My Summative Essay

           I have learned a lot through this blogging experience. It's time for me to reflect on all of my research, and give my thoughts on what I have learned.

Learning about my Field

           In order to truly succeed in becoming a physical therapist, it involves a combination of hard work, determination, positive attitude, and especially care. There is a certain personal goal to help people no matter what it takes, because that is why physical therapists do what they do. There is great significance in what physical therapists do that contributes to their patients' well being physically and mentally. The personality of physical therapists are unique. They see people at their lowest points and do whatever they can to bring them back to their full potential. As the going gets tough, the tough gets going. A positive perspective on life is required of this field, as well as believing in never going down without a fight.
           I have read countless articles about different physical therapists who have been through tough situations and never backing down. In a recent post, Dr. Reeder had a new patient who was suffering from a couple big problems. This man was overly obese and had a disease called hemodialysis. He was stuck in a wheelchair and didn't go out. He felt hopeless, until he met Dr. Reeder. Reeder knew this was going to be a tough challenge, for the patient had tried a variety of possible solutions that never actually worked. But Reeder took it up without a question and thought of a plan to change this man's life. It was a long, hard struggle but after some patience and determination, there was success. The patient could walk on his own, and controlled his life again. Reeder had made a huge impact on his life, physically and psychologically. He gave him hope, and motivation. (http://lifeoptions.org/stories/stories.php?story=r13) Like I said previously, there are certain personality traits and goals that go along with this career. This doctor possesses the skills that encourage the patients that they do have the ability to prosper, and there is no giving up until they get there.
            Another cool story I read was about how physical therapists went further into the study of Parkinson's Disease in order to increase the positive outcomes in patients. Most patients who suffer with Parkinson's take drugs to reduce symptoms, but there are people who aren't able to take the drug, or choose not to medicate. This is where the study was helpful, because they had proven that simple exercises such as dance, aerobic and treadmill training, showed clear improvement in the patients physically, and mentally. (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251159.php) These doctors took it one step further in order to help their patients. It's because they care so much about people. They work hard in order to help others succeed, and do anything to do so.
             I think it is ver respectful to be a physical therapist. I knew that they truly meant something to their patients when I talked to my mom after her life changing car accident. She had to learn how to walk again, and reevaluate her whole life, and her physical therapist helped her through not only her physical well being, but mental well being too. I saw her at her lowest, where she didn't think there was any hope for her future, and her physical therapist was there. And so willing to be involved in making things right, and better for my mother. Her physical therapist made such a huge impact on her life, and my mom will never forget her, or (as she says) be able to thank her enough for the work and soul she put in. (Reason Why, Open Blog) That is what made me realize a physical therapist's importance and purpose in life. I respect them so much, because there are so many things that go along with their career, and certain qualities that you can't find in some people. Learning these things has allowed me to understand if I, myself could fit this career, and the conclusion is definitely quite possibly. We will see.



Learning about my Research/Writing

               This research has absolutely given me experience with this field of work. I had a good idea of what a physical therapist did before this blog, but now that it is over, I feel much more informed. Not only researching articles of stories of physical therapists, but also the process of becoming a physical therapist, different facts about this career, and learning what a person must possess in order to become a physical therapist. The variety of sources gave me a very diverse knowledge of this field, as well as an intellectual knowledge from the different evaluating activities (special blog posts). I believe I have a much more complex idea of what a physical therapist is, and everything along with it, ultimately aiding me in deciding whether this career is for me or not. This blog has brought me to ask more questions, furthering my research into career choice. The process has given me experience in seeing and evaluating many different sources, and putting my own ideas together to come up with discussions about the key points and purpose of the sources, as well as what it meant to me as a whole.
                 In one of my earlier posts, I read a source online that gave me tips for starting my own business  in physical therapy.(http://www.nitin360.com/starting-a-physical-therapy-practice.html) It gave me a good idea of what I needed to do for my future, and taught me that if this is what I want, I need to plan ahead! That is one of the key points I got out of the source, even though it doesn't outright say it. I have learned to infer things through this blog process. I can "read through the lines". The intense researching involved gave me the practice of thinking outside the box, thinking more about what the purpose the author is giving, and if the delivery is affective to the audience. 
                 I have also found that there is always more questions to ask when doing this type of research. It is never ending. It is so instinctive to come up with more questions, because you need more to research and find so you can go deeper into the career. We had to do this in a couple cases involving interviews, for example. It was easier to come up with questions because of the variety of key ideas we were exposed to, through this blogging process.
            Remix is a word I've heard before, but not in the sense we used during this project. I only thought of a remix song prior to the special blog post about Remixing Knowledge. Personally, in that post, I evaluated thoroughly a physical therapy clinic brochure, and all it's different rhetorical elements. (http://www.mmc.org/workfiles/mmc_family_medicine/SPT_SportsMedicine/SM_PTBrochure2009.pdf) Like, who was the audience, what is the delivery style, was it effective, ect. This was good practice to actually consider these things, and write what I thought. Anyway, what we came to realize is that the whole blog could be a remix. I have learned what a remix means and how it can be used, as well as it's effectiveness. 
             I liked that this project opened up our minds a bit. The variety of sources, activities, research, writing, and thinking we had to do really made me consider more when coming to myself and my future. Not only did this blog help with these general tools, but also with my choice of future career path. I now have a good, detailed idea of what my career includes, and I'm happy about it. I also have found many things I like about physical therapy, and a couple things I don't. As for now I do not have any more questions about physical therapy, except if it is really how I want to spend the rest of my life. Sometimes I think yes for sure, and other times I am doubtful. But this information I have learned has helped me through the decision process, and we will see what happens. 
    

One Patient's Story

I read a really inspiring story about a man where physical therapy changed his whole life. He suffered from hemodialysis and was very obese. He was stuck in a wheelchair and didn't do much with his life, so he became increasingly depressed. Life was going downhill for Mr. J, and after failed home care, he almost gave up hope.
So, the author Jo Reeder, PT, put him on a program to try and help him through his physical and psychological problems. It was difficult at first for the Physical Therapist to set something up, because he was at such a bad state, he couldn't get up from his wheelchair and couldn't fit his feet in the exercise bike pedals. But with some adjusting and extra help from other staff, they were able to work it out for Mr. J to do his exercises. After he started doing them regularly, there was improvement shown. So Reeder enhanced his therapy with his improvement. The office provided him with a flexible knee brace, and now, he needs no help from a wheelchair, and can go up the stairs independently. He also can now drive his wife to the grocery store, where before neither of them could drive. He had muscle spasms before, and they now never show up. He keeps on his daily exercise routine, and he couldn't be happier.
It's awesome to see how much physical therapists can help people. Even in the worst conditions, there is always something they can do to help. To help and watch a man turn his whole life around must have been an amazing experience.

Improving Balance and Preventing Falls

The youtube video I watched would be very helpful for elderly people that are worried about falling. It was very informative about the risk of injury if a senior were to fall, as well as what to do to prevent it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GjKk7ZtJsE

There are long term effects with a bad fall for weak elders such as impaired mobility, decreased function, dependence on others, as well as injuries. One third of elderly people fall each year, and every hour someone dies from a bad fall. So there are plenty of reasons for an elder to see a physical therapist if worried about a fall. What a PT does in this situation is they do a balance assessment for the patient, and see what can be done to decrease the risk. There are different tests that can be done to assess stability and balance, as well as the qualities of gait mechanics that can result in a fall. Different things can be worked on as well as exercises that can definitely help.
There are questions that elders can ask themselves about if they've ever fallen, and the details beyond that as well as other impairments that they might have.
A physical therapist can assess the patient to see what exercises may help, which include leg strengthening exercises, coordination exercises, as well as balance exercises.
MoveforwardPT.com is the site for an elder to find a physical therapist.

I liked that this video showed what to do for seniors with or without physical problems, because even those who don't still need some physical therapy at times, and it's a smart idea to seek one out because they're very helpful to their patients. Also the video shows the PT helping an old woman, and it's pretty cool to see how friendly and encouraging they are to their patients.

Hamstring Exercises

I watched a youtube video that showed an exercise for strengthening the back of the knee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUAH54F6zE

This was a pretty informative video, showing exactly what to do when doing the exercise. What is needed is a resistance band, which I have found is very useful for many different different physical therapy exercises. In this one, you loop it at the end and put your foot in it, while either someone holds the other end or you yourself tie it to to a strong surface. It's good that the exercise can be done on your own too, because it's helpful for people who live alone, or have no one around to assist them. The resistance band creates a tension that forces you to use the muscles in the back of the leg and knee. That is the point of the exercise. The video informs you that if there is pain there, to stop and get professional help about what is hurting and why. This was a helpful video for those trying to strengthen those muscles.

Practicing Your Knowledge

 I visited my mom last week, and she was doing all these different stretches with her leg and ankle, that are still a little messed up from a car accident she was in earlier this year. I asked her if she needed any help, and she wanted me to do what her physical therapist helps her with. So I got a very hands on experience with what a physical therapist does with an accident victim, specializing on the right leg.
It was pretty basic, I helped her stretch her leg while she was laying down at first. Then we worked on walking and going up the stairs. It was a good experience because I was able to practice helping an actual person. Like I used my arm and leg muscles rather than just my finger muscles when typing these blogs, that was the biggest difference between helping my mom through stretches and reading about a woman's stretches. I think these types of hands-on experiences play a big role in helping to prepare for the job being researched. Articles and talking about the job are much different than actually experiencing it. I liked this a lot better too because it gave me the chance to understand how to encourage and support a patient, through words and motions.

Contemplating Controversy

There is a controversial issue in physical therapy on whether or not parents should be involved in physical therapy sessions.
One side says that parents should not be involved because they may interfere with the session or become a distraction for the child in the therapy session, which would waste valuable time for the child to improve and for the therapist who is trying to help improve the childs physical condition.
On the other side, parents want to be involved in order to help their child, and to be aware of the treatment plan. Parents usually are very worried about their children's well being, and want to be there to support them through their disability. Being there could also show them what to do outside of the sessions, at home, so that therapy can be continued outside of the office.
Primarily, the issue here has to do with what will benefit the child most. There is a difference between interference and involvement, and that is what they are trying to decide between.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732325

Remixing Knowledge

The remix I looked at was a brochure by the Maine Medical Center for Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. This brochure included a lot of information about physical therapy in general, as well as specifically for their medical center.

• The front page consists of the title of the center, the address, as well as a number and picture. The picture attracts people to the brochure, and there are also colors in the brochure. It gives the office policy right away as well, which gives you what to do if you can't make an appointment, and informing you that if you don't show up for 2 appointments, you will not be scheduled again. I think this is probably included because either it happens a lot, so they want to let you know, or they want to prevent it from happening so they want to show you right away. 
• The next page gives you the services provided from the center. These include manual therapy exercises, a therapeutic exercise plan, body mechanics and postural education, and modalities. Each of these services is bolded and includes a list of examples under each one to give the specifics of the services. This is a good way of giving detail, and being organized. 
• The next page is more of a general description of what physical therapy is, and informs that a doctor will refer you to what physical therapy is appropriate to benefit the patient. I think this is a good add on to the brochure because if a person is questioning whether he/she actually needs physical therapy, this will help them decide, and also personalizes it to their company ensuring the patient that they will be personally instructed. 
• Treatment goals and what to expect is what is on the next page. This gives details for what the medical center hopes to do for the patient, and exactly what to expect, allowing the potential patient to get a clear idea of what the center will provide for them. 
• Lastly, the brochure lets you know what to bring and what to wear, so an idea of what a visit will look like.

This brochure did a really good job of including information, general and specific, for potential patients. There were also colors and pictures throughout it to make it better looking and attractive to the eye. It included everything it needed to, but kept it at an organized and light level, so people would not get bored of it. The audience could be any adult who can read, or even a kid who could read could give it to their parents who could set up an appointment. This was a great brochure for the Maine Medical Center.

Brochure site: http://www.mmc.org/workfiles/mmc_family_medicine/SPT_SportsMedicine/SM_PTBrochure2009.pdf

Recognizing Significance

Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Physical Therapy

(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251159.php)

I read a news story reporting the significance of physical therapy for those with Parkinson's Disease. Usually, drug therapy is used for those with this disease, which includes problems with movement, cognition, neurobehavior, as well as sensory difficulties. The physical therapy methods that are used to treat patients included dance, treadmill training, and other exercises. There was a study showing the clear improvement in patients. The most positive outcomes from physical therapy treatmeant were shown in three different areas-- Gait Speed, Berg balance scale (developed to measure balance among elderly people with balance function impairment by assessing the performance of functional tasks), and a clinician-rated disability scale. Improvements in these areas have proven to be meaningful for Parkinson's patients. 
Physical therapy can be helpful for people in many different cases. Physically, with exercises, as well as mentally, to get people in the right mind for improvement and get them along through tough treatments. Physical therapists play an important role in the healing process for those with physical impairments, those who got in a freak accident, and many more. There is a very diverse range of patients and cases, which is cool because physical therapists learn and experience a lot through their career and have to expect almost anything. 

Evaluating Sources

The article I have chosen to read and evaluate is called "Experiences and Perspectives of Physical Therapists Managing Patients Covered by Workers' Compensation in Queensland, Australia". It was written in the journal of the American Physical Therapy Association. The article discusses the difference in our country's role of a Physical Therapist compared to Australia in relation to RTW (return to work). In America, a Physical Therapist has an active role in the rehabilitation of injured workers. But the regulations in Australia do not allow physical therapists to make decisions in when an injured person can return to work. So, they did a study aimed on investigating physical therapists experiences and perspectives on their role in determining readiness for RTW and work capacity for patients receiving workers comp in Australia.
The results that the author got out of the study was that physical therapists in Australia believe they do play an important role in determining when injured workers can go back, and that physical therapists use a variety of methods to determine work capacity, so they would be able to take on the role of decision making for RTW. However, it was prevalent that physical therapists have a lack of role clarity.

I would say that this is correct. The doctors in the study were well situated in finding and interpreting the information necessary for those being assessed for RTW. Therapists made recommendations for RTW using clinical judgment informed by subjective and objective information gathered from the injured worker. They clearly know what they're doing. Even though the physical therapists standards are not specific, there is an expectation for their knowledge of the details of the treatment. They spend so much time with the patient, and their job is to evaluate their progress. So they understand how much time they still need to heal. Physical therapists had the knowledge (of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics), awareness of the barriers to RTW, and time to establish trust, providing them with a thorough understanding of the patient's function at any point in time. It is their goal to get the patient back to normal so that they are able to continue on with their every day lives (which includes work). So it only makes sense. All the information that the author includes in this journal is very relevant to the aim of the study and I agree with the conclusion that even in Australia, Physical Therapists play a very important role in their patients lives, which should give them the privilege of helping make the decision of when the patient can get back to work.

http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/92/10/1306.full

Reason Why

Everyone has a reason behind the dream job they're chosen. I'd just like to talk about what mine is for this week's blog. 

So, my dream job is to be a physical therapist. The obvious reasons are because I love working with people, helping them specifically. The pay is also good, so that's a plus. And I should always have a job available somewhere since it's in the medical field.

These are reasons that anyone would pick being a physical therapist as their career. However, for me, there's a little more to it. This past year, my mom got in an awful car accident. She hit a tree, and broke the right half of her body. (Luckily, she's left handed). Anywho, when I found out she was in the hospital, I left work and drove to the hospital. When I got there, she looked awful! Her hair, her face, her arm, she had cuts all over, and a metal rod from her hip to her foot. It was tough seeing her like that, but all I wanted to do was help her.

As time went on, she started attending physical therapy to learn to walk again. I went to some of these appointments to see what it was like, and to help her out. It was amazing. It's a slow process, but you do start to see more and more progress each time. Eventually, my mom got to get out of her wheelchair, and use crutches. After a while on crutches, those were taken away too. She walked with quite a limp for a long time, but that even went away after more practice. It was so cool to see the change in her. And she absolutely loved her PT, Susan. She counted on her, for help and motivation, and that's what she got. Susan kept her going, even on the rough days where she didn't even want to move. She pushed her, and got her to where she's at now. There's no way my mom would be where she is now without Susan. They still talk even now, without the regular visits. It's the coolest thing.

This personal experience of watching my mom get back on her feet (literally), was life changing. It showed me how important and rewarding this job is. Every time I get a new patient, I will think of my mom and everything she went through. I know I can motivate these people, because I've seen the potential in people. I'm so excited to see the patients get through their struggles, and prosper. Just like my mom did. All you need is some support and encouragement. So rewarding. I can't wait to become a physical therapist.

Defining Ethics: Physical Therapy

Physical therapists shall be trustworthy and compassionate in addressing the rights and needs of patients/clients. 

This is one of the principles in the Code of Ethics of the APTA (American Physical Therapy Assiociation). I find this to relate to my own beliefs because I like to be loyal to anyone I meet and I do have true, sincere feelings for those that are in need, which would make me compassionate I'd say. As for adressing people of things, I am honest and sensitive about telling people things they need to know. This principle definitely fits into my ethics of life.

3 Things I'm doing in College that will help me prepare for work in Physical Therapy:
      One) Taking chemistry! I need to take this course for my field so that helps.
      Two) This blog! I'm learning a lot about my field from research on this blog. I now know the steps I          need to take to become a Physical Therapist.
       Three) Coming to this new environment at MSU prepares me a lot because I have learned how to make new friends and communicate with people and I plan on moving out of state when I become a PT so this gives me the chance to experience the same thing that will happen in a couple years. So it prepares me for being open to new people in my life.

5 Steps

This week I read more about how to become a physical therapist. I was looking more at the big picture before, but I found out more about specific steps.
1)Evaluate Skills
        -Here, the site just wants you to self assess and see if this is the right field. Like, how you deal with others in pain, and how to motivate. Oh, and also to think how good you are in subjects like biology, physics, biology, act. (This is a step I already knew).

2)Gather Information
        -Decide what branch of physical therapy you want to study. Each has its own duties and challenges.
Geriatric Physical Therapy, Sports Related Physical Therapy, Pediatric Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Neurological Physical Therapy, Degenerative Diseases, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy.
I will have to look more into these branches because I don't know quite yet what the differences are between these branches.

3) Choose your Undergraduate PT School
        -I did this already, since I'm at MSU, but I will have to make sure I do well in all of the courses in order to get into a good graduate program from here. I've got to get ahead of the competition.

4) Acquire your Graduate Degree

      -A good Graduate program in physical therapy will teach you about cardiopulmonary physical therapy, neurological physical therapy, generalized physical therapy and psychosocial issues. It will also cover musculoskeletal disorders and the kinds of physical therapy related research that will be of use to you once you start practicing. This degree will also help you prepare for the Nation PT Exam and state licensing. So, this prepares you for a lot in this field.

5) Get a State License

         -So, after the degree, you have to pass two state license board exams, as well as the National PT Exam(which qualifies you for the board exams). Depending on the state I end up living, there are certain requirements besides this. But I don't have that figured out yet. You also have to renew your license every two years, and it is recommended you continue with schooling to stay ahead of the game.

This is everything I found out from the site "Becoming a Physical Therapist" at http://www.becomingphysicaltherapist.com/how-to-become-a-physical-therapist-5-steps-to-your-dream-2/ and I think it helped clear up a lot.

PPTA Interview Questions

I will soon be interviewing Brandon Decker, the head of the Pre-Physical Therapy Association. I emailed him the other day, and I'm sure he will be getting ahold of me soon. This association provides the opportunities and information about how to become a successful program applicant. Some things I will be asking him:
What is a meeting for this association like?
What is your favorite part of the meeting?
Do you learn a lot?
Is is a fun group?
What are some things you usually discuss?
What is the environment like?

This is what I have so far, and I'm sure more questions will come up throughout the interview. I'll post those when I actually do the interview. I'm really excited to learn about this group and potentially join! I'm sure it's really helpful with learning about physical therapy.

Starting a Physical Therapy Practice

If I actually get into physical therapy, I will want to start my own business. I don't like taking orders, and I think it would just be better for me to do my own thing. I also don't really want to work in a hospital. All those scrubs are so ugly. I realize this is a lot of work, but I know it's what I want to do eventually. I like to be in charge so, yeah, that's my plan.
I read about the process of starting your own practice. I already know the top states to live to start my practice from a previous post, but I want to know what my plan would be from there. This is what I learned from the site Nitin 360 (http://www.nitin360.com/starting-a-physical-therapy-practice.html).
The first thing the site tells you is to make sure it's what you want because you have to love helping people for it to all work out in the end. Or else you'd be stuck in something you hate for a while. Anyway though. 
I need to prepare a financial statement in order to find out how much I can put to raise funds for the private project. I've got to have a good business plan, and identify where my business will be situated because it has to be accessible to my clients. 
Competition is important. I have to make sure I know who they are and where they are. This makes sense. So don't put my business around some big, known practice or else I won't have any patients.
Another hint they give is to make sure I know what to do when certain situations arise so that I can avoid embarrassment from fellow colleagues.
I have to plan a lot. That's for sure. Don't want anything to go wrong. And prepare for criticism, what can you do to avoid that though.
I won't make all my money back going right into it, so I have to pull through even when the times are tough at the beginning. It will eventually profit.
I might need a business consultant, but they're expensive, so I'm going to try to stay away from that.
ADVERTISE. Tell everyone. Use all my connections from family, friends, and coworkers in order to get word out.
Staff is really important. I have to make sure they all are up to par by having weekly review meetings. I will fully check the workers out to ensure they love helping people as much as me. Oh, and be good to them, but still a leader. Makes sense.
Lastly, feedback from clients is a big thing, I've got to be clear with them, be friendly and caring, and really show them how to get better. 
I can definitely do this.

PT Interview Questions

I will be interviewing my mom's friend Susan over the phone. She's a physical therapist that lives in gun lake and works at a hospital.

What do you have to write?
How do you write it? Is there a process involved each time? Do different processes vary?
What type of communication do you have to use when interacting with people?
How does it vary with different people? Patients, family, fellow doctors?
Do you like to write? Is there a lot involved with this career?
Have you worked in different environments where the writing changes or is it always the same?
Is there anything else  should know about the writing process for physical therapy?

Delivery & Style of 3 Sources

Blog: http://intouchpt.wordpress.com
Harrison Vaughan delivers his blog through a digital setting, on the internet. He most likely did this because it's most accessible to people, most everyone has a computer. He makes it relatable to his audience because he starts with "I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying, 'Look Ma, No Hands!' and may have said it yourself when you first took your hands off of the bicycle", which made me more interested right from the beginning.
The style he uses is obviously professional, because he knows his stuff. I can tell because he discusses his past experience so the audience knows he is credible. He gives a lot of examples of what he's trying to say so that his audience understands completely what he's trying to get across. He also makes it seem like what he's saying is important for the patients. He reiterates the importance of decreasing bias when physical therapists assess the patient's healing. He also puts a lot of explanation into the different processes. It made me think that I could trust what this guy was saying.

Newspaper article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/asia/patching-troops-together-one-ache-at-a-time.html?pagewanted=1&ref=physicaltherapy
Graham Bowley delivers this article in a very sincere way. I read it as a digital source on the internet, but it also was in the actual New York Times newspaper. So, it is very accessible to a variety of audiences. The reason I think it's sincere is because he delivers it with a picture of a woman in the army, helping an army guy with a bad leg. And he starts the article with giving her a lot of credit. I think he wants to make it known right away that this is a touching story. Probably to catch more attention I'd say.
The style he uses is very serious, because it's a serious situation. He tries to make the audience feel some pity for the soldiers. He describes what the soldiers have to go through in great detail, and gives facts like that there's only one physical therapist for a combat of 100 soldiers. He did a good job of using this style to affect the audience. He almost made it feel real to me, and allowed me to understand what it's like for soldiers and physical therapists in war. It was very affective.

Scholarly Article: http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/223126513/1392409039DCA4F751/11?accountid=12598
The article, "Physical therapy to improve functioning of older people in residential care facilities" was delivered very basic, and not personal or made relateable at all. It's on the internet so it's accessible. It seemed very straightforward. I take this as a professional, quick research when I see this delivery. 
The author, Nancy Harada, has a very blunt, straightforward style. Just a proffessional tone. She gives her research, process, and results, that's all. It was just very quick and impersonal.

Wii Golf Now Used for PT Patients

In the New York Times article, "Physical Therapists Turn to Wii Golf", I was very pleased with how beneficial this high tech game has been for patients. There has been a lot of positive feedback. I have learned that wii golf has helped PT patients with balance as well as movement. And the patients find it more pleasurable than anything. Usually PT stands for pain and torture for patients, but they don't even count it as therapy because it's so fun. It brings a little competition for them too, in big settings. And it allows patients to be more independent with their therapy. This way they can play at home, either alone or with family members, and it gives them a chance to practice without actually being with a therapist. Patients gain a lot of coordination with the different buttons and ranges of movement. I find it so interesting that physical therapists use these types of alternative methods to help their patients. The doctor in the article discusses how important it is for a patient to have a meaningful and fun therapy, because this helps with progress. I think it's exciting that there are different sources and tools of helping a patient heal. Therapy gets old I'm sure, and this is a fun way of keeping things interesting.

Mickey from The New York Times Website

Ten Questions about Physical Therapy

1. How long do you have to go to school?
A Bachelor's degree along with a doctoral program, so 4 years then 3 years for the doctoral program. 7 years, plus they should continue to take classes throughout their career.
2. What kinds of classes do you have to take?
Courses in biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, and pharmacology.
3. Is it more common to work for a hospital or start your own business?
It's more common to work in a hospital, about 28% in hospitals, 10% in home health care, and 7% are self employed.
4. Which state is the most popular place to start a business for physical therapy?
California's the top place, with New Jersey and Maryland right behind.
5. What exactly does a physical therapist do in a day?
They diagnose their patient after watching the difficulty they have with movement, then set up a plan for them to get better, go through the exercises with them, evaluate their progress as time goes on. They also have to educate their patient and family of what to expect and how to cope.
6. Are there a lot of jobs in this field?
Last recorded in 2010, there were 198,600 jobs.
7. What is the salary? 
Median salary is $76,310, about $36.69 an hour.
8. What kind of people do you work with?
All ages, people with injuries, sprains, strains, fractures, arthritis, strokes, amputation, birth conditions, ect.
9. What qualities should you have to be a physical therapist?
Compassionate (desire to help people), detail oriented( be able to observe and analyze the problem), dexterity(comfortable working with hands), interpersonal skills(should enjoy working with people and be able to communicate),and physical stamina(on feet all day and need to lift sometimes) are all important.
10. Is there going to be jobs in the future?
It is predicted that jobs will go up 39% from 2010 to 2020, with a raise of 77,400 jobs.
(Occupational Outlook Handbook)