Blog 24 - Last Presentation Reflection

1) Positive Statement: 

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

• In my block presentation, I am most proud that I made time! When I was practicing my senior project lesson, I found that I went over the time a lot, which made me a lot more confident. However, I find that whenever I present in front of the class, I forget to mention a lot of the things I would say when I am practicing.  Because of this, the time I thought I was going to talk for was not the time I actually talked for, but regardless, it was still enough! In the end, I am proud that I was able to get everything to come together and run smoothly during my presentation. 

2) Questions to Consider: 

          a. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

• I would give myself an AE on my block presentation. I completed all of the P requirements and met all of the criteria in each section of the component contract. As far as professionalism goes, I did dress professionally and was able to engage my audience. I had an effective use of creativity/organization and justified my answers with multiple sources. I think my activity really explained my topic and my best answer in my debrief. 

         b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

• I would give myself an AE on my overall senior project. I would give myself an AE because throughout the year, I was able to get AEs on the big parts of senior project that include, independent components, interviews, and both of my first two lessons. Because of this, I think I deserve an AE overall.

3) What worked for you in your senior project?

• In my senior project, I think my overall understanding of the topic really worked well for me. My interviews gave me a lot of expert insight into my topic and that really set the foundation for my senior project. Research also went pretty smooth for me as well, because my topic has a lot of information on it. 

4) What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

• If I had a time machine, I probably would have tried to do my mentorship at a different location. This is because my mentorship wasn't really as great as I thought it would be. The staff there wasn't as friendly or as helpful as I would have liked, but I didn't let  this stop me from learning. 

5) Finding Value: 

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

• The senior project has been helpful to me in my future endeavors by showing me what it was actually like to be a pediatric physical therapist. Originally, before I started my senior project, I wanted to pursue this topic as a future career. However, throughout the process of my project, I discovered a few aspects of the career I did not care for, and because of that, I no longer want to pursue this career in the future. Although, there were also a few aspects of the career that I did like, so now I know I would like those certain aspects to be part of the future career I do decide to pursue. I think as far as my future goes, the senior project has really taught me to open up to people and put yourself out there if you want to get something done. Overall, from the project, I have learned a lot of intellectual knowledge as well as social/personal skills that I know I will put to good use in my future. 

Blog 23 - Exit Interview Prep

1. What is your essential question and what are your answers?

• EQ: What is the most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential?
• Answer 1: The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is active parent participation.
• Answer 2: The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is a strong relationship between the PT and the child.
• Answer 3: The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is a strong skill set from the physical therapist.

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

• It was quite a long process to arrive at my answers. I was not exactly sure how to go about searching for them, so I decided to let my mentorship guide me. It took a good while for me to start to understand my topic and the process of it. From there, I was able to arrive to my first answer just based on what I saw with during my mentorship. Then, I let my experience at my mentorship guide my research and from there, I was able to find my second and third answer. 

3. What problems did you face?

• I had a lot of problems with my mentorship when I first started. It was really hard for me to find a place to volunteer at, being in that it is a job in the medical field. When I finally got my mentor, I found that she was not as willing to help with some things as I would have liked her to. However, I did not let this stop me from experiencing and learning new things at my mentorship. I definitely was expected a lot more help than I got at my mentorship but, I was able to not let this stop the growth of my project. 

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

• Buckland, Melanie, and Maureen Suhr. "The Physical Therapist- Patient Relationship Through the Years." HSS: The Playbook. N.p., 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2015. <https://www.hss.edu/playbook/the-physical-therapist-patient-relationship-through-the-years/#.Vg4Zb_nBzGc>.
• This source in specific really gave good information for all my answers. It made me realize that there are a lot of different elements that go into pediatric physical therapy and they all have a specific importance.
• "Preparing for Your Visit with a Physical Therapist." Move Forward. American Physical Therapy Association, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015. <http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Resources/Prepare.aspx#.VfuRHH9Vikq>
• This source gave me a lot information for my third answer to be specific. It really went into detail as to why a physical therapist needs to be so knowledgeable in their field.

Blog 22 - Independent Component 2

1. Literal

• a)  "I, Megan Thi, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work."
• b) Website: Carnegie Mellon University - Open Learning Initiative 
• Class: Anatomy and Physiology 
• http://oli.cmu.edu/courses/free-open/anatomy-physiology/ 
• c)  Senior Project Hours:
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XypT3oTppXYuirmBN9VZXjMhynEhiQra8tdKqh8Irm0/edit?usp=sharing
• d) For my Independent Component 1, I chose to complete an online class. This course was called Anatomy and Physiology. This is one of the required classes you have to take when getting an education to become a physical therapist. In this course, you learn a lot about all the different systems in the body and how they all work together for the body to function. 

2. Interpretive 

• I am showing proof of completing this component by attaching pictures of any quizzes or pictures I found interesting while taking my class. I have a lot more screenshots of further little quizzes if you would like to see them, let me know! During this whole process, I learned and processed a lot of information about the body. It was definitely a lot more complex than I expected it to be. Taking this course online and being able to see the visuals provided really helped me process everything a lot easier! 

3. Applied

• This component was very helpful to my senior project in many ways! In specific, it helped me develop an answer to my EQ. Getting a job in the medical field is definitely not an easy task. Not only do you have to put what you learned into practice, but you also have to make sure that everything you learned is remembered correctly. This is extremely important in physical therapy because usually the PT is in charge of evaluating a patient and diagnosing their issue so that they can develop a plan of treatment. However, if the evaluation is wrong, the plan and treatment will be wrong, creating a chain of negative events. This is what one of my answers to my EQ, "What is the most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical ability?" is with a proper evaluation/diagnosis. The PT should also know everything they can about the human anatomy because patients in pediatric PT are still growing and PTs need to be prepared for any unexpected problems that may happen during that growth period. Also, by my learning a lot more about how the muscular and skeletal systems work, I have a clearer understanding when at my mentorship. I can now figure out why my mentor is doing a certain stretch or exercise on a patient because I know more about the body now! Overall, this component has helped me to understand the physical therapy field a lot more!

Blog 21 - Fourth Interview Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?

• In this interview, I learned a lot of important things. A lot of the question I asked really further solidified my three answers and gave me more background information as to why they are so important. My interviewee also gave me a lot of real life examples of certain situations so I was able to better visualize and understand more. 

2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

• It doesn't change much as far as my three answers go. However, I did learn a lot and I have a lot more new information to support my answers. I also now have a lot more real life examples I can talk about during my final lesson!

Link to Interview #4 Soundclip:
https://soundcloud.com/megan-thi/interview-4

Blog 20 - Interview 4 Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? What is this person's area of expertise? 

• As of now, I have a few people in mind to interview.
• My mentor, Debbie Choben: Pediatric Physical Therapist
• Co-volunteer, Kenneth: Child Therapy Aide
• My first interviewee, Cindy Eslava: Pediatric Physical Therapist
• The one I choose to interview will all just depend on their scheduling as far as when they are available. I hope of all three, I get to interview my first interviewee the most because she really gave me the foundation for me to start my senior project. I would like to finish that foundation by interviewing her for my last one as well. 

2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers for you EQ. 

• EQ: What is the most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential?
• What is the biggest challenge in pediatric physical therapy? Solutions?
• What is the first appointment/evaluation like with the patient? How important would you say it is?
• What can a parent do to become more involved in the physical therapy process? 
• How do you know when a child has reached their "full physical potential?"
• How important is developing a strong relationship with the patient?
• What does that relationship consist of? (trust, communication, etc.)
• How important is working in a team in pediatric physical therapy?
• How can a pediatric physical therapist establish good communication with the parents?
• What factors play a part when making a plan for a patient?
• Through research, one of the goals of pediatric PT for the patient is for them to "function independently in all environments." How do you work towards that and is it different for different patients?
• What is the most rewarding thing about pediatric physical therapy?
• What is the best form of patient/parent education?
• What happens when the patient/parent does not receive good education? 
• What are the unexpected factors that you have to keep in mind when doing pediatric PT?
• Has there ever been a time when a parent does not comply to the plans? How does this affect therapy and what can you do to help?
• If you had to pick one, what would be the most important factor that ensures successful pediatric physical therapy and why?
• Throughout your years of being a physical therapist, what is the most important skill you have learned?
• What goes into having a good evaluation? How may this affect the therapy to come?
• What certain characteristics should a good pediatric PT possess?

Blog 19 - Third Answer

1. What is your EQ?

• What is the most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential?

2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is active parent participation.

3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is a strong relationship between the PT and the child.

4. What is your third answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is a strong diagnosis/evaluation and flexible planning.

5. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• PTs are usually responsible for the diagnosis of a patient for their disorder/injury. This is a critical step towards any sort of patient recovery. A proper diagnosis will allow for a proper path to making successful plan. 
• Planning is essential in physical therapy. It is really important because physical therapy is not a one time thing. It usually happens over the span of a time frame and the progress is gradual and not instant. Having a plan ensures that this progress is made and is successful.
• Especially in pediatric physical therapy, curve balls are being thrown constantly. Not only does the PT have to deal with the physical growth of the child, but also the emotional/social growth of the child. This means that the plans do have to be solid but also flexible in the way that it can deal with any unexpected factors that the PT may be encountering. 

6. What printed source best supports your answer?

• "Preparing for Your Visit with a Physical Therapist." Move Forward. American Physical Therapy Association, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015. <http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Resources/Prepare.aspx#.VfuRHH9Vikq>

7. What other source supports your answer?

• Milligan, Lauren. "The Initial Visit Is Everything." WebPT. WebPT, 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <https://www.webpt.com/blog/post/the-initial-visit-is-everything>.

8. Tie this together with a concluding thought. 

• Overall, I picked a strong diagnosis/evaluation and flexible planning as my second answer because it is especially important in pediatric physical therapy. Both are reliant on  each other and the overall process of the pediatric physical therapy. If the PT does a proper evaluation and makes a solid plan for the patient while still being able to deal with the unexpected factors, it will ensure that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential. 

Blog 18 - Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?

• What is the most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential?

2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is active parent participation.

3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

• The most important factor in ensuring that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential is a strong relationship between the PT and the child.

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• Trust: the patient needs to be able to trust the PT at all times. If the child does not trust the PT, more than likely the patient (keeping in mind is a child) will be scared and not comfortable around the PT. This makes sessions, exercises, etc. so much harder and will not let the child reach his/her full physical potential. I have seen this first hand at my mentorship and it shows that if the patient trusts and is comfortable with the PT, it is much easier for the PT to do their job.
• Fun: because this is pediatric physical therapy, physical therapy needs to be fun at all times. The patient will not do the work they are suppose to if they are not having a good time. This "fun" really acts like their motivation to do their exercises and stretches. They don't see it as work, but rather, "fun" and are much more inclined to reach their full physical potential if they have fun! I have seen this first hand at my mentorship and my mentor really urges to make sure she is having fun with her patient. 
• Communication: it's very common for a pediatric PT patient to have a disorder of some kind and that may include disorders that hinder their ability to communicate. However, this does not mean they do not understand what you are saying. It is very important to tell the patient what you are doing to them and be very verbal during the sessions. At my mentorship, there is not a time where my mentor does not talk to her patient. There is a constant exchange of words or sounds and that makes the PT experience all the more successful.

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

• Buckland, Melanie, and Maureen Suhr. "The Physical Therapist- Patient Relationship Through the Years." HSS: The Playbook. N.p., 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2015. <https://www.hss.edu/playbook/the-physical-therapist-patient-relationship-through-the-years/#.Vg4Zb_nBzGc>.

6. What other source supports your answer?

• Andrus, Brooke. "5 Reasons Patient Engagement Is the Path to Optimal Outcomes." WebPT. WebPT, 13 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <https://www.webpt.com/blog/post/5-reasons-patient-engagement-is-the-path-to-optimal-outcomes>.

7. Tie this together with a concluding thought. 

• Overall, I picked a good relationship between the PT and the patient as my second answer because it is especially important in pediatric physical therapy. Communication and trust can be answers on its own; however, they all embody a strong relationship. If the PT and the patient have a strong relationship, the patient is more than likely to do their exercises, stretches, listen, etc. This will ensure that a child born with limitations reaches his/her full physical potential.