Logan Martin – Physical Therapy Internship

This semester, I am interning at Pivot Physical Therapy in New Holland. I work with two physical therapists and an administrative assistant. Most of my time at my internship is spent cleaning used equipment. When I am not cleaning, however, I utilize my time watching my mentor, Cynthia, work on patients. I get a first look at what physical therapy does and why it is so important.

A typical day at Pivot can be anywhere from dull to chaotic. Most days are somewhere in between the two. I will see one or two patients at a time during my 90-minute block. Each patient has their own specific workout plan to help them in the recovery process, even the most similar injuries can have vastly different approaches to getting better because of many factors. A patient will typically receive roughly 10-15 minutes of direct time with a therapist during their appointment. During this time, the therapist will massage or treat the injury some other way. Then, the patient will go through a series of exercises that they will most likely perform on their own. Finally, a patient will finish their appointment with ice, heat, or stim, all three of which help in short-term recovery after a strenuous appointment. All the while I will follow behind the patient, cleaning any equipment they use, timing or demonstrating exercises, and helping them set up exercises.

Over my time at Pivot, I will research different ways to help prevent injuries, especially in the shoulders, neck, and arms. At the end of the semester, I will present to the office my findings. This research will help me in my life regardless if I pursue physical therapy but would still be useful to know for college. I can collect some of my information from what I see through observing and asking questions at my internship. Besides my project research, the exposure I am receiving at my internship is unmatched. At the beginning of the semester, I did not know if I even wanted to pursue health science, but now I am certain that therapy will be a promising career option.

My time at Pivot so far has been great! I have gotten great exposure to the health science field and learned a lot about human anatomy. I have also gotten to meet some amazing people that have helped me realize that I could fit in at a physical therapy job in the future. I thoroughly enjoy my internship at Pivot and look forward to it every day! It has been such a great learning experience and I am excited for the rest of the semester.