So, here I am still plugging along. Another weekend passed, and gearing up for a shortened work week this week! (I looooove holidays!) I'm looking forward to making a move in my current company, as I had an opportunity present itself to me not long after I posted on this blog last. It was sort of a serendipitous type of thing... I was feeling a overwhelmed, over worked and a little hopeless. And then opportunity came, saving me. Ha.
Eh, the funny thing about life is sometimes when you think you can't push any further and that no one has noticed you've been busting your tail, every once in awhile someone has been paying attention and then good things happen.
I'm looking forward to the move within my current company to give me a bit of freedom (although I've only been there since February, since I was a student there, I had a slight head start on the happenings) and more motivation to continue pursuing my interests with the cardiopulmonary aspect of physical therapy.
And, when a good opportunity comes to further your career, you've got to take it... So, I am. I'm going to be moving to a different office location to help form an agreement with my current company and a company that is going to be opening some breathing disorder centers. It's a great time to jump head first into being the PT that's interested in cardiopulmonary in our company because no one fills that area, and who knows where it will lead. Maybe nowhere, but maybe somewhere. All I know is that I needed something to come along before I got so burnt out that I made a rash decision, and it came all on its own.
Two. Thumbs. Up.
I hate being vague on here, but I don't like giving too much information that is personal. But, I am very excited for this opportunity and I love my cardiopulmonary patients! :)
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The New Grad Blues
Ok, so... Here it goes... I have the new grad blues. I think this is normal... Or at least, I keep meeting with my former advisor from PT school (what a great opportunity that she can continue to be my mentor!) and she makes me feel this way. I had all these aspirations and "life will be so much better when..." moments, so to be honest I feel a little let down. Things aren't really panning out the way I had foreseen in my dreams.
Without sounding like a big baby, just take this with a grain of salt. The reason (well not the only one...) that I chose the job I did was because I had a clinical rotation there and it wasn't overly busy. The environment was slower than most OP clinics and of course, the pulmonary and cardiac rehab was a huge pull for me... However, since I started we have been blowing the doors off the clinic with so many new referrals. In fact, in April I saw the most patients a PT has seen *ever* in one month at the clinic. This is great for experience, great for keeping the day moving fast, but awful for my personal health. I am literally being run into the ground, sometimes needing to stay until 9pm at night to finish everything that I need to do... It's like I'm starting to get burnt out and I have literally just begun.
I know that OP clinics are busy, I get it. (Like I said, not trying to be a baby... although, this is my blog so I can say what I want!) But, I wouldn't be in OP if it wasn't for this particular company and their cardiopulmonary aspect. I'm starting to worry that perhaps this isn't the setting for me. I know that if I were to leave my current position (as in some day, like when I'm ready to move forward with my career) I wouldn't really want to take my base knowledge of orthopedics and head to another OP clinic. It's just not me. There are plenty of people who love ortho and that is fantastic. And I am loving the well-rounded experience I am getting right now, but it's not something I'm going to specialize in later on in my career. Additionally, I am a bit worried about my base knowledge I'm gaining in cardiopulmonary. This is something I have great interest in but I am trying to be realistic about my options for moving forward in this specialized area. I'm not so sure that there are that many opportunities for someone who wants to focus purely on cardiopulmonary.
So, this newfound doubt plus the overwhelming stress of literally doing nothing but work/sleep has me feeling blue. In fact, it has me feeling like maybe I shouldn't have gone to PT school at all. I love my patients and I love patient care and I love most things about my job, but the stress is too much. I just feel like I am being pushed so much for being a new grad. I mean, I'm seeing as many (and sometimes more!) patients a day as my mentor/boss who has almost 20 years of experience. It's just daunting. I'm not asking someone to pat me on the back and baby me, but for crying out loud - I. Am. Exhausted.
Without sounding like a big baby, just take this with a grain of salt. The reason (well not the only one...) that I chose the job I did was because I had a clinical rotation there and it wasn't overly busy. The environment was slower than most OP clinics and of course, the pulmonary and cardiac rehab was a huge pull for me... However, since I started we have been blowing the doors off the clinic with so many new referrals. In fact, in April I saw the most patients a PT has seen *ever* in one month at the clinic. This is great for experience, great for keeping the day moving fast, but awful for my personal health. I am literally being run into the ground, sometimes needing to stay until 9pm at night to finish everything that I need to do... It's like I'm starting to get burnt out and I have literally just begun.
I know that OP clinics are busy, I get it. (Like I said, not trying to be a baby... although, this is my blog so I can say what I want!) But, I wouldn't be in OP if it wasn't for this particular company and their cardiopulmonary aspect. I'm starting to worry that perhaps this isn't the setting for me. I know that if I were to leave my current position (as in some day, like when I'm ready to move forward with my career) I wouldn't really want to take my base knowledge of orthopedics and head to another OP clinic. It's just not me. There are plenty of people who love ortho and that is fantastic. And I am loving the well-rounded experience I am getting right now, but it's not something I'm going to specialize in later on in my career. Additionally, I am a bit worried about my base knowledge I'm gaining in cardiopulmonary. This is something I have great interest in but I am trying to be realistic about my options for moving forward in this specialized area. I'm not so sure that there are that many opportunities for someone who wants to focus purely on cardiopulmonary.
So, this newfound doubt plus the overwhelming stress of literally doing nothing but work/sleep has me feeling blue. In fact, it has me feeling like maybe I shouldn't have gone to PT school at all. I love my patients and I love patient care and I love most things about my job, but the stress is too much. I just feel like I am being pushed so much for being a new grad. I mean, I'm seeing as many (and sometimes more!) patients a day as my mentor/boss who has almost 20 years of experience. It's just daunting. I'm not asking someone to pat me on the back and baby me, but for crying out loud - I. Am. Exhausted.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Pumped about my new work bag!
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| tic tac tote: verabradley.com |
Well, I finally decided on this beauty from Vera Bradley. I am not a person that likes spending a lot of money on something, so it was quite the ordeal that I allowed myself to buy this. ;)
But, I think I'm in love.... And I'm about to pack it full of all my things right now. It has a thousand pockets on the inside and it zips shut which is a nice plus. A couple of the other totes I was considering just had a button closure, and the one was actually almost impossible to do in a timely manner when I tried it out at the store.
Anyway, now I'm sad that my binder doesn't match, but what's a girl to do? These are the things that keep me sane while work is keeping me insane.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Trying to find balance...
So, the thing I'm struggling the most with is finding balance between my professional and personal life. It's like, I know that I need (and want!) to separate work from home, but it's so hard. I'm slow with things and not really efficient yet, so sometimes* I have to stay late to finish my paperwork. (*Sometimes is usually ~3 times a week.) And then, I have questions when I have someone with a condition I've never treated before (insert the eval I just did on a lady who I believe has un-diagnosed trochanteric bursitis) which requires me to spend a little bit of time researching on the internet. Then, I am taking over the cardiac program and feel obligated to give my patients the best care I can, which includes looking up education materials. Add all that together and most days I am doing a lot of work related things outside of work.
And, on top of my fatigue issues, all this is making it very hard to make it to the gym on a regular basis. For example, tonight I just came home and by the time I cooked dinner, I was completely wiped out. So, I realize I need more separation than work being work and personal life being sleep... But, I just don't know what to do to make it different. It's very frustrating. I had found an article to read on the APTA about this very topic, but it had nothing good to say... Basically, just that you need to balance things. Well, I know that... I just don't know how when I am at work late, need to look up something about a patient for the next day, and have unrelenting fatigue. (I finally just did some hormone testing, so we will see what the results show and then what my options are for that...)
I've just gotten into bad habits (mainly not going to the gym regularly) since moving away from home and starting school. It's been a hard transition and there's been a lot going on in my personal life. Besides all the stress of school, my mom was very, very ill through 2/3 of it and there's always something going on with our house whether it be renovations, laundry, etc. I just don't have the energy to deal with it all and so I'm ending up suffering. Which, in turn, is making me feel slightly miserable and sort of like crying a lot.
I just keep telling myself that things are going to improve over time. And that it's not always going to feel like this... Or at least, I hope it doesn't or I may drive myself insane. In fact, as I'm writing this, I am incessently yawning and heavily debating on going to bed. I'm just so tired. But, it will get better! It has to!
And, on top of my fatigue issues, all this is making it very hard to make it to the gym on a regular basis. For example, tonight I just came home and by the time I cooked dinner, I was completely wiped out. So, I realize I need more separation than work being work and personal life being sleep... But, I just don't know what to do to make it different. It's very frustrating. I had found an article to read on the APTA about this very topic, but it had nothing good to say... Basically, just that you need to balance things. Well, I know that... I just don't know how when I am at work late, need to look up something about a patient for the next day, and have unrelenting fatigue. (I finally just did some hormone testing, so we will see what the results show and then what my options are for that...)
I've just gotten into bad habits (mainly not going to the gym regularly) since moving away from home and starting school. It's been a hard transition and there's been a lot going on in my personal life. Besides all the stress of school, my mom was very, very ill through 2/3 of it and there's always something going on with our house whether it be renovations, laundry, etc. I just don't have the energy to deal with it all and so I'm ending up suffering. Which, in turn, is making me feel slightly miserable and sort of like crying a lot.
I just keep telling myself that things are going to improve over time. And that it's not always going to feel like this... Or at least, I hope it doesn't or I may drive myself insane. In fact, as I'm writing this, I am incessently yawning and heavily debating on going to bed. I'm just so tired. But, it will get better! It has to!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
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:
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! :)
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! :)
Friday, February 14, 2014
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!
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!
Monday, February 10, 2014
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!
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!
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