In A Student’s Words…Kristin S. (Entry 2)
Working in acute care requires a different type of skill set than outpatient physical therapy where a lot of what we do is critical thinking and fine tuned evaluations and treatments. Acute care therapists need good communication, the ability to build rapport with patients and families, and a wide knowledge base about hospital procedures including surgeries and lab values and their effect on patient status. During my rotation in the acute care setting, I have learned that communication is a key factor to being successful. Saying the right thing at the right time, either to the patient or a family member can be critically important. During my rotation, I observed my clinical instructor talking with the daughter of one of our patients. Our patient is an elderly man who has severe dementia, but is always pleasant and happy. He has decreased safety awareness due to his dementia and requires 24-hour care. His daughter has a full time job, but tries to be with him as much as possible. She expressed her feelings of guilt of having to place him in assisted living and not being able to care for him on her own. My clinical instructor simply stated that she was “sharing him” with those who were going to participate in his care. My clinical instructor was saying this because other people that work with him would be happy to do so due to his happy disposition, and the daughter should not feel guilty. The daughter’s face lit up and she smiled. I could tell that this significantly impacted her. She later told my clinical instructor and me how much she appreciated her comment and how thankful she was to hear it. She stated that comments like that “really mean a lot to people like me”. I am so thankful that I was able to observe this and get a glimpse of how patients’ family’s are impacted by situations, and internal struggles they have. These situations are not things students can experience in school, but are important for developing into a clinician that positively impacts patients and their families.
-Kristin S.
