Video

While looking at various physical therapy websites, I recently came upon a really interesting and informing video about physical therapy. The link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z2Ib4Meul4

I thought this video did a very good job displaying what a physical therapist does on a regular basis. The video also showed some examples of people recovering from injury. It explained that they have patients ranging from Iraq soldiers to cancer rehab patients. I learned that if you are a physical therapist you are a motivator and coach, and it is your job to help them recover. One man in the video talked about how they are trying to make the recoveries more fun for patients so that the patients want to complete the exercises. I realized that as a physical therapist, you have to love working with people and really care about others' well-being. The most rewarding aspect of being a physical therapist is that you get to make a difference in someone's life everyday.

Writing as Physical Therapist?

I interviewed Jennifer Fowlers, a physical therapist at Performance Physical Therapy Group, to find out what a physical therapist writes on a daily and weekly basis. She explained that everyday she writes patient progress reports and patient evaluations. She said that when she has a patient come into her office she has to note any new medication the patient is on, any pain or discomfort the patient is feeling, and any complaints the patient has with the exercises. She also described that every week she has to write a treatment plan for the patient to follow over the course of their recovery time. I found that the way a physical therapist writes is very similar to the writing process I have experienced in my writing class. This is because they also have to stay focused and organized while they are writing in order to remember what they wrote on a patient’s report from the previous week or month. The style of their writing can be considered scholarly because they utilize many medical terms to describe the patient’s problem. They also have to constantly revise what they write and make sure it is the correct evaluation and treatment.

Meeting Some of My Fellow Bloggers

While writing my post from yesterday, I came across a very fascinating blog. It is titled Alison's Physical Therapy Blog. I feel like I am starting to become a real "blogger" because I am constantly on the look out for other physical therapy blogs now. Her blog specifically interests me because provides so much useful information about what a profession is like as a physical therapist. It shows me exactly what she does and learns on a typical day of work. Not only that, but it also provides advice and tips to the people reading her blog. One of her posts mentions some of the rehab challenges she has seen in her patients. She explains, "I have seen my patients struggle with is the "why me" mindset. Having a catastrophic accident is life altering-  no 2 ways about it – but you have to dedicate yourself to rehab, give it all you’ve got and not sit around moping day after day. It’s the very rare rehab patient who doesn’t have a bad day mentally – but try to stay in control and look forward towards recovering and not backwards to the way things were. Life can be altered, sometimes irreversibly, in a split second – you are dealing with the consequences for months, years or sometimes for the rest of your life. There are plenty of people out there to help you – don’t be afraid to ask for help" (Alison Par. 5). She has been in the field of physical therapy for almost twenty years now, so she has seen many patients come through with this mindset. I think it is great that she is willing to blog about the ways to overcome challenges while in rehabilitation. I am going to continue to check up on her blog so I can keep learning about the profession.

Work Cited: 
"Back Pain Tip of the Day." Alison's Physical Therapy Blog. N.p., Sept. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://physicaltherapyblog.wordpress.com/>.

Different Sources, Different Approaches

While researching this field, I began to realize there is a big difference between reading an article from a magazine or newspaper, a blog, and a scholarly article written by a professional in my field. They both have incredibly different styles to delivering their messages. They also have very different people reading their articles; therefore, they also have different purposes for writing.

For example, I located a blog that is very similar to mine in order to compare the differences between the blog posts, the newspaper article, and the scholarly article on physical therapy. The blog is titled, "Alison's Physical Therapy Blog". In this blog, Alison explains and gives advice as an experienced physical therapist to those who are having back problems. She also talks about her typical days at work and and gives advice to better health. For instance, she explains, "Prevent back pain by using a lumbar roll – this will support the lumbar lordosis and maintain the alignment of your entire spine in the normal anatomical position. Lumbar rolls are cheap (don’t pay more than $10) and easy to find" (Par. 8). The blog contains a lot of very interesting information about what a life of a physical therapist is like. Her posts are very informal and are written for anyone who is interested in learning more about physical therapy. She posts in order to entertain and inform. This is very different from a newspaper article written by the New York Times.


I found an article from the New York Times titled, "Physical Therapists Turn to Wii Golf." The article explains how physical therapists are beginning to use Wii games to help cure people's physical problems (Mickey 1). It explains how they are more likely to do their recovery exercises because it is enjoyable and fun. The article does not state any specific statistics or facts on proving if the exercises are actually solving the problem. This is how I can tell a scholar in the profession did not write it. It was merely written with a purpose of entertaining its audience. The audience in this case is the general public and the interested non-specialists who are reading it because it sounds interesting. This article is also shorter and is written at an easier reading level. The style can considered informational, yet casual.

On the other hand, I also found an article called, "Assessing the Influence of Sensory Interaction on Balance". This article describes how sensory interaction effects balance by distinguishing that, "Sensory processes in balance control involve interaction among orientation inputs from somatosensory (proprioceptive, cutaneous, and joint), visual, and vestibular systems" (Cook and Horak 1). A person can clearly tell that a scholar in the field of physical therapy wrote this article. Not only that, but the article was also written to inform others and contribute to the knowledge of others by providing insightful information. This is very different than the New York Times article because it is written with very specialized terminology that deals with the Physical Therapy field. The article is aimed towards scholars, researchers, and students rather than the general public. The style is much more formal and serious than the article written by New York Times. 

Works Cited:
"Back Pain Tip of the Day." Alison's Physical Therapy Blog. N.p., Sept. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2012 <http://physicaltherapyblog.wordpress.com/>.

Cook, Anne S., and Fay B. Horak. "Assessing the Influence of Sensory Interaction on Balance." Physical Therapy. Journal of American Physical Therapy Association, 24 Jan. 2002. Web. 10 Sept. 2012 <http://www.physther.org/
content/66/10/1548.short>.

Micky, Lisa D. "Physical Therapists Turn to Wii Golf." Health. New York Times, 8 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/health/physical-therapists-use-wii-golf-to-treat-patients.html?_r=1&ref=physicaltherapy>.

Daydreaming

As I was sitting in my Introduction to Human Nutrition class the other day, I began to ponder many of my thoughts. Is this really what I want to do with my life? Is this career going to be difficult for me to accomplish? My professor, not even realizing I wasn't paying attention, continued with her lengthy, tedious lecture. Her soft voice, echoing faintly inside my head. I decided I had to snap out of my meditative, daydreaming thoughts and start paying attention. As soon as I did this, she began discussing how obesity rates are currently soaring through the roof. She also noted on the numerous health problems that are present in our nation today: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and many more. These sad and unfortunate statistics hit me close to home. I care about the well-being of other people. At that moment, I came to fathom that doing choosing a career I am passionate is incredibly important. As a physical therapist, I would be helping people overcome their physical disabilities. I believe that all people have the right to live a life not hindered by physical ailments. Although right now having to go to graduate school does not sound all that appealing, I know that in the end it will be worth it.

Physical Therapist-- An Overview

Since I recently decided this is a career I am interested in, I have many unanswered questions. I went to the Library on campus and found a few books that provided very insightful information to me about the basics of the life of a physical therapist...

In Top 100 Health-Care Careers, Dr. Saul Wischneitzerer explains the principle activity of a physical thereapy career as, "helping patients overcome physical limitations" (354). He also explains that a four-year bachelor's degree is required and a two-year master's degree is recommended for the profession (354).  When I was reading this, I was very pleased to learn that the career opportunities for this particular job are highly favorable, and that on average a physical therapist can make from $60,000 to $88,000 in one year (354). 

After I learned about the program lengths, salary, and educational requirements, I was still curious to learn more details about the profession. As I continued to read, I ran into some very interesting things. Health-Care Careers Directory states that, "Employment of physical therapists is expected to grow by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations" (Maves 370). This makes sense because the baby-boom generation is rapidly approaching a prime age for heart attacks and strokes, which will make physical rehabilitation a huge need. 

I also was informed in, Health-Care Careers Directory that as a physical therapist, there are several places you can work instead of solely a private physical therapy office. You have the opportunity to work in a nursing home, a school, a university, a pediatric center, or even a sports facility (370). Because of this, there are many opportunities for to advancement in the career. Maves states that, "With experience, a physical therapist can become a senior therapist, department supervisor, coordinator of rehabilitation services, or even facility administrator" (355). The good thing about this is that with all of these advancements comes a pay increase.

I also learned that all states require therapists to be licensed in order to practice (Wischnitzer 355). Although, this brings up another thought. How does a person become licensed? While reading, I found that there is a test you have to take to become a licensed physical therapist. I am not looking forward to that part of the job, but I know once I am licensed it will be worth it. Physical therapy programs are offered at many universities. Michigan State, however, does not have one. I have been looking at various schools that do and learned that there are a lot of very good schools in California that have a program. Some schools that have physical therapy programs in Michigan are: Central Michigan University, Grand Valley University, University of Michigan, and Oakland University (Wischnitzer  258).

Works Cited:

Maves, Michael. Health Care Careers Directory, 2011-2012. 39th ed. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association, 2011. Print.

Wischnitzer, Saul. Top 100 Health-care Careers: Your Complete Guidebook to Training and Jobs in Allied Health, Nursing, Medicine, and More. 3rd ed. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Pub., 2011. Print.

About Me

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am going to start off by explaining a little bit about myself. My name is Annalie Konyndyk, and I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I have grown up with a family consisting of six people: my parents, my two older brothers, and my younger sister. We are the type of family that loves being together.  Over the past 15 years, we have traveled to various countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Belize, and Guatemala. In each of the countries we had to take numerous risks as family. Because of this, I adore adventure. Whenever an unknown path crosses the road in front of me, I am more than excited to take it.

At first glance people see me as a short, blonde girl who keeps to herself. However, as they get to know me better, they soon realize that I am an outgoing yet compassionate and considerate person. I can easily see when people are struggling and when they need someone to be there for them. As I said earlier, I would much rather listen to someone else talk than talk about myself. When I am in school, it is all about doing the best I can. I know this sounds cliché, but the statement could not fit me any better.  From Kindergarten to studying at Michigan State University, dedication and perseverance are key qualities that have allowed me to strive throughout the years. 

One of the adventures I am currently on right now is studying at Michigan State University. At this point, I'm not really sure where my life will take me. Right now, I am undecided with my major. I  have so things I want to do with my life that I'm not sure what to choose yet! However, I have been working to get things narrowed down. I recently decided that I would like to do something in the health care profession. I am specifically looking at a physical therapy career. This blog will be about me researching, learning, and exploring this career. It will be my way of communicating all of the new things I will be discovering.