Garrett Gehr – Physical Therapy Internship

I am currently interning at CPRS physical therapy in New Holland, located directly across the street from the high school. CPRS is an established PT practice in the area with strong ties to the community. I am interning for Dakoda Leid who was my physical therapist when I was doing rehab two years ago. In addition to being a physical therapist, Dakoda is the clinic manager.

I typically go to CPRS for about an hour and a half every morning Monday- Friday. I help out around the clinic with cleaning and disinfecting tables, exercise equipment, etc. I help get exercise equipment for patients and things like heat, stim, and ice to aid in recovery. I spend lots of my time talking with patients and getting to know them.

I observe both physical therapists and physical therapist assistants at the clinic. From them I am learning how to best rehab a patient with a given injury. I’m learning about human anatomy and the way that certain muscle groups and joints can affect others. I am learning how exercise programs are built for patients and how to progress them over time to get them back to normal life.  A key thing that I’ve learned that I didn’t know prior, is that building relationships with patients is one of the most important parts of the job.

Overall, I am having a great time at this internship. Every day I’m learning something new at CPRS. This opportunity is helping give me some direction in my future career path. It fits with my personality really well because I like staying active and am very interested in exercise science. I have found this experience much more enjoyable than sitting in a regular classroom and would recommend it to anyone who can.