Start of Year 2




Hi everyone! I am writing this a few weeks into my second year of the DPT program here at UU and I am feeling great about the school year to come. I had a great summer completing the first part of my clinical education and gaining so much knowledge that I will take forward with me for every patient interaction here on out!


My clinical was six weeks long at an outpatient physical therapy clinic and I had the best time! It was so nice having the opportunity to apply all of the things that I learned here in class to the real world and with real patients. It made me realize I knew more than I give myself credit for! I got to see people of all ages and abilities, helping them get better with every visit. This is what I’ve been dreaming of ever since I started my path toward becoming a physical therapist. The difference you make as a PT is unmatched and I am thrilled to eventually do this every single day. They do say, “if you love your job, you'll never work a day!”


Now that I am back in the classroom with my new acquired knowledge, I feel like a whole new student. A lot of physical therapy is knowledge of the body and all of the systems, but so much is clinical judgement and expertise. I feel like now I have a smidge of that to help me grow even more. Last year was all about the musculoskeletal system and this year is about the neuromuscular system! Many students from prior years say that the second year is “different” from the first and I think that I’m starting to understand a little more what they mean. 


The second year tests your critical thinking a little more than the first year and is more abstract, in my opinion. You can choose an answer and justify it based on your thoughts and own clinical judgements. This leaves room for unique interventions and more liberty to choose what you’d like to do as a therapist. With the musculoskeletal system, most things are pretty clear cut.


The iliopsoas is innervated by the femoral nerve. 


The typical range of motion for shoulder abduction is 0-180 degrees. 


The toe out angle of the foot should be 5-7 degrees during gait. 


Very clear information that doesn’t change. This is not to say there's no wiggle room patient to patient or therapist to therapist, but I have found thus far that it’s more straightforward than the neuro semester(s). In neuro, there's more variance and choices as the student.


I’m not sure that I prefer one year over the other just yet, but in due time I will have a better idea if I like learning about one system more than the other, or if it’s a tie overall! 


I am definitely so excited to continue on my PT journey, sharing some of the details along the way!



Goodbye for now, folks☺


Maryanne


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