Madi Pugatch ’27: JumpStart Physical Therapy
As someone who has always been fascinated by anatomy and physiology and has spent years as a physical therapy patient myself, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to work with the physical therapists at JumpStart Physical Therapy this summer.
My responsibilities during my time at JumpStart included preparing cervical and lumbar hot packs for patients when they arrived, demonstrating various exercises, and creating the weekly activity board for patients to complete during their sessions. Additionally, on Wednesdays I got the opportunity to work with pediatric patients as well as patients with varying abilities, helping set up obstacle courses for patients to improve mobility as well as explaining exercises for children with low muscle tone.
One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was seeing many of the same patients each week. Watching their progress over time from increasing their range of motion to becoming more confident performing exercises independently showed me that physical therapy supports not only physical healing, but also emotional well-being. I hope to pursue a career where I can have that kind of impact on others.
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