By McKenzie Watkins

As my 9-week clinical rotation here at Move Strong Physical Therapy comes to an end, I often find myself reflecting on my time here. After being surrounded by such a great group of people, it comes to no surprise how much I took away from this experience. Of course, I got to learn more about strength and conditioning, sports-specific training, and new clinical skills and approaches. But, most importantly, I got to figure out what type of clinician I wanted to be in the future. Here are a few of the most important things I learned from this experience that I hope to carry with me as a clinician.

 

Lesson #1: Be Intentional

The biggest takeaway I have gained from my experience working at Move Strong PT is to be intentional. This is a trait that the entire staff embodies and it really spoke to me.

At Move Strong, the staff takes their time seriously and strives to be present and intentional in everything they do. A big reason why they see clients on a one-on-one basis is to give their complete attention to the person and task at hand. They are even intentional about personal growth, and schedule weekly time dedicated to mentorship.

Being intentional allows for better relationships, patient experience and outcomes, and increased overall job morale and enjoyability. You can really tell how much each person enjoys coming in day to day, staff and patients included. I truly hope to find an environment like this when I start my career.

 

Lesson #2: Find What Works for Each Person

It is super important to remember that every person and injury is different and no two people will respond to treatment in the exact same way. Although my clinical education and experiences have given me many tools in my toolbox, I have learned the best tool for one may not be the best for another.

Two different people may both lack hip extension. One may benefit from stretching and soft tissue work while the other may benefit from end-range isometric holds. Both achieve the same end goal of improved mobility, but each found the best way for them to achieve it.

For our athletes, a big educational piece revolved around this. Although there is a benefit to team warmups and workouts, it is important to remember that there is no “one size fits all” program and everyone has different needs. It is important for each person to be aware of and focus on their own personal areas of limitations in the ways that work best for them.

In this rotation, I have learned many different approaches to mobility, motor control, and strength and how to create the best treatment for each individual person.

Lesson #3: Professional Does Not Mean Perfection 

Learning is a constant in this life and that is no exception in this career. This rotation has reminded me that there is always more to learn and room to grow and improve. We can learn from so many people; from both seasoned and brand new clinicians, students, other professions, and even our patients. It’s important to stay humble and keep an open mind to new ideas because things change with time and there may be more than one way to achieve an outcome.

I was reminded that although it may be frustrating at times, we may not always have the answer or know everything and that’s okay. As Andrew says, “The best investment is investing in yourself.” One of the best things we can do for our patients is to continue to grow and surround ourselves with great resources.

 

Side note: My Favorite Experience

By far my favorite experience during this rotation was assisting Julie in coaching the bridge program. This is a middle ground between physical therapy and performance training that Move Strong offers for high school female athletes. Most of the girls in this program play soccer and participate to recover from or reduce the risk of ACL injury.

Through this experience, I was able to improve my coaching skills, strength and conditioning knowledge, and learn prevention techniques for athletes. I enjoyed building relationships with all the girls, challenging them, and seeing them improve every session in both confidence and performance.

These are the big takeaways from this rotation, and the experience working for Move Strong PT is one that I will carry on with me as I start my career. I can’t thank the staff at Move Strong Physical Therapy and Cressey Sports Performance enough for this experience.

Thanks for reading along!