In order to graduate, my program mandates that we participate in at least two service learning opportunities. I do have more than two that I could share about, however, I have decided to pick the two that are most specific to PT.
1. The CARES Clinic at VCU
The CARES Clinic at VCU is our pro bono physical therapy clinic where current students get the opportunity to work with patients under a licensed clinician. Furthermore, the clinic primarily serves an underinsured and underserved population. In essence, everyone who partakes benefits!
During my first time as a student clinician there, I worked with a pediatric patient with CP. This was long before we had our pediatric education, or neuro education, so I definitely felt out of my element. The patient was rambunctious, bubbly, and positively unable to focus on anything. I can still remember how the clinician made therapy “fun” using faux-bowling bowls to knock over her toys. Or pretending like a bolster was a horse’s saddle. The experience taught me that I am not as fun as I think I am. I’m probably going to be better off avoiding a pediatric population. Still, it was enjoyable for everyone!
My second time as a student clinician was also with a younger patient, but this time a young teenager with knee pain. The challenge of this session wasn’t the fact that he was a young patient, but rather that the patient only spoke Portuguese. Additionally, the patient and his mother declined an interpreter despite the CARES Clinic’s offers of language services. The session went fine, and I still recall the clinician’s strategy for making sure the patient knew what to do at home: he had the boy’s mother take a video of me (on their phone) doing the exercises with correct form. That was my first time seeing that strategy and I still use this tactic now.
I will definitely continue to seek out pro bono work and would give back to a clinic as a professional.
2. Global PT Day of Service 2020
For Global PT Day of Service 2020, we helped make a video for the Special Olympics Fitness Combine featuring push-ups. Groups of us were tasked to focus on one exercise and we focused on the classic push-up and its modifications. We worked together to make a script, film, and edit the video. This was also mid-way through the pandemic and we did it with efficiency and precaution at the end of one of our labs. If I find the video, I will put it below.
First Wealth Health 