Rebecca

Rebecca is a sophomore studying Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. She is a figure skater and current member of the University of Toronto’s figure skating team. In sports, she has experienced injuries both large and small, which have given her an understanding of the prevention and repair of sports injuries, as well as an interest in the profession of physical therapist.

Back in Toronto, she participates in sports-related activities, such as serving as the campus ambassador for the school’s sports department to promote knowledge about the professions like physical therapy. Since her freshman year, she also has worked part-time as an ice skating instructor at the Special Children’s Sports Home, teaching classes for children with special needs, and hopes that her experience gained at UP can help her provide more knowledge and support to those in need.

“My summer training gave me many surprises and rewards. I not only learned many skills that I did not see in textbooks, but also gained valuable friendships and understanding of the clinic, and experienced the united atmosphere of the company’s team. During the internship, the teachers were very eager to help me answer various questions and gave me some tips and techniques to help with deep tissue work. I deeply appreciated the professionalism, dedication and love of the teachers. During my internship, I also learned many commonly used pieces of rehabilitation equipment, which gave me a certain understanding of the future work environment, and saw the efficacy of some of the equipment, which made me really look forward to my future career.

During the internship, I also learned about some common symptoms of sports injuries and effective treatment methods. Seeing the patients recover quickly from the injuries to be able to exercise again, I have a new understanding and longing for the field of physical therapy. The valuable internship experience also helped me in my own skating sport. Thank you very much to the UP team for giving me this opportunity to spend an unforgettable summer at the UP Medical.”

Henry

During his time at UP, Henry shadowed our physical therapists Amanda and Jacky, as well as met PTs from different countries. What Henry observed was seeing how staff from different backgrounds, to include Chinese Medicine and Orthopedic Surgeons, were happy to exchange knowledge from their respective fields. 

Henry also attended the weekly meeting, where he saw “PT teachers volunteer to present some complicated real Case Studies, and experienced PT teachers discuss the cases, and explain some methods to try.” This gave Henry some valuable inspiration, learn and experience a real outpatient model. He was also allowed to test out some of the different programs given to patients such as UP’s core-endurance test, and dynamic hip exercise tests.

To future interns, Henry adds, “there are always opportunities [to learn]. Pay more attention to everything around you, and each day you can really learn a lot. It is worth coming to UP to learn new PT skills and review knowledge points. Everyone was so friendly, and [us] intends felt really a part of the family. It’s great to have this internship to give yourself the chance to see if this industry model is right for you. The teachers here are happy to answer questions, and also don’t be afraid to fell rejected if you present an idea – that’s how we learn.

What I felt most during my advanced studies was the mutual concern among my colleagues; the serious responsibility everyone took to work, and the fact that after work, everyone would conduct sports “team-building” activities, which achieved a sort of “work-life combination”. Although I only had a short month at UP, the most memorable thing was that I developed a deep friendship with the teachers there. Not only did they teach me new PT skills and knowledge, but I also learned skills that are not possible to acquire simply by reading a textbook.”

Eric

Eric is studying sports science at the University of British Columbia and is a dedicated basketball player for the school – already winning two BCOS basketball championships with the team. He has always enjoyed sports and was very sorry to see some players, including himself, who were unable to compete, and even lose their [team] qualification, because of injury, which is why he’s interested in physical therapy. He wants to help athletes recover from sports injuries and return to their original or higher levels of sports. He also hopes to learn a lot about physical therapy during his internship to help him gain a better understanding of the industry.

“Through basketball, I learned that sports injuries have a serious impact on people’s physical, and mental health. I am studying physical therapy to help people recover faster from sports and other injuries, as well as to teach them how to avoid injury.”

During his internship at UP, Eric was able to work with, in his words, ‘a team of excellent physical therapists’, and also learn more about various specialized equipment. “Through experiential testing, learning the principles of testing, and listening to instructors communicate with patients, advanced student internships at UP allow us to gain a fuller understanding of the techniques necessary to perform physical therapy,” he adds. 

“What stood out to me most during my Advanced Study were the various tests I experienced firsthand. In particular, MFD muscle release technology. Although it can be uncomfortable, the effect of muscle release is significant. There is also the Alter-G Treadmill, which allows patients to run with gravity supporting their body weight, which works to reduce joint pressure and help patients adapt to walking and running, and return back to their normal gaits post-injury.

The academic atmosphere at UP is very relaxed and cozy. Graduates can be well integrated into the physical therapy team, engage professionally with the instructor or have a chat in their free time. The biggest impact for me, was that my instructor, Joseph, asked me to participate in a patient’s rehabilitation campaign. Working with patients to complete rehabilitation exercises has given me a better understanding that physical therapy is not just therapy techniques and knowledge, but that interaction and encouragement with patients is also a critical part of physical healing.”

Hannah

Hannah is a third-year Ph. D. student in Physical Therapy at Columbia University, and received her undergraduate in Occupational Therapy at Quinlan University. She is very interested in orthopaedics, sports and pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation. She also already had work experience in adult, child and geriatric rehabilitation.

“My internship at UP was a very memorable and valuable experience. I learned a lot at UP and learned lots of experience and skills from my excellent mentor. At the same time, I have seen UP’s internationally integrated physical therapy approach, and experienced the team’s valuable culture of supporting and helping one other!”

Selected Mentor Messages

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.

— Cory

I hope students gain something from seeing the actual treatment and recovery conditions. To know what it is, you first must know why it is [the way it is]. Although each student only spent a short time with me, I hope everyone can take what they see into their hearts. Thinking is the biggest driver of our progress!

— Joseph

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.” 

— Amari

UP Genius Feedback

I am currently enrolled in a 6-year DPT program in the United States. This is my fourth year of the entire program and I want to gain more clinical experience in China since I will be returning to China to work after graduation. I have followed UP Medical closely through WeChat and the official website over the past few years, so it is an honor for me to have the opportunity to complete part of my internship here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get in touch with the big family at UP. I gained a lot of knowledge during my internship thanks to the support of my mentor and the staff. I am grateful to meet you all. 

— Rui,University of Massachusetts

During my internship at UP Medical, the working atmosphere was very positive. This was reflected not only in the strong learning environment, but also in the relaxed and enjoyable interactions between therapists and patients. My tutor Jacky was always very enthusiastic, chatting and laughing with patients during the treatment process. This pleasant working environment made the daily experience feel fun and motivating – it was not boring at all!  This atmosphere has had a very positive impact on my growth. First, it allowed me to focus more on learning the professional skills, which is something that I love. I felt I could safely ask PTs for advice and gain valuable experience and knowledge.

The biggest learning experience for me was that I now have a more detailed understanding of what I love and the rehabilitation industry. UP’s suitable working atmosphere helped me find my own rhythm. This experience not only enhanced my professional abilities, but also improved my interpersonal skills and the spirit of teamwork; allowing me to feel more confident in my future career development. This will greatly benefit my career planning! 

— Mark，Boston University DPT

I chose UP because I wanted to become a physical therapist. Before I started, I followed some of the Physical Therapists social media accounts – like Joseph – as well as UP’s social media platform. Their creative and regular content convinced me that UP is a professional and encouraging platform for young physical therapists. After learning about the founder’s entrepreneurial story, I believed that we had the same vision, so I chose to be an intern at UP.

My biggest learning experience has been to become more aware of the challenges I may encounter on my path to being a physical therapist. In this line of work, you may be faced with receiving 8 patients in one day. What’s more, is that the next patient’s medical records may arrive before the current patient’s treatment has been completed. In this instance, it is a huge challenge for me to clearly list the tasks that the current patient needs to complete, while at the same time grasping the basic situation and needs of the next patient in advance, establishing a treatment plan for the second patient, and reasonably controlling the time.

The physical therapist I shadowed, Amari was a good example for me. He has a very clear work process and can efficiently connect with different patients. He is very clear in his teaching and explanations to his patients while keeping the treatment process interesting and allowing patients to see their progress and improvement. This gave me a lot of inspiration, and helped me better establish working methods and models that would be suitable for me. 

— Veria,University of Hong Kong

This internship brought me many surprises and was full of rewards. Not only did I learn many skills not found in textbooks, but I also gained valuable friendships, learned more about this type of working environment and experienced the unity and friendship of the team. During the internship, the teachers were very enthusiastic to help answer my questions and taught me new physical therapy tips and techniques, such as how to relax different muscle groups. I deeply felt the teachers’ professionalism, dedication and support.

I also became more familiar, and saw the efficacy, with commonly used rehabilitation equipment during my internship, which gave me a better understanding of what my future work environment would be like. During the internship, I learned about some common sports injury symptoms and effective ways to treat them. Seeing patients quickly recover from injuries and being able to move again, I gained a new understanding and excitement for the field of physical therapy. The internship also personally helped me with tips for my performance and recovery in skating, which is another one of my passions.  Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to spend an unforgettable summer at UP. 

— Rebecca Wu , University of Toronto,Canada

I learned many things that I had not been exposed to in school: such as the real diagnosis process. I saw how therapists communicated gently with clients, how efficiently they made diagnosis, formulated plans, and even trained with clients. There were also many interesting types of equipment that I had not seen. I also realized how many international patients came in regularly, which made me truly realize the importance of learning English well. During the internship, I learned some professional knowledge from the therapists, reviewed the anatomy class, and practiced my English speaking and listening skills while communicating with international clients. In short, I have benefited a lot from the two days internship at UP Medical, and I hope I will have the opportunity to come again! 

— Shimmer，Tongji University

My time at UP Clinic seems to have gone by so quickly, but I still learned a lot of things that I didn’t understand before. I saw typical cases of upper and lower limb joint injuries, carefully observed how patient cases are recorded, and learned about the use of some rehabilitation equipment. Through the YBT test, I also realized my shortcomings in the left and right balance of my limbs. I have a new understanding of the different roles of subjective assessment (for pain) and objective data (for joint mobility, etc.) in different stages of rehabilitation. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the therapists Amari, Joseph and the assistants who accompany them. They took their time to answer my questions and give me guidance, which made me deeply feel the true meaning of “Movement is medicine.”

— Seven，Tongji University

By the end of the short, but informative two weeks internship at UP,  I learned a lot of clinical knowledge and came into contact with therapists who had diverse diagnosis and treatment styles. At UP, physical therapists can more freely use their professional abilities to independently evaluate and provide patients with the most appropriate treatment.

During the internship, I was exposed to a variety of commonly used physical therapy methods, such as joint mobilization, fascial release, exercise therapy, etc., and through the help of my instructor, I gained an in-depth understanding of the treatment principles, indications and contraindications of each treatment method. I learned to formulate reasonable treatment plans based on the patient’s condition, and gradually improved my skills by observing the diagnosis and treatment process of the instructor.

Through this experience, I became deeply aware of the importance of communication and collaboration. I saw that the therapists often need to communicate with patients during diagnosis and treatment, understand the patient’s condition and needs, and explain the treatment plan and precautions to the patient.  I also practiced my communication with some of the patients, and gradually improved my own skills, learning how to explain their condition and treatment plan in simple and clear language.

I also learned to formulate a personalized rehabilitation plan based on the patient’s actual situation, and even adjusted it based on the patient’s feedback. Through contact with different types of patients, I continuously improved my observation and judgment skills, and was able to better understand the needs of patients and provide them with more effective treatment. It showed me the importance of continuous learning and exploration.

Rehabilitation medicine is a constantly developing field, and new treatment methods and technologies are constantly emerging. In the future, I will continue to pay attention to new treatment methods and technologies, and promote the development and practice of innovative rehabilitation treatment methods, hoping to bring better service to patients.

In summary, I gained a lot from this internship at UP. Not only did I learn the application of various commonly used physical therapy methods, but I also deeply realized the importance of communication and teamwork, and the necessity of continuous learning. In my future study and work, I will apply the knowledge and skills I have learned into practice to provide patients with high-quality rehabilitation medical services. 

— Beiyu, Daegu University, South Korea

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