By Christine Whitmarsh RN, BSN
As an orthopedic nurse, I always had a great deal of respect and admiration for the physical therapists who worked with my patients, especially post-operatively. When patients came into my care following complex surgical procedures such as total hip replacements, total knee replacements and spinal surgery, they were acutely ill, attached to a myriad of pumps and machines, immobile and required skill nursing care for every basic need. It always astounded me how, under the care of physical therapists these same patients would be walking circles around the nurse’s station within days.
Watching the therapists work with my patients, I realized early in my nursing career that this is definitely a therapeutic relationship where the patient and provider work together in reaching a defined set of rehabilitation goals. The challenge, of course, is convincing the patient of this. Post-operative orthopedic patients are usually in severe pain from surgical trauma and incisions, exhausted from large amounts of pain medication and the last thing they want to do is get out of bed and go for a walk. Believe me I feel for all you physical therapists because I see the patient’s reaction when you walk in their room – not exactly a ticker tape parade in your honor, is it? Physical therapy and the resulting restoration of mobility is vital in post-operative patients for medical reasons like preventing blood clots in the legs and also for emotional and psychological reasons such as allowing the patient to feel “normal” again.
Again – I top my nursing hat (in a metaphorical Florence Nightingale sort of way) to all physical therapists for their vital role in restoring a patient’s mobility and quality of life.
Travel Physical Therapists: What have been the most rewarding experiences you’ve had working with post-operative patients across the country in various clinical settings?
Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.
Tags: Physical Therapy, physical therapy travel jobs, travel pt jobs
