Due to unforseen circumstances, my schedule for the day actually changed just last night. The doctor I was originally working with is out for a few days, so I got to shadow Dr. Tyler Cope and Dr. Kristina Wulff today. I went in at 10:00am instead of the previously scheduled 7:30am and met up with Dr. Jaime Blanton to complete orientation and fill out some paperwork saying I’d abide by Duke’s rules and HIPPA. I then met Dr. Tyler Cope to tour the facility, which I had actually seen before since I used to go to the clinic for my own physical therapy. Aside from the physical therapy area upstairs, the Duke Physical Therapy Sports Medicine Clinic also contains a gym downstairs, indoor pool, outdoor track, and is adjacent to a more traditional doctor’s office. At the end of the tour and before Dr. Cope’s first appointment, I learned how the station carts are organized and how each station is set up. Each cart contains everything needed to reset the tables between appointments and some basic tools needed during sessions.
The upstairs clinic area is split into 4 main sections: The waiting room, exam rooms, the open gym area, and staff desks. Dr. Cope stayed in the open gym area and used the tables there to assess his patients, but the doctors can also use one of the separated exam rooms. In the open area, there is a cart between every few tables, and there is also a cart in every exam room. Of the exam rooms, some are like the first one pictured below, with curtains separating them between each other and the open gym area. There are also more closed off rooms like the ones in a standard doctor’s office.
At the end of the day, I worked with Dr. Kristina Wulff who was working with patients in the pool. She explained how utilizing the pool allows patients to work more comfortably since the pool takes off some body weight pressure, which is especially useful for post-op patients. Water to hip height takes off 50%, mid chest height takes off 75%, and up to the neck takes off 90%. The water resistance also forces patients to utilize different muscles.
I’m excited to go back in tomorrow and work with Dr. Cope again to see some more patients!