September Blog

In the place I volunteer at, visitors come all the time to see the patients in the center. It could be wives and husbands, sons and daughters, or even whole families who come to see how their loved ones are doing. Many of the patients are lucid and enjoy the time with them. But many are not. There was one particular woman who was being pushed by a man who I presumed was her husband. She was continuously making noises and the man would always politely ask her to quiet down. She would stop momentarily and then start and second later. The look on his face was utter despair and I couldn't imagine how it felt so to see the one closest to you for most of your life be right in front of you, but just gone. To be honest, I cried that night just thinking about it and it really showed me that I should cherish the moments with the people I'm with because one day, they might just disappear.

Blog 6: Second Interview Preparation

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?

• Dr. Lambert is the head physical therapist in Upland Rehab Care Center.

2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?

• What college did you go to and why?
• Why did you want to become a physical therapist?
• Why did you choose to work with elderly patients?
• What was the worst patient you've had and how did you deal with it?
• Have you had any past jobs before working here?

Blog 5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship? If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.

• I was volunteering in the physical therapy wing of the rehab center I was at and my soon to be mentor was the busiest person there. She was always going to different rooms, checking and talking to the patients there, never having time to take a break. She stayed around her office more after lunch time, where she was tending to patients. It looked she was the one in charge since some people called her "boss" and did what she said. I decided it would be good to ask her to be mentor, so I did.

2. What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

• I have an article that talks about what certain traits an expert in Physical Therapy has. It gave a very detailed explanation on what "expertise" meant, how this was achieved, and what similarities the people they studied had. It showed me how passionate these people were on helping others and how it took sometimes decades of hard work to be where they are at.