Max Leininger – Physical Therapy Internship

During this semester, I am interning at a NovaCare rehabilitation, a Physical Therapy Clinic attached to Garden Spot Village. I am mentored by a wonderful team of Therapists that have each taught me valuable anatomical lessons in the realm of physical therapy. This in addition to college-related information of which has inspired me to further improve my educational endeavors. Not only did this process validate my reason for pursuing this career, but also entailed a great sense of empathy for different patients who were in similar positions as I once was.

When a patient signs into a Physical Therapist they should expect a personable and understanding clinician whose inquiry is both effective and digestible for a patient’s understanding. After an initial evaluation, which essentially tests the strength and mobility (or ability in general in the cases of more cerebral patients like vestibular issues), the therapist walks them through a training regiment based on graded exposure. Simply put, this means that the patient will be exposed to the very things causing or aggravating their pain according to how much they can handle. For some patients, graded exposure may mean pool therapy, which is quite fascinating: within this clinic, a heated pool + underwater treadmill allows for tolerable weight-bearing, but, because of the small waves that water naturally has, the pool creates an additional challenge to one’s balance. In any case, while present I do more than just watch; they task me with cleaning equipment, cleaning rooms, running patients through simple exercises (under supervision), greeting patients, and handling modalities namely heat, stim, or ice. Although I have multiple responsibilities, the most important is to watch. To watch physical therapy transpire is to watch the beauty of growth and recovery, which is a feeling, as an athlete, that hits close to home.

At NovaCare, they have a bell to ring once you complete your in-clinic therapy. In my opinion, the little celebratory mood lifts everyone’s spirits out of pure empathy. I was able to witness two of these little moments, and each time it reminded me why I chose this career path: to pursue this career, for me, is to help others regain trust in their body while utilizing the knowledge of such that I garnered over my education. I had general direction before attending this internship, but during my time at NovaCare, I received many pieces of advice as far as the type of program to pursue, application advice, and the technicalities of the profession (the details of physical therapy regarding insurance of any patient); thus, providing definite direction.

I found and continue to find great interest in the environment of physical therapy as the profession hosts many branches, and, in my case, the direction of my studies did not necessarily change, but they became focused on athletic rehabilitation. The kind of complicated and intense movements the athletic population can perform fascinates me more than simple stretches and slow exercises used to rehab the older demographic. This becomes quite fitting as my interest in the field sprouted from my experience with it as an athlete. In all, I am forever indebted to NovaCare for being so welcoming, educational, very effective at what they do, and pivotal to my pathway towards post-secondary school, and eventually a career.