katie lichtenberger

I completed my first clinical education course at Long Island Sports and Rehab Center in Holbrook, NY. This was an outpatient orthopedic facility with a wide range in patient demographics. A few of the patients I saw included a 21 y/o female with a crushed pelvis after an automobile accident, a 90 y/o male recovering from a stroke, and many total knee and total hip replacement patients. This facility utilized a team treatment approach meaning that patients were scheduled on a general daily schedule and whichever therapist was available would treat that patient. By the end of this eight week course, I was independently treating patients, modifying treatment plans, and accurately documenting treatment sessions for insurance reimbursement purposes.

In the Fall of 2010, I completed an elective physical therapy course which involved clinical work at a local nursing home. Every Friday, a few classmates and I went to Longview Nursing Facility in Ithaca, NY to work with a handful of patients who needed therapy for various conditions. Each student was assigned to one patient and throughout the course of the semester, the student evaluated the patient, created a treatment plan, and either carried out that treatment plan or modified it as necessary. This was the first independent clinical experience I had as a physical therapy student.

I completed my second clinical education course at Life Care Center of Haltom in Fort Worth, TX. This was a skilled nursing facility which incorporated physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy into many patients treatment plans. At this facility, I received a lot of experience in wound care, lymphadema, and the NDT treatment tactic. I was able to attend a wound care course through this facility with my CI as well. I was also able to shadow a wound care doctor for a day and witness some sharp debridement and evaluation of new wounds. By the end of this eight week course, I was independently able to evaluate a new patient, create a treatment plan, delegate patients to PTAs, and utilize an online documentation system for billing through medicare.