Amelia Sharp – Physical Therapy Internship
My name is Amelia Sharp and I am currently a senior at Garden Spot High School. This semester I am interning at CPRS Physical Therapy in New Holland, PA. My mentor is Dakoda Leid, one of two physical therapists at the clinic. I have had the opportunity to shadow and learn from both PTs as well as physical therapy assistants (PTAs). This experience has been great so far as I get to learn more about PT and see if it is still an interest of mine.
I attend my internship three days a week for two and a half hours, for a total of seven and a half hours per week. My day-to-day duties include cleaning the tables and equipment after being used, gathering and putting away equipment, and setting patients up on STIM with heat or ice.
Although I am limited in what tasks I can do, I still am capable of learning so much by
observing. All the employees I work with at CPRS are welcoming, answer any questions,
and are very good about explaining what they are doing or why specific exercises are important
for the patients.
Although I am limited in what tasks I can do, I still am capable of learning so much by
observing. All the employees I work with at CPRS are welcoming, answer any questions,
and are very good about explaining what they are doing or why specific exercises are important
for the patients.
This internship has not only allowed me to learn about physical therapy, but I also have learned so much about people skills and communication. I have witnessed many different types of patients with various personalities, and I am thankful to be able to learn how to react in certain situations and interactions. I would say I am already a social person, but I have definitely grown in communication skills. Because of this experience, I am more comfortable starting conversations with people I don’t know or have met just a few times. This skill will benefit me in
any career path, and in life in general.
I am amazed at how much knowledge PTs and PTAs have, and also at how much I have learned in a short time. I am still unsure of what I would like to pursue in the medical field, but I am grateful to have an opportunity like this to learn some of the pros and cons of PT. If I were to go to school for PT, I think I would prefer becoming a PTA rather than a PT. I like that they get to do more hands-on work and follow the directions of a PT, but with their own freedom to make changes, they feel necessary and appropriate. Regardless of what career I decide to pursue, I have learned so much from this experience and will be able to apply so many skills.
jhackman • December 19, 2022