Over the summer UP Clinic and Tongji University established a new internship partnership. In total 17 students came to experience what life is like working as a physical therapist. Each student shadowed several of our physical therapists for two days, learning about different types of practices to help people move and feel better.

The students are studying rehabilitation and/or physical therapy at Tongji University. Prior to their arrival, students said they were excited to learn more about how the PTs (physical therapists) integrate all the information and results they gather from the tests they do with the patients and transfer that into manual therapy and functional training, which helps the recovery process.

“When I was first offered the chance for internship at UP clinic, I was really excited because I knew UP Clinic was one of the best clinics providing rehabilitation care service,” said student Taka.

Taka, who is currently in his junior year, hopes to become a qualified physiotherapist in the field of musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

“One thing that I learned from the internship that really left a deep impression on me was the emphasis on anatomy,” said Taka. “On my first day at UP clinic, I was shadowing Dr. Leslie. I asked him a question about choices of different types of manual therapies. Instead of telling me his preference, he showed me the model of the joint and explained to me [two types of therapies]. I realized, the two therapies actually serve the same purpose, but what really makes a difference is the final result we achieve through the therapy. Therefore, the anatomy is really important in physical therapy for it reveals the essence of all the therapies.”

Speaking with other students, many felt they had benefited and learned a lot, despite the program being just two days:

One student shared that they, “observed the process of treating patients, saw a variety of physical therapy methods, and learned how to use some physical therapy equipment,” adding that, “I benefited a lot from witnessing the hard work of physical therapists in the past two days. I am grateful for the encounter in this internship!”

And it wasn’t just classroom-style learning, there was also hands on practice involved too:

 “In the two days, I learned a lot and gained a lot. I observed various methods of physical therapy, and also experienced the effects of the therapeutic methods firsthand. I completed the FMS (Functional Movement Screen), YBT (Y Balance Test), FCS (Fundamental Capacity Screen), etc., which allowed me to experience myself as a patient. Although these two days are very tiring and my legs are sore, I have learned a lot of knowledge, and I hope that the knowledge I have learned can accompany me for a long time,” said another student.

Through experiencing so many different modalities and learnings during their internship, it also showed the students that there was still a lot they needed to learn to graduate and achieve future success:

“I felt my head was packed. I learned a lot of things that I didn’t touch in school: such as the real diagnosis process. I saw how the therapists gently interact with clients: clear communication, how to quickly make judgments, formulate plans, and train with customers. There was also many interesting pieces of equipment that I have never seen before, and many international customers too. It truly let me appreciate the importance of learning English as well.”

“During the internship process, I also learned some professional knowledge from the therapists, reviewed the anatomy class, and exercised my oral English and listening skills in the communication with international clients. In short, I benefited a lot from the two-day internship at UP Clinic, and I hope I will have the opportunity to come and play again!,” said student Shimmer.

“The two days in UP Clinic seemed like a fleeting moment, but I still learned a lot of things that I didn’t understand before. I saw the typical cases of upper and lower limb joint injuries, carefully observed the writing of patient cases, and learned about the use of some rehabilitation equipment. I gained new insight into the different roles of subjective assessments (for pain) and objective data (for range of motion, etc.) at different stages of rehabilitation. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the therapists Amari, Joseph, and their assistants, brothers and sisters. They helped me solve my doubts and gave me guidance in their spare time, which made me deeply feel the motto “Movement is medicine”.” added student Seven.

A big learning lesson for many of the students, was not just educational benefits of the internship, but also seeing how the physical therapists and staff interacted with patients to give them a great experience, especially when the patients are dealing with pain:

“I received knowledge different from what I would get with a textbook or demonstration in the classroom; everything came alive. I have seen the therapists’ care for their patients. The two therapists I met are very good teachers and the others who were not [teaching me] were also very willing to let the interns participate in different sports training. I am also very grateful to the front desk staff and the sisters of the personnel department. My biggest insight is that in fact, there is no way to cover everything in one treatment. And also, that not every method taught must be used. We have a choice and can apply them to patients in different ways from person to person [based on their needs and reception]. This requires the therapist to have a high degree of ability to integrate and use the rehabilitation knowledge framework (to achieve the maximum achievable effect within a limited time and the patient to accept it) and the ability to empathize with the patient.”

“In the past two days, under the guidance of the teacher, I learned about the daily work of the clinic and gained a lot of knowledge. The therapist should be responsible for the patient, be sincere, kind and enthusiastic, care and considerate to the patient, grasp the psychological characteristics of the patient, and give meticulous physical and mental care. For example, Mr. Amari, who took me, is enthusiastic and chats with patients after treatment. He builds trust and has proper body language. Additionally, he introduces himself, makes eye contact with the patient, speaks directly to the patient, counsels the patient and respects the patient’s perspective.

As a professional profession, therapists need to master a wealth of knowledge and skills, and accumulate a wealth of clinical experience in practice.”

And there were also some surprises, especially when it came to the type of patients who were getting treated:

“My biggest feeling is that the age of the patients here is much younger than I imagined, and there are many patients in their 30s with shoulder, neck and back problems. At the same time, I found that many patients are not in a very serious state. Some of them have relieved their symptoms due to multiple treatments in the early stage. However, some newly diagnosed patients have no history of surgical trauma, rather they just discovered some physical dysfunctions of their own bodies during exercise. Some are even pretty healthy, but because they want to continue to exercise, they want to improve their physical state.”

Overall, the experience was very beneficial to receive an in-depth understanding of what a ‘day-in-the-life’ of a physical therapist was like, and the students enjoyed their time and learned a lot!

“In just two days, I not only consolidated my professional knowledge and learned skills, but also felt the professionalism needed by a therapist. Along with using professional skills to improve the functions of patients, we must have a friendly approach to convey healthy concepts. During this internship, I also found that some of my basic knowledge is not solid enough, and I need to continue to improve in the future. Thanks to the school and UP Clinic for giving me this precious opportunity to learn and grow,” said student Jiaying.

Our therapists who worked with the students, also had these kind words of encouragement to cheer them on as they continue their education:

“I hope that the students gain something when they see the actual treatment and rehabilitation conditions.  The foundation is important; don’t limit your knowledge and always try to understand the ‘why’. Although each student only followed me for a short time, I hope that you can put what you see in your heart.  Thinking is the biggest push for our progress!” – PT Joseph.

“It’s our absolute pride and joy to show aspiring young professionals who we are and what we can do. By teaching and sharing we often learn more ourselves. I wish I could have had the same exposure as a student. Hopefully we can inspire some of our interns to take interest in a career of helping people move better and feel better for a living.” – Chief PT Cory.

“It was a pleasure to witness the new generation of Physical Therapy in the UP Clinic spaces. Continue your physical education as you continue with your science-backed education. We at UP Clinic strongly believe in: Practice what you preach and ‘Movement is Medicine’, so we first learn to move ourselves, before we’re able to teach others.

Im looking forward to hearing of your great achievements in the bright futures.” – PT Amari.

Echoing Amari’s words, student Taka agrees:

I had a great experience doing the YBT (Y Balance Test). It was in the second day of the internship and there was a patient suffering lower back pain and did the YBT. Amari saw me imitating the motions and offered to do [the test] for me. [It] took about 10 minutes and when I finished the test I was sweating. I had not tried it besides learning how to do the test in school and there were so much to pay attention to. I think I would fail to have my patients do the test properly if I hadn’t experienced if ahead of time. So, after the test I really agree with Amari when he said learning through personal experiences is really important. Afterall, we will be the ones teaching the patients to do these moves in our future careers!”

We wish all the students best of luck in their journeys and to remember, movement is medicine! Practice now to excel in the future!