Chloe Grady – Physical Therapy Internship

Hello! My name is Chloe Grady, and I am a senior at Garden Spot High School. I am currently an intern at NovaCare Rehabilitation Center in New Holland PA. My mentor, Janelle Sevilla, is a physical therapy assistant also called a PTA. I’ve always been interested in human anatomy and how certain things work in the body. I’m glad I got this opportunity to experience what it is like to be in a physical therapy clinic and work with patients.

I attend my internship three times a week for two hours. I spend most of my time cleaning equipment and observing my mentor, Janelle. I start my days there by cleaning the equipment and restocking pillowcases in each room. I arrive at the end of 8 am appointments and at the end of each appointment, a patient gets modalities, which include heat or ice and electric stimulation. At the beginning of the next hour, I clean the rooms of previous patients and help bring new patients back into the gym area. During the hour I observe Janelle with her patients, and I’ll even get the opportunity to help assist in exercises as well as lead some with patients.

Although it might seem like I don’t do much, I have learned so many things in the past three months I have been there, and I can’t wait to learn more. I have a better understanding of what it is like for a physical therapy career. I enjoy learning about different injuries and exercises I can give to help heal patients. It is crazy how a therapist knows so much about the body and ways to fix it, even when things might seem unfixable. Doing this internship, I learned how to start conversations on any topic and really get to know a patient just within a small amount of time. The PT’s and PTA’s at NovaCare are the most approachable and caring people I’ve met. I love the atmosphere and how they want to help me succeed in my internship.

So far, I am loving my time at NovaCare. I get to learn something new every day and even translate it into my life, especially as an athlete. This experience helped me confirm my interest in physical therapy. Although there are many years of schooling for this career, I am willing to accept the challenge because I love seeing the people I get to help feel accomplished and relieved. Next year I plan on attending Lebanon Valley College with a 4+2 program to earn my doctorate in physical therapy. My time at NovaCare has taught me many things and I am excited to apply them to my future.