April Fun

Going into mentorship this month was very difficult for me to do. I had many different things to worry about and direct my focus towards since I've long completed my 50 required hours. I cut down to only going in once a week from going twice a week. I've had more time to catch up on other things but have felt that I'm missing out on a lot since I no longer go twice.
The times I've gone have been very educational and exciting. I've gotten the hang of the place and my mentor has noticed I've caught on to terms.My mentor, Emily Sevilla, has allowed me to do more hands on with the patients. She'll tell me what exercises I should do with them and I get to work with the patient while she supervises me. Of course she only allows me to do so with certain patients which she knows I can handle. Its been great gaining trust and building confidence in the environment.

Blog 20: Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is, "How can a physical therapist best help a patient with a leg injury recover." My first answer is that the exercises chosen by the physical therapist should strengthen weakened muscles. My second answer is in order for the physical therapist to help a patient recover from a leg injury is by using modalities to promote healing. My third answer is that there should be constant assessments and documentation of the progress. My best answer is that physical therapist should choose the appropriate exercises to strength weakened muscles. According to Jennifer E Stevens-Lapsley and fellow researchers, in an article called “Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Improve Quadriceps Muscle Strength after Total Knee Arthoplasty” saw that in one month after total knee replacement there is a 50% to 60% quadriceps muscle strength decrease. After every sort of injury patients lose muscle strength and have to regain it in order to accomplish full recovery. My mentor, Emily Sevilla, a physical therapist for thirty years told me that the muscles have to regain their strength or else it could lead to even more problems since all the muscles in our body work together to complete an action. My second answer wasn't my best answer because if a physical therapist is only using modailities to promote healing but not doing any exercises after there wouldn't be any improvement. My third answer wasn't my best answer because if the physical therapist is taking constant documentation and assessments of the patients treatments and progress but not doing the appropriate exercises there wouldn't be any improvement.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

To arrive to my best answer I did my mentorship at Emeritus Senior Living with Emily Sevilla, a physical therapist for 30 years. I observed her work with her patients for the first couple of weeks when I began in August, since I couldn’t work hands on with the patients because I had no experience and Emily didn’t know whether I was trust worthy to work with patients. Within the first two months, I began to notice that she would have most of the patients do the same exercises for different types of injuries, so I began to research the benefits from the exercises the patients were doing. I found through my research that each exercise had a certain target group of muscles and saw patients improve throughout the duration of their treatment. Once I knew what muscles were being worked on I researched the purpose and function of that specific muscle. After four months of attending mentorship, Emily began allowing me to work hands on with the patients I have seen her work with. I would choose the exercises that the patient should do and she would ask me what the purpose for choosing that exercise was and what it working on. By May, I began to see the results that the exercises had on the patients. Patients that had trouble moving their legs on their own were walking and with little hesitation.  

(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

The first problem I came across was finding a place to do my mentorship. At the end of junior year I thought about doing my mentorship at the physical therapy facility I attended during my injury. I called and asked if it were possible to do my mentorship there and they told me they didn't let people volunteer since they are a small facility. I then began to look online for physical therapy facilities around my area and I had no luck with any of those locations. So I asked Mrs.Pittman if she knew any place I could do my mentorship and she connected me with Emily Sevilla from Emeritus Senior Living. Another problem I came across was finding quality research. At the beginning I found myself doing research on the occupation itself, which only consisted of the education needed to become a physical therapist and work space. I began to find better quality research by looking into exercises and muscles that were being worked on with patients at Emeritus. I also began to look on the Cal Poly database and PubMed which Ashley told me about.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

One significant source I used was a book by R G Cassens called Muscle Biology which helped me understand muscle contractions and how muscles work together. Another significant source that I used to answer my essential question was my mentor Emily Sevilla. Being able to observe her work with her patients and ask questions on what she was doing gave me a better understanding on how the body works and directed me in a better direction on what I should be researching.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Literal:
(a) Statement saying: "I, student name, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work."
I, Jazmin Castro, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component
I took my online class from saylor.org which is a free academy online. I saw and took notes on lectures given by a UC Berkeley, Professor Marian Diamond. There was also many readings from the Gray's Anatomy book by Harvey Gray and other readings by other others. Then there was assessments from McGraw-Hill's Online Learning Center.
(c)Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours). Post it next to your mentorship log.
It is located on the right hand side of my blog.
(d) Explanation of what you completed.
I completed a free online course of BIO302: Human Anatomy. It consisted of 12 units; introduction to anatomy, integumentary system, skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, lymphatic system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, endocrine system, and the reproductive system.  Each unit consisted of lectures, assessments, interactive labs, and readings from the Gray's Anatomy book.

Interpretive
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (Photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.
The significant part of taking the course was learning proper terms for the human body and how all of the systems work together to get a movement done. It  demonstrates more than 30 hours of work because I had to sit down and work for several hours in order to get through the readings, lectures, and assessments fro each unit. Each reading consisted of more than 40 pages, one of the readings was around 300 pages explaining every muscle through out the body and I had to go through it and write important notes on it. Most readings were around 300 pages because it was well detailed and explained every aspect that had to be known.

Cornell Notes on Unit 1: Introduction of Anatomy

Cornell Notes on Unit 3: Skeletal System

Cornell Notes on Unit 4: Muscular System

Interactive Lab 

Assessment on labeling

 Assessment on labeling the bone

Assessment on Labeling Lower Extremity Bones

Applied
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
This component helped me answer my EQ by learning the human body and systems functions. I learned how movements are done by muscle contractions. I now have a foundation on how the human body works and know medical terms that will help with my EQ answers. Such as my first answer which consists of the physical therapist choosing the appropriate exercises to strengthen weakened muscles, now I know what muscles should be targeted to exercise and how it affects the entire area. Along with the muscles and bones that go along with the movement.

The Wonders of Athletic Tape

At the beginning of the month I was feeling discomfort on my foot when I would bend my toes downward. I thought I had probably stepped wrong while running, but the discomfort continued for almost two weeks so I decided to mention it to Emily Sevilla,  my mentor, a physical therapist for 30 years. I explained the pain I felt and she told me it was most likely the arc of my foot flattening out due to the lack of support in my running shoes. She then told me that taping the arc of my foot with athletic tape would help with supporting the arc and demonstrated how I should tape it. 

I did some research on my own about athletic taping and I found out that using athletic taping helps reduce the pain a person feels by building support. The taping doesn't let the joint or area extend all the way to the point where pain is felt and also reducing the rang of flection. Taping is done differently for each area that is being targeted.  

Athletic Tape 

Taping for the arch of the foot.

Taping for the knee.

Blog 18: Third Answer

EQ:

How can a physical therapist best help a patient with a leg injury recover?

Answer #3:

Having assessments and documentation of the progress a patient makes helps with the recovery.

3 Details to Support the Answer:

1.  The assessments show the progress a patient has done over a period of time, allowing the physical therapist determine if the treatment is beneficial.

2. The documentation is just the written down progress/treatment the patient has gone through, that can be referred to later.

3. The assessments can be done weekly, biweekly, or daily. It is up to the physical therapist to decide. At Emertius. the physical therapist write down the exercises they did, along with resistance, pain, and amount of help the patient needed every day they go into physical therapist and see the progress the patient has done.

The Research source(s)  to support your detail and answer:

• My third interview with Emily Sevilla, a physical therapist assistant for 30 years.
• My mentorship at Emeritus Senior Living, with Emily Sevilla, a physical therapist assistant for 30 years. 

Concluding Sentence:

The physical therapist doing assessments and documentation of the patient's progress is a great way for a physical therapist to help a patient with a leg injury.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

1. How do you know if a patient is working to their fullest?
2. How do assessments help with the improvement in patients?
3. What are physical therapy modalities?
4. Which modality is best in your opinion and why?
5. How do you educate a patient on safety precautions?
6. How do safety precautions vary among patients? 
7. How can you get the most out of a patients participation?
8. Is there reasons why a modality couldn't be used on a patient?
9. Why are modalities used?
10. Does exercising until muscle fatigue help in strengthening? Why or why not?
11. How does using modalities help?
12. What can be done to see the best improvement in a patient?
13. Is there a quicker way to recover?
14. Can a modality make things worse?
15. What are different types of safety precautions a patient has to be aware of?
16. What is the most common modality used?
17. What is the effect of each modality?
18. Do patients benefit more by doing exercises sitting down or laying down?
19. How can a patient best benefit from an exercise?
20. Is there more benefit by doing big sets of exercise or small sets and many repetitions?

Walking on Different Surfaces

This month, we had a patient from the facility I do my mentorship at,  moving into the facility next door. The facility I do my mentorship at is more of a hospital format and the facility next door is an apartment format. Usually the patients from the facility I do my mentorship at go to the facility next door when they become more independent.

We were working with a patient who was about to move into the next door facility, until she was well enough to go back home. My mentor, Emily Sevilla, decided that going next door to the other facility and doing her physical therapy would help see how the patient would be able to move around with the new surroundings. We went to the 2nd floor and watched how she would do going up and done the elevator alone without any assistance. Then we went to some rooms, where Emily had the patient open and close the door to get in and out of the room with the walker. Emily showed her different techniques she could use to make it easier on herself. The walking and opening and closing the doors also helped with the patient's balance.

Lobby of the Facility next door

One of the rooms in the facility