Tori Badura

11/20/2014

Career Journal 7 Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy

Education:

Earn a bachelors degree.

Gain admission into a physical therapy program.

Earn masters or doctoral degree.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Develop patients plans for recovery.

Conduct system reviews.

Provide interventions (the interactions and procedures used in managing and instructing
patients/clients).

Conduct re-examinations.

Modify interventions as necessary.

Perform tests.

Patient 3: Jorge Campos

6-Month Plan:

GOALS: The first 6 months are about getting the wound healed and then getting the patient
comfortable with wearing a prosthetic. Our ultimate goal after that is to get the patient back to
work and then, hopefully, to the point where he can run a marathon.

Because the patient is pushing to get back to work as soon as possible, and because of his push
to be able to care for the twins on the way, we will be on a tighter regimen than is usual for
amputees.

Expected Pain: A lot of pain is usual for amputees; if not pain, than discomfort from the
prosthetic. Many amputees also experience something called phantom limb, in which case it

Tori Badura
11/20/2014
feels like you have your limb back because your brain is still adjusting to the fact that it has lost
that limb.

Month to Month Plan: Every week day for the first 2 months, the patient will attend a therapy
session lasting about 2 hours. In these sessions, the patient will practice adding pressure to the
leg with the prosthetic on. All of this occurs during the fitting phase of the prosthetic. The
patient will notify the therapist of any discomfort with the prosthetic during this time. The
patient will also work on upper body strength and strengthening his gluteus maximus, his right
leg, and his core; since he has lost most of his left leg, the muscle in that leg is too damaged to
support him. During the 3rd and 4th months, the patient will receive his final fitted prosthetic,
which he should be able to wear comfortably. This is when the patient begins to walk on his leg,
with the assistance of crutches at first. He should be able to transition into walking on his leg
fairly easily, with only slight discomfort. The patients physical therapist should be constantly redesigning his plan to accommodate for the patients specific progress. After the physical
therapist has determined the patient can walk sufficiently, he will begin his therapy on a
bike/treadmill, or some other form of exercise equipment. This may or may not begin in the 5th
month. It depends on the patients personal progress.

A Typical PT Session: Especially in the 3 to 5 month range, the physical therapist will work on the
basic ability to walk with the prosthetic, jog with the prosthetic, and restoring normal range of
motion and movement to the left leg.

A Typical OT Session: The occupational therapist will cover things necessary to day-to-day tasks.
The OT will show the patient how to shower with or without the prosthetic, how to carry things,
what not to carry, and how to climb or reach for something at a higher level.

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11/20/2014

Throughout the 6-month plan, the patient will attend sessions with a psychologist to ensure his
mental health is good and he is handling his loss properly. This will help the patients new
outlook on life without his leg and allow him to progress faster.

This plan is designed to ensure the patient will eventually be able to care for himself
independently, without any assistance.