Diary of a Student | Week 6
This week I got the chance to present my inservice project…at the Multiple Sclerosis support group in Clermont, Florida. Having an inservice project is a pretty common thing when you’re a Physical Therapy student interning in a clinic. This can be a project on information that can help a clinic. So, I was pretty excited when I was told I would be speaking at the Multiple Sclerosis group for my inservice project. This seemed like a unique, out-of-the-box idea to not only learn more about multiple sclerosis, but also have a positive impact within the community. My project was on activities for a fun and healthy lifestyle. Being someone who enjoys staying active and being involved in a variety of ways, I’ve got to say, I had fun creating my presentation.
When I presented, I spoke in front of about 10-15 people. They were all incredibly friendly! I felt so welcomed there! When presenting, there were several moments when people would ask questions about certain activities I was discussing. It felt great knowing they were all ears and engaged in my presentation. The discussions I had with them were very thought provoking. For instance, when I was talking about Tai Chi in my presentation, one person was interested and asked about locations that taught it. I later learned that physical therapists can be certified to teach Tai Chi for Rehabilitation. This is a great example of how physical therapists can have a positive effect within the community and promote a healthy and fun lifestyle. I would love to see more Physical Therapist’s reaching out in unique ways like this.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement with projects. While I felt the presentation went well, there were a few instances where I’d get slightly nervous and talk a little fast. I just need to remember to stop, take a deep breath, and continue. Every once in awhile, I would have a moment where I knew I was missing something important, but would have to keep going. Fortunately, our community liaison from Hohman Rehab where I am interning, would read my mind, and provide some extra information to the presentation. Occasionally, I would have a few moments where I found myself repeating the same buzz words in a few different powerpoint slides. Overall though, I felt the presentation went well. I will be presenting my project again in the clinic next month for those who weren’t able to see it this time around.
I found this website very helpful when putting my project together. I would recommend it to any Physical Therapist’s as well as anyone who would like to learn more about MS. It talks about exercise and a few different ways to stay active and was very enlightening to me!
–Nikole Nelson, PT student at UCF
