My Ogalalla Commons Internship is with the Haxtun Physical Therapy Office at Haxtun Health! In my internship, I get to follow the three physical therapists, Wendy Evans, Aarin Briggs, and Aaron Johnson. While following the main physical therapists, I have gotten to practice some physical therapy techniques like phonophoresis, ice massage, and tissue massage. Other techniques such as E-stim needling and dry needling I have only been able to observe. Techniques that involve penetration of the skin are only practiced by certified physical therapists. Another thing I have learned in my internship is how to write a SOAP note. S means subjective, the patient’s response to treatment and what pain they are having. O means objective, give an update on how the patient is doing, and provide a summary of care in the previous visit and what will be changed to accommodate the present visit. A means assessment, list patients goals and steps that will be made at the current appointment to achieve said goals. P means plan, state a plan for upcoming appointments. I have been practicing writing SOAP notes and working on skills that a physical therapist will need. My goal in communication for the rest of my internship is to talk more with the patients and learn a little more about their life rather than just their physical pain. My goal in leadership is to take more initiative in my work and completing my projects by their deadline. My final goal is for expanding my professional network, how I plan to achieve this goal is to focus on getting my name out there and meet professionally with people that could benefit my future goals.
