40+hrs per week

www.radiushospital.com

As having just graduated this past May and passing my boards in June I spent July and August doing research and applying to jobs in Boston for my first full time position as a licensed physical therapist. This past summer I chose to work at two previous clinical locations as a per diem PT to provide them with help over the summer when others are taking vacation and giving myself the freedom to not work a definite 40hrs every week if I didn't want to. However I am now buckled down and getting into a routine.

I have decided to work at a local LTAC (long term acute chronic) hospital, Radius Specialty Hospital. Now this title may seem a little confusing but a quick explanation is that our patient population consists of people who were recently in an acute hospital and are unsafe to go home, still needing a lot of medical care. We usually see patients for 4-6 wks; however at my particular setting there are a few cases that have been at the hospital for months because honestly there is no where else for them to go, they are too sick for a nursing home and unable to care for themselves at home so we keep them and provide their home away from home.  

As a full time PT at Radius, I oversee the two medically complex floors, we also have a vent unit, and two dementia units. I personally have a caseload of 16-18 patients, I see anywhere from 2x-5x/wk. It's a lot as a new grad because we also have a very difficult population, with many co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, kidney failure, lung conditions, morbid obesity and the list goes on), often with polysubstance abuse history and coming from unstable home situations. I am constantly in challenging situations that I rack my brain to find a solution for. But so far I feel that I have been a positive, stable person for these patients and am proud of the work I do. It's been incredible the amount I am learning as well, working with diagnoses ranging from stroke, amputation, morbid obesity, balance impairments, and general de-conditioning from bed-rest, along with a wide range of ages from 25 to 90 yrs old. 

I also have the pleasure of working with a great rehab team, consisting of two other PTs, two OTs (occupational therapy), two SLP (speech language pathologists), a COTA (OT assistant) and a rehab assistant. I hope to maximize my learning experience while I'm here, meet incredible people and grow as a person and a physical therapist.