Very very laid-back atmosphere. Dr. Cole is a very knowledgeable and sweet physical therapist and human being. I was able to be myself, and I feel as though the patients responded very well to that. I learned a good amount about the nature of the profession. Their office used a lot of very tried and true methods of rehab, which I appreciate. Some offices jump right into and embrace some modalities (like laser therapy) which I just have not seen enough research on to buy into (but they are PT's for a reason, so I am sure there is benefit, I just personally do not love it). Throughout the experience I felt helpful, and appreciated, which was really awesome.
What I wish was different
A bit of a casualty of the profession, and especially the office I was in, is that summer is not exactly "prime-time" for standard physical therapy. Cambridge springs is a small little town, and sometimes we wouldnt see as many patients as I would have liked. Now, in down time I still got to pick the brain and talk with Dr. Cole, so there was no "wasted" time, per se. I just would have liked to maybe have seen even more conditions and been able to connect with even more people. (I am likely going back to finish my necessary hours over winter break, and winter is typically a busier time to outpatient PT, because no one wants to schedule a surgery so that they rehab when it is nice out if they can avoid it).
Advice
Love the little things. Doing any health-related internship typically means a lot of watching. We are not allowed to do a lot of hands on and physical things just because of our status, which is unfortunate but also very fair. But just because I cannot perform a manipulation or myofascial massage, does not in any way mean I cannot learn from watching and asking, etc. So, it can be tedious, and boring sometimes, but it is important to build foundations now, so that when you get to do the fun stuff it all just seems natural.
