PDFE #7 "Personal Ability Inventory"

Personal Ability Inventory:

Multilimb coordination---2

Control precision---4

Response orientation---2

Reaction time---3

Rate control---1

Manual dexterity---5

Finger dexterity---5

Arm–hand steadiness---4

Wrist–finger speed----5

Aiming----2

Explosive strength---1

Static strength---1

Dynamic strength---2

Trunk strength---1

Extent flexibility----2

Dynamic flexibility---1

Gross body equilibrium---2

Balance with visual cues---3

Speed of limb movement---2

Gross body coordination---1

Stamina---1

Movement rate---3

Motor timing---5

Perceptual timing----5

Force control---5

Five Skills I can perform with relatively high level of proficiency:

1. playing the clarinet
2. serving a volleyball
3. throwing on the potter's wheel
4. swimming the breaststroke
5. driving a car

Ideal Ability Profile for Playing the Clarinet:

• manual dexterity
• finger dexterity
• motor timing
• perceptual timing
• wrist finger speed
• force control

Discussion:

I chose to highlight the skill of playing a musical instrument since I have played the clarinet, along with a few other instruments, for 11 years of my life.  I would obviously categorize the skill of playing a musical instrument as a fine motor skill.  Three of the most important abilities I believe someone should acquire when trying to learn to play any instrument is wrist-finger speed, perceptual timing, and force control.

One of the first skills you acquire in band class is how to coordinate your wrist and fingers to correctly manipulate the small keys that are required to play an instrument, such as the clarinet.  If someone is more skilled at using large muscle groups to perform a gross motor skill such as running track, then they should definitely start slow with practicing to manipulate smaller object with more precision.  Learning slower, more elementary songs with just a few musical notes will definitely help with muscle memory.  Memorizing where your fingers should be placed for different notes is just as much of a cognitive skills as it is motor.  Muscle memory is very much involved with playing music.  Mastering more elementary pieces of music will surely help someone develop wrist-finger speed.  As you master the first notes you learn, you build upon those skills to perform more complex manipulations. 

The second thing I believe to be extremely important when learning an instrument is perceptual timing.  This is a highly cognitive skill that comes much later when learning to play music.  In the context of playing the clarinet in a band, the musician needs to be able to follow the conductor's direction of the musical piece.  Ways to develop this skill include working on music theory, being able to count out the beats, and understanding what the conductor's movements actually mean.  This is a very difficult skill to acquire that truly takes years of practice. 

The last aspect of playing an instrument that takes a great deal of practice to master is force control.  In the context of music, this means going beyond playing the notes on the score.  Musicians are able to evoke certain emotions through the music they play.  Having the advanced skill of controlling how loud to make your instrument sound or what section to emphasize more that others is something that is acquired through practice.  One way an unskilled person might learn this is to simply experiment with how much breath it takes for them to create varying degrees of loudness. 

The only reason my personal inventory matches the skills needed to be highly proficient in playing an instrument is because this is the one skill I have devoted most of my life to learning.  I am highly skilled at manipulating smaller objects because I have had years of exposure to different instruments and am highly proficient at the clarinet.  Most of the skills that have to do with manipulating smaller objects and other skills of perceptual movements are the skills needed to be proficient at a musical instrument.  I've noticed that certain skills I used to be extremely successful with in high school have diminished over my years in college due to the fact that I do not practice as much as I used to in high school.  Breath control is definitely affected when you do not keep up with that skill every day. 

PDFE #6 "General Motor Ability Test Summary"

The pupose of this lab was to demonstrate that no one person has an inborn motor ability that is superior to anyone else's abilities in all areas of exercise.  To illustrate this principle we devided into groups and performed 3 trials in each of the 6 exercises available to us as a group.  We took turns timing and counting for the other 5 group members, therefore we all have a group where we placed last.  There were a couple people who placed in the upper rankings of most of the exercises, but no one placed first in all 6 exercises. 

In the stork stand exercise, Nathan placed first.  Marley received first place in the diver's stand and Katie placed first in the Heel stand.  Nathan placed first in the Sideward leap as well.  We all got first in the Bass Stepping-stone exercise.  This exercise was performed toward the end  of class time; therefore we only did one trial and might have counted the second in between the step incorrectly.  In the book balancing exercise, I placed first. 

Everyone performed in an average range.  Some trials we could hardly hold the stance for even a few seconds, then other trials, it we had to just stop counting because people could hold them for a very long time.  I believe if we had had more time to perform them completely correct, we would have been more precise with our measurements.  Some people in our group were better at a particular exercise which indicated that we do not have a general motor ability that is better than everyone else.  Yes, these results indicate the idea of individualized motor abilities that are not superior in all aspects of movement.  Having more time to perform everyone would have helped with the errors we made.  We could have been more precise when counting.

PDFE #5 "Career Opportunities in Sports Related Fields"

I agree with the majority of the slides presented on the "Becoming Invaluable" slideshow.  Although I am not planning on going into a sports related field, I found the information to basically outline how I handled my college career.  I am planning on going to graduate school in the fall for occupational therapy school.  Some of the aspects I enjoyed learning from the slideshow that I wish I'd taken advantage of during my time at Berry would be my volunteer experience.  I volunteered only at random community events, and instead should have researched rehab places throughout the Rome area.  I did earn an internship position this fall, but wish I had started volunteering at places that would have benefited me as a underclassman student. 

I do believe that as students in today's economic situation, we must make ourselves that much more reputable and attractive to employers and graduate schools.  I was forced to choose graduate school as my next option, because my career choice does not allow me the opportunity to start work right out of college.  Occupational therapy requires a two-year Masters degree.  I do feel that path is the right one for me because of the current economy today.  As a freshman I wish I had started thinking about the opportunities that would have allowed me to look that much better next to my competition among graduate schools.  I was fortunate to find work experience that was quite related to the type of work I'll be doing in the future.  I have worked at a special needs camp for children with disabilities.  I've volunteered at an adult day facility and worked at the YMCA at an adapted aquatics program.  I am thankful I was able to find such excellent work experience throughout the years. 

As I think about the decisions I'm currently making that will hopefully line up the most appropriate path for me, I have to think about the living situation of graduate school.  Where I want to relocate to in the future and the region of the country are definitely important factors when making my future plans. 

PDFE #4 "Career Opportunities in Sports Related Fields"

Interview with Physical Therapist
This interview was conducted with the owner of Rome Rehabilitation Center in Rome, GA.  Her name is Tamsen Beasley and she opened this clinic in Rome about eleven years ago.  She has approximately twenty-five years of professional experience as a licensed physical therapist.  This interview was held on Thursday, September 30, 2010 around 5:00 pm. 

• What degrees do you hold in your field and what schools did you attend?

I hold a Masters of Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of South Alabama.  I am also a certified Hand Therapist. 

• What would you say are some of the positive and negative qualities of working in a large hospital setting?

I have found through my experience starting out in a large hospital, that a positive aspect of that setting would be the wide variety of patients that you get exposed to.  There are numerous diagnoses that you learn about and receive first-hand experience working with everyone.  A negative quality of the hospital setting would have to be the politics around the management of the hospital.  Patients are numbers to most therapists and doctors in the hospital and they push productivity as fast as they possibly can.  I would also have less time to develop relationships with my patients in the hospital, which was definitely a drawback for me.

• What is one benefit and drawback to owning your own clinical practice or just working in a smaller setting?

The benefit to owning your own practice is how much autonomy there is.  I am able to have my own schedule, spend more time with my family, and am able to work with patients on a personal level without the interference of management.  One drawback would have to be all of the financial burdens you are solely responsible for as your own boss. 

• Could you explain the main distinction, in your own opinion, between physical and occupational therapy?

It is much easier to understand the difference in terms of an example.  Physical therapists work to help a patient walk and deal more with the scientific background behind neuromuscular challenges such as bone and joint disorders.  On the other side, occupational therapists will teach a patient how to regain function in some aspect of their 'occupation' whether it be playing, writing, job-related, or daily living activities.  Occupational therapists work more on the functional end of rehabilitation. 

• What are some specializations that are available to physical and/or occupational therapists?

Physical therapists usually specialize in hand therapy, sports rehab, and pediatrics.  Occupational therapists can specialize in psych hospitals, hand therapy, geriatrics, and pediatrics. 

• In your field, are you required to get re certified or complete ongoing job training in order to still hold your license to practice?

We always have to obtain 40 hours of continuing education courses annually.  For hand therapists, we get re certified every 5 years, for physical therapists in Georgia, it's every 2 years.  Most of the courses and conferences I attend are very specific research and new curriculum being developed.  I do believe this is a positive aspect of the field, because it requires that therapists still be up-to-date on the research currently going on in the field.

• What direction do you see physical therapy moving toward in the future?

I see the field becoming more of a teaching, educational career and less of a hands-on field.  I predict less interaction with patients and the field will likely become heavily influenced by insurance companies.

• How has your field changed since you first started practicing?

It used to be more of a hands-on approach to working with patients, and now it's become a more professional field that is heavily dependent on insurance companies.  Insurance is definitely one of the problems with providing healthcare today.  In the past, doctors would have some say over which therapist should work with a certain patient, but now patients are usually a number, especially in the hospitals.  Doctors have less control and therapists spend less and less time interacting with their patients.  The co-pays for services are extremely higher today and therapy sessions are usually not one-on-one anymore. 

• What are some of the common injuries you see on a daily basis at your practice?

I usually work with orthopedic injuries of the upper extremities with the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and arm.  I see mostly fractures, with some tendon and nerve lacerations. 

• Approximately how many patients do you see on a typical day?

I usually see 10-12 scheduled patients, but at my satellite office that is located outside of a hand surgeon's clinic, I take walk-ins as well as scheduled patients. 

• In what way has the current economic situation affected the patient load of your business?

Since co-pays are now much higher, patients with little insurance do not come in for physical therapy and insurance usually limits the number of visits they will cover.  I also find it difficult to hire more help and end up usually dividing more work loads between my current employees. 

• Did you learn how to work in your current job setting when you were in physical therapy school or did you learn more through the experience of your first job?

School definitely gives you a fundamental background that covers the basics of your field, but you don't actually learn how to work with patients until you just start working in the field.