HCA West Florida Hospital
As an aspiring physical therapist I chose to volunteer with the physical therapy department at HCA West Florida Hospital. I am currently in the application process, but my goals for this volunteer experience is to start gaining insight into the realities of physical therapy.
While volunteering with the physical therapy department at HCA West Florida Hospital, I will be involved in customer service, escorting or transporting patients, filing, and writing documents. Being a part of these activities will help me work on the different skills and develop my knowledge of the physical therapy world. Below will dive deeper into each task I will participate in while volunteering and explain how it will help me become a successful physical therapist in the future.
Escorting/Transporting Patients
While escorting and transporting patients, I get to talk to and build connections with patients to understand who they are and what they are going through. This is important as a physical therapist as every patient's situation is unique, so being able to connect with someone and understand what they are going through can help better their care.
Filing and Writing Documents
By writing and filing documents under the physical therapy department of the hospital, I can see the documentation side of physical therapy. Documentation is crucial to physical therapy and the recovery of the patient. Seeing and understanding the process of documentation now will help me succeed in the future documenting for my own patients.
Networking
Although networking is part of my volunteer work, I hope to begin connecting with professionals in the field of physical therapy. I want to do this to start shadowing and learning from physical therapist in order to learn and develop my skills and knowledge needed to succeed as a physical therapist.