Yes, you do need to do research after graduating ;)

(But, it's so much more fun!)

So, I got some exciting news that I am going to be taking the lead in revamping our cardiac rehabilitation program at my job. This is great for a few reasons:

1. I *LOVE* cardiac patients, cardiac pathologies, cardiac responses to exercise; I love the heart!

2. Up until this point the cardiac patients have been performing a modified version of the pulmonary program, which isn't "wrong" per say, but it is also not the best we can be doing for these patients

3. I am excited to use my creativity and new knowledge to change the face of this program and then hopefully help market my company and make us a larger player in this field in the area

So, this weekend I found a couple of articles from the American Heart Association on their core components and guidelines, as well as some performance measures for cardiac rehab. I'm hoping to read through those articles later today and then also look back on my school notes and in my textbooks to remind myself of all the important things that should be considered when dealing with a cardiac patient.

I'm so excited to be able to have this opportunity, with a patient population I'm very passionate about... I know I just posted last time about the stress test that I completed, and the reason for that is that I have a congenital heart issue. Thankfully, it doesn't limit my ability to do anything, but it has made me very interested and passionate for the cardiac world. And, I feel I'm in a unique situation where I can maybe relate (a little!) to my patients.

I'm also drooling over the AACPR's textbook on Cardiac Rehab, but it's also $60. I'm going to email my cardiopulmonary professor and my boss to see if we have a copy of this anywhere that I could borrow, before I consider buying it... I don't want to overwhelm myself with information, but I think it could be helpful.

I am also planning on becoming a member of the AACPR because I feel like there is a ton of information on there that would be beneficial. My cardiopulmonary professor and the respiratory therapist are both members (in our area) and it seems like it has been useful for them, so I'm debating on when to join.

So, things are feeling very exciting and also a nerve-wracking, but as I investigate, I'll be sure to post some good cardiac rehab information! :)

My first stress test...

Today I had a stress test done, mostly for my own piece of mind. I'm easy to admit that I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and I've had a little bit of a bumpy time throughout school with some new heart symptoms. Luckily, through trial and error of my own accord (and help from my PCP since my cardiologist would never call back [very annoying and could rant about that separately!]) I eliminated most of my symptoms, but still am left with some anxiety about exercising to my full potential.

So, after my check up at the cardiologist last week (which went well! He tells me my heart looks exactly the same as it did two years ago!) he suggested if I really wanted to have piece of mind they could run an exercise test and that way if I do have symptoms it would be caught on multiple monitors and if there is a problem that only presents with exercise they would catch it.

Well, let me tell you, I am the biggest wuss on the planet. I couldn't make it the whole way through the stress test, but I did hit my almost max HR (with no symptoms, yay!) and I think everything looked great! I had no symptoms and that's the first time I've taken my heart rate past ~164 in two years.

So, I now have a HUGE appreciation for my future cardiac patients who have to go through this stress test. It's not really that fun, and I've had a huge headache since doing the test this morning. (I'm assuming it's from being dehydrated since I did it first thing in the AM and didn't really drink anything before hand... And I also skipped my morning coffee.)

Anyway, this post was sort of pointless... If I was feeling really motivated I could've written all about what the protocol is, but I don't really feel like it right now. And, I'm about to head out for an easy dinner with the boyfriend and a friend!

But, out of all the tests I've taken in the past 2.5 years, I'd say the stress test was the easiest one ;) Sure beats taking a PT exam!

First Day as a "real" PT! :)

Well, as I work on filling in some missing pieces (mainly my 4th clinical experience, graduation, getting a job and studying for the boards), today was a monumental day in my journey from teacher to clinician... Today was my first day as a real-life PT!

Since I did a clinical experience prior to my employment, today felt like I'd never left. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but it definitely helped ease my anxiety. In fact, there were a few familiar faces today and I guess I can expect a couple more later this week. The clinic is sort of slow right now (compared to when I was there before) which I also take as a blessing that I won't be quite as overwhelmed as I work into getting into a routine.

I was working with some patients today and found myself continually going to my prior-CI to ask for permission. I sort of realized halfway through the day that technically, I can now make decisions based on my own opinions. ;) It's still nice to ask permission for someone else's patient though.

So, it was a long day... 10 hours.... Wow. My feet are absolutely killing me, so I'm looking forward to getting used to the feeling of being up and moving all day so that my poor feet don't feel like they walked through a war zone.

I'm also exhausted. It has been about 10 weeks (I would guess) since I last even touched a patient, much less was active all day. I could honestly go to bed now and am literally considering it once I finish this blog post.

I honestly can't believe I just went to work today. I literally went to work and got paid! It's crazy. I remember when I started this journey back in 2009, it seemed like 2014 would be a million years away and now it's here! The interesting thing is, now that I'm done with school I want to try to pick up some hobbies, but I have NO IDEA what I want to do with all my newly earned free time... Definitely getting back to the gym is on the top of my list, and I keep trying to convince my boyfriend we should get a fish tank. Thank goodness the Olympics are on and I can entertain myself with that for the time being! Go USA!