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Your NVH Acute Care Therapy team leaders are: Laurel Grady, MSPT, Acute Care Supervisor Jill Nelson-Nail, OTR/L Shannon Brennan-Dodrill, MS, CCC-SLP Care also provided by: Kari Marsenich, PTA Molly Hoppes, MPT Aly Toth, OTR/L Gloria Nelson, OTR/L Emily Smith, DPT Amity Sparks, DPT, CLT Gabe Murphy, DPT, CSCS Scott Ruta, MSPT, LAT, Cped Ryan Senn, DPT, OCS, CSCS Dave Fugatt, PT Dwight Shaffer, MS, SLP Jasna Stafford, SLP Jane Reynolds, MS, CCC-SLP Ashley Glover, MS, CCC-SLP |
"Inpatient Physical Therapy—You don’t think about it When people have an injury or pain, they sometimes go to a physical therapist in an outpatient clinic for help. What a lot of people don’t know is that physical therapists are also found in hospitals. Someone might be in the hospital for elective surgery, such as a total joint replacement, or emergency surgery, such as a gallbladder removal. Others just become sick and need to be in the hospital for special care. Physical therapists in the hospital help all of these people. Some folks need help with the simple act of getting out of bed & getting to the bathroom. Others need help learning how to walk using crutches or a walker after an injury. Some people need help to get stronger so they can return home to their gardening or housework.
Being in the hospital can be worrisome & the loss of independence is upsetting. For me, helping people regain their independence & feel better is very rewarding. The hospital presents special challenges in physical therapy because a patient’s medical condition can complicate his or her ability to get better, & a patient’s status can change on an hourly basis. As a P.T. in the hospital, I have to be aware of a patient’s medications &other medical/psychological needs at all times. Another part of my job is helping people go home safely. I work closely with the nursing staff & discharge planner to insure that people are going home to a safe environment. Sometimes people have to go to a nursing home or a rehab facility for additional care before they can go home. We also work closely with families and caregivers to determine the best discharge plan for each patient. As an inpatient physical therapist I also do wound care. This is a sub-specialty of physical therapy that is not well known but very important. As part of the North Valley Hospital wound care team, I use various methods to help people heal their wounds. For example, I do debridement (removal of non-living tissue), apply special dressings and use devices that provide an optimal healing environment. I like wound care because the techniques are simple but each person is different and their medical status can affect how they heal. Working in a hospital setting involves teamwork. I work with our occupational therapists, speech pathologists, nurses, nursing assistants, doctors & respiratory therapists, to name a few. Everyone works together to help patients get better so they can go home as soon as possible. Occasionally I am called in to the Emergency Room to assess a patient who has hurt their back or needs training for walking with crutches. I also have the opportunity to communicate with Whitefish Therapy about patients who have left the hospital & have transitioned to an outpatient clinic. This really improves the quality of care, giving patients the best chance for recovery. I like working in a hospital because and it is a very dynamic environment in which changes occur quickly. Flexibility is key! --Laurel Grady, P.T., M.S. & Acute Care Rehab Supervisor |