More PT stuff.

Things at Casa Colina have been picking up a little since I first started my mentorship there. I'm slowly learning to do more around the office and I'm starting to understand more of the terms thrown around. I still have no intention of going into PT as a career, but I have found that I really dig learning about anatomy. Normally theres not much I can do to help out, so a lot of my mentorship is just observing what goes on in a physical therapy center. But I get really stoked when my mentor tells me to come watch her do evaluations or soft tissue massage stuff, because she always explains the anatomy concepts behind it. 

The PT staff at Casa Colina are super cool to talk to. They're always really supportive of the senior project, and they've given some great advice regarding what I want to do with my future. When I tell someone I want to pursue anesthesiology, they're always like "woah, that's a good job. You gotta really like science." That just motivates me even more to go after this job, because I'm pretty good at science (chem, physics) and I really like learning about it, too. 

I gotta say Casa Colina has grown on me a bit. I wasn't super into my mentorship at the beginning, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable every time I go in to get hours. This experience will undoubtedly benefit me if I do go into the medical field.

 Well that's about it for this month. I don't know how I can get pictures on this blog. It's kinda bumming me out. Oh well. 

Till next time, yo. 

Blog #6: Second Interview Preparation

1. My mentor is Andrea Haston, PhD. She works at Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation in Pomona.

2. Background questions I'll ask:

• What did you major in? Why?
• How did you end up working at Casa Colina?
• How long have you been in PT?
• Did you do a residency? How did that go?
• What's Casa Colina's reputation?

Blog #5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

1.  Getting my current mentorship was pretty easy, since it was my fall-back plan. My mentor Annie is my mom's friend's daughter, who I've actually met before at parties and such. I already knew she was a physical therapist, so I told my self if I wasn't able to get an anesthesiologist to mentor me, I'd hit her up. I thought I had an anesthesiologist who was down to help me out, but he bailed at the last minute, so at that point I had to get my back-up plan going. All it took was a quick phone call and I was all set. So yeah. It was pretty lucky I had this back-up. Otherwise I'd probably still be looking for a mentor.

2.  By far, the most important source I've come across is the APTA's Book of Body Maintenance and Repair. Mrs. Ortega was nice enough to loan it to me, and after quickly skimming it I knew there was going to be a lot of great information inside. The book is divided into two parts. The first half is all about specific body parts, what they do, how they can be maintained and injured, and how they affect one another. It's got more of an encyclopedia feel to it, as it's very dense with facts. The second half contains in depth explanations of physical therapy methods for different parts of the body and can be read straight through like an article. I plan to refer to this book frequently throughout my research so I can get the most out of it.