHS, HIPAA, etc. ultimately determine what can go on and what can be used in a healthcare setting. As a physical therapist, all organizations would apply to me because they either set in place laws that safeguard my patient’s privacy and confidentiality, or they can regulate the smaller things such as drugs prescription, medical devices, and biological vaccines. This could expand or deviate the range of products/procedures that a physical therapist would be available to to treat their patients. A major healthcare trend that has shown up in the past decade is the aging population; as a PT, this could mean more arthritis, joint dislocations, physical injuries, or simple strength training procedures I would need to do. It has been proven that with injuries come with age, and healing also takes longer as a person ages. A physical therapist would have a major role in helping relieve/fix the body ailments of all people including athletes, the elderly, or everyday people.
Lesson Plan 2 : Demonstrate Professional Behaviors as a Member of a Healthcare Team
A physical therapist works with a broad and diverse range of individuals. They are required to interact with both their team of medical professionals and with their patients. In the healthcare setting, it is appropriate to use and apply a professional behavior. As a physical therapy patient, you want to know that your therapist knows what they’re doing, explains what they’re doing thoroughly, and has an end goal in mind. As a physical therapist, it is crucial to explain these aspects so that your patient feels as confident and comfortable as possible. Communication with other healthcare professionals, such as the patient’s primary doctor/physician and your physical therapy team members, is important; by explaining what procedures, steps, and/or materials you will be using to treat the body ailment because it will let them know both your current and future plans. The most important relationship within the physical therapy occupation is between you and your co-workers. Using the appropriate tone and language with them demonstrates to them that you have respect for them and are willing to work cooperatively with them in any procedure. This plays an important role in the healthcare system because everything is completed by or within a team, and building strong relationships will only better this experience.
Lesson Plan 3 : Protect Patient Privacy and Confidentiality
As a physical therapist, keeping the patient's information private and confident is crucial. This means that any procedures, medication they're taking, treatments they're doing, etc. should be kept to the patients and your knowledge only. Under HIPAA, a health care provider is required to keep this kind of information confidential. As a physical therapist, you could be working with patients who might be embarrassed with their injury and do not want anyone to know, or you could work with patients who don't care who knows what is wrong with them; either way, medical records must be kept private. This means no leaving voicemails in their inbox with any kind of medical information, no talking to other people about a patient and their symptoms, or disclosing any medical information to any source. As a physical therapist, it may also be a good idea to locate to a separate room with your patient to discuss details on their case; this way no outside source will be able to intercept any kind of information that's being discussed.
Lesson Plan 4 : Demonstrate Effective Interpersonal and Written Communication Skills in the Healthcare Setting
Physical therapy is an occupation where the therapist has to keep their emotions and feelings in check, because during everyday, they will encounter some type of frustrating or challenging obstacle. Patients are looking at the physical therapist to help them with their injury or problem, so it's essential for the therapist to work through tough situations. Non-verbal messages such as facial expressions, bad posture, and lack of interaction may indicate to your patient that you aren't as concerned and committed to their therapy session as much as you should be. As a PT, you must keep and maintain a professional profile so the patients come back for more of your service. Within your healthcare team as a physical therapist, writing descriptive informative letters to other professionals and communicating effectively with your team will benefit you and your patient; this will build a strong, trustful relationship within the group.
Lesson Plan 5 : Integrate Principles of Customer Service in the Healthcare Setting
Being committed to customer service as a physical therapist is crucial in this profession because the sole purpose is to serve and interact with the patient’s needs. You will want to ensure that the patient feels comfortable working with you and that they’re happy with the results of their appointments and service. Accommodating to their requests or expectations will only bring success to you as the health care professional. As a physical therapist, this could mean changing exercises that are too challenging for your patient to simpler but still have to same amount of effective on the patient. Also, working around a patient’s schedule to fit in their appointments/sessions is important as a physical therapist.
Lesson Plan 6 : Apply and Organized Process to Solve Problems in the Healthcare Setting
Your primary job as a physical therapist to solve and fix your patient’s problems or to help them overcome an injury. Using the 5 steps to problem solving is essential because all steps need to be taken in order to apply the best treatment for your patient. Defining the problem is one of the most important steps because this allows you to pinpoint what’s irritating the patient and where. Brainstorming, picking a solution and implementing the solution can be used in order or out of order depending on the severity of the body ailment. Finally, after an effective solution is successful on your patient, the physical therapist must review the procedure/treatment to see what worked and what didn’t work so that they are able to learn from the case as well as possibly apply it to a future case.
Works Cited
Donohoe, M. (Ed.). (2017, February). Physical Therapy. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/phys-therapy.html
Gardner, K. (n.d.). Role of a Physical Therapist. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/RoleofaPT/
Health Information Privacy. (2015, December 18). Retrieved May 11, 2017, from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/
Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2017, from http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/laws_selling/lib0011.html