Narrative Reflections

Empathy

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Jamie Fleshman, SPT
25 April

In this artfully crafted poem, Jamie Fleshman makes a strong distinction between the shallow demands of sympathy and the far deeper mutual understanding that evolves from genuine empathy. She speaks authentically from her own experience, giving moving, useful instruction to those who want to come alongside....

The Gift of a Quieted Breath

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Hannah Vaca, SPT
25 April

Hannah Vaca evokes an important learning moment in this moving and heartfelt poem, as she reflects on the gift a donor's body provides and how a donor's sacrifice impacts the lives of developing health professionals....

Climbing Back into the World

In her stark and direct poem, Kirsten Woodend details the “multitude of indignities” that someone “in the process of body repair” can suffer. She notes how a person in recovery becomes a child in others’ eyes, “incapable of coping mentally or physically.” The poem asks why these extra psychological burdens must be added to the healing process....

Patient Care During a Pandemic: The Significance of Humanism in Healthcare

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Olivia Wolfe, SPT
25 April

How does a student cope with isolation during a forced four-month break from clinical rotations? Olivia Wolfe enrolled in an online course, Humanism in Health and Healthcare. Its impact inspired her to use her “voice and privilege to uplift and support essential causes fighting the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racism.” She details her journey to a new commitment to humanism at home and in the clinic....

A Journey Toward Mindfulness

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Kelsey Robinson, SPT
25 April

In "A Journey Toward Mindfulness," Kelsey Robinson, SPT describes the steps she took to turn the effects of a crippling racist remark into a positive force for self-discovery. Rather than holding in her pain and self-doubt, she accepted an invitation to tell her story to young people. “In the process, I found my voice,” she notes. She encourages others to do the same. “Someone needs you,” she states. “The trials you face today will become your strength tomorrow as a clinician.”...

The Fragility of Life: Through Service I Live

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Corey Nolte, PT, DPT
25 April

In an honest case study from his residency year, Corey Nolte shows how “my narrow-minded understanding of the resiliency of the will to live was expanded.” As his terminally-ill cancer patient became more frail and less willing to accept treatment, they shared a tender, intimate moment of prayer. Nolte offered comfort through his patient’s final days. By carefully supporting end-of-life wishes, he notes, “we can help to unburden patient angst and give direction to our own moral compass.”...

Why Was I So Afraid?

In this thoughtful piece, Dr. Regina Kaufman tells of an encounter with a man in a checkout line who remembered that she was his physical therapist more than 30 years ago. Describing the man’s “relatively cool” demeanor, she expresses her fear that perhaps his memory of his treatment was not a completely positive one. She tries to recall the level of care she was able to provide as a novice, and notes that wisdom can only truly develop over time....

Vulnerability in Sports and Orthopedic Medicine

In her narrative reflection, Kate Mihevc Edwards presents her honest self-portrait as an avid runner whose life -- and very identity -- were altered by injury. But experiencing the vulnerability of losing her very sense of self proved to be a gift over time, she reports. "The work I put in to help me survive and cope made me a better clinician," she states. She shows how her loss helped her to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of empathy in healthcare....

My Father’s Journey: A Reading and Interview with Susan S. Deusinger, PT, PhD, FAPTA

In a poignant personal account, Susan Deusinger details her father's final months and his ultimate decision to take charge of his own death process. Although his passing left a void in her life, she notes that he also gave her "the privilege of honoring his beliefs and supporting his choices -- something we don't always have the opportunity to do as clinicians." A video interview accompanies this piece, in Deusinger's own words....

Beyond Words

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Amanda Kaufman, PT, DPT
17 November

In her essay, “Beyond Words,” Amanda Kaufman, PT, DPT illustrates how providing a space for her patient to tell her full story, during one of her darkest moments, and listening carefully, established the trust that allowed their healing work together to begin....

CHEP-JHR Student Essay Contest: COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter

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Elizabeth Lummus
17 November

2020 is defined by crises and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tensions. These impact the moral, social, political and economic foundations of our world, nation, and the profession of physical therapy. Navigating one’s professional identity and formation during this time is undoubtedly challenging; you may have had unexpected, yet impactful interactions as ...

Pride, Prejudice, and Professionalism

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Grace M. White, PT, DPT
17 November

Grace White, PT, DPT, relates in her essay, "Pride, Prejudice, and Professionalism," how she used patience, insight, and a clever strategy to overcome her patient's sexist bias against her and deliver his treatment....

Out of Oxygen

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Mercedes Aguirre, SPT
14 November

In this sensitive reflection, DPT student Mercedes Aguirre describes an incident during her first clinical experience that taught her the importance of taking a deep breath—and speaking up on behalf of one’s patient....

Beyond First Impressions

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Jake Raecker, SPT, CSCS
14 November

Jake Raecker, DPT student, recalls a patient he encountered during his first clinical rotation who gave him quite a shock—but, with care and attention, taught him a valuable lesson about looking beyond first impressions....

“The Best is the Enemy of the Good”

The healthcare professions often attract talented, committed perfectionists. But what can practitioners do when that perfectionism negatively affects rehabilitation? In “The Best is the Enemy of the Good,” David Gillette describes how his PT residency experience, and the thoughtful guidance of his mentors, helped him confront the negative aspects of his perfectionism and turn his thoughts toward the good....

Human Anatomical Gifts and Informed Consent: Three Perspectives

The United States abides by the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act to regulate bodies donated to science; prior consent must be given. When DPT students at Georgia State University had the opportunity to attend an anatomic exhibition displaying preserved human specimens from another country, many ethical questions arose. In "Human Anatomical Gifts," three writers offer their perspectives, developed during the discussions that ensued, on the ethics of anatomic study—and exhibition....

Reading Eucalyptus: Reflections on Narrative Education in Medicine and Health Sciences

Healthcare educators may find inspiration from a seemingly infinite number of resources. In “Reading Eucalyptus,” Christy D. DiFrances describes how an encounter with a work of magical fiction years ago still provides her with “keen observations that are surprisingly relevant to education in academic medicine and health sciences.”...

Reflections on Early Attempts to Provide Pain Neuroscience Education in Conjunction With Biopsychosocial Care From the Patient and Interprofessional Team Perspectives

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Pitfalls and Pearls of Persistent Pain

As the subject of chronic pain and its treatment has become crucially important in today’s healthcare and rehabilitation environments, we offer the accounts of three physical therapists who have encountered patients with persistent pain and learned valuable lessons in the process. The article shows how a humanistic approach—involving factors such as trust, shared decision-making, and empathy—can add a psychosocial dimension to the treatment of chronic pain, and work to achieve more lasting results....

Life Transformed Through Movement

A photograph, a memory of the sound of wind in the trees, of a chill in the air, invoke a personal reflection of a life focused on movement and care. In her delicate poem, Kathryn Zalewski, PT, PhD, MPA,uses Gregg Fuhrman, MPT, OCS, CFMT, CMTPT’s image to guide her description of life as a physical therapist, a mother, and a teacher — in whispers....

Three Voices at the Table

In a fascinating, creative account, Tania Riske, MS/CCC-SLP, and CeCelia Zorn, PhD, RN let the voices of a patient, his wife, and his speech/language pathologist describe the challenges, small triumphs, and human connections involved in the treatment of primary progressive aphasia—a rare neurological disease that causes the total loss of speech....

Student Essay Contest Winner: Mrs. Z

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Hayley Rieger, SPT
30 April

Congratulations to Creighton Doctor of Physical Therapy Program graduate student, Hayley Rieger, the winner of the inaugural physical therapy essay contest, co-sponsored by the ACAPT Consortium for the Humanities, Ethics, and Professionalism (CHEP) and JHR! She reflects how her patient taught her that “helping someone reach their full potential means hearing the song in their heart and finding a way to sing it back.”...

Healing from ‘Brokenness’: The Story of Corinne

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Chad Jackson, PT, DPT, OCS
30 April

In this tender account of his family’s fostering and later adoption of Corinne, a physically traumatized infant born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, Chad Jackson, PT, DPT, OCS, details how a healthcare provider’s empathy, empowerment, and connection form a crucial aspect of the healing process. ...

The True Weight of Stigma

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Cameron Jadali, PT, DPT
17 October

In a thoughtful and sensitive report, physical therapist Cameron Jadali discusses the lessons learned in his interaction with an overweight patient–reflecting on his previously unrealized biases regarding weight....

The Other Side of the Bedrail

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Mary Pugh Alligood, PT
2 May

After nearly 20 years of clinical practice, physical therapist Mary Pugh Alligood finds herself reflecting on lessons learned from the other side of patient care and poignantly describes her experiences after a diagnosis of inoperable brain cancer tumor and colostomy surgery....

Lessons from the Lake

Through her description of a personal encounter with an acquaintance devastated by a stroke, Regina Kaufman, PT, EdD, MS, NCS, contemplates how personal connection during therapy sessions may enable patients to re-embody the world and social roles that they have lost....

When the Foo is on the Other Shüte (I Mean When the Shoe is on the Other Foot)

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Joyce Fichtenbaum, PhD
2 May

Experienced Rehabilitation Psychologist, Joyce Fichtenbaum, PhD, reflects on the important distinctions between wants and needs, and waiting, anticipating, and planning when facing life altering diagnoses and addressing the unknowns of health and illness....

Lessons Outside the Classroom: The Moultrie Migrant Farmworker Experience

Dr. Jodan Garcia writes about the transformative experience of serving migrant farmworkers in south Georgia. ...

Remnants of Her

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Holly Huye, PhD, RD
30 November

Program Director in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Southern Mississipi, Dr. Holly Huye shares a poignant reflection of her mother’s struggles with dementia and a family’s dedication to preserving memories....

Dual Impact

Amanda Lalonde’s clinical narrative reflects on the power of her patient’s resilience, and its impact on both his recovery and her sense of self as a clinician....