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Chris Weaver – Physical Therapist Assistant, NCOIC, Army, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
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1. I chose this career because...
2. My typical workday involves...
3. What I like best/least about my work …
4. My career goals are …
5. When I’m not working, I like to …
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1. I chose this career because...
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Chris Weaver demonstrates the use of a Graviton used for strength training.
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I chose to become a physical therapist assistant because all of my life I have had an interest in health and science. My favorite subjects in high school were anatomy and physiology. When I was in high school, a physical therapist came to the school to work with the athletes who had been injured. That’s when I really became interested in the field of physical therapy. After high school, I decided to join the military because I knew my mom could not afford to send me to college. I knew the military would pay for my education and give me the opportunity, experience, and discipline to succeed in anything I chose to do.
Education and Certification
Physical Therapy Technician course and training, United States Army (http://www.army.mil/)
(The course was held in two phases. The first phase consisted of four and a half months of classroom training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The second phase consisted of 10 weeks of on-the-job training at selected sites throughout the Army.)
Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B), Basic Life Support, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (http://www.nremt.org/about/about_exams.asp)
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2. My typical workday involves...
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Chris Weaver assists a patient with gait training. He assists the patient in learning to walk with correct form and posture.
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My typical workday begins at 5 a.m., and I normally go to the gym to workout. I get to work around 7 a.m. to schedule patients, and prepare the clinic for the day. I set-up the clinic by wiping down equipment and putting out linens. Our staff of about 40 people includes physical therapists, assistants, and administrative professionals.
Patients are seen from 8:00-12:00 a.m. and then from 1:00-4:00 p.m. I follow this schedule Monday through Friday and have weekends off.
Major Roles and Duties
- As a noncommissioned officer, I supervise, teach, and mentor seven soldiers and prepare them for their careers in the military. I teach them military-related subjects such as map reading, physical training, uniform policies, etc. Also, we are required to maintain our EMT license so we dedicate time to refreshing our medical skills such as CPR or cardio pulmonary resuscitation, first aid, wound care, etc.
- As an assistant, I work for the physical therapist and follow his plan of care for the patients. We provide services that help improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of injured patients. These services include assisting with exercises to improve strength, flexibility and endurance, teaching the use of adaptive devices like prostheses, and crutches or wheelchairs, and using electrical stimulation and hot or cold packs to relieve pain and reduce swelling. In addition, I talk to the patients about their injuries and provide feedback to the therapist about how the patients are doing, and make suggestions about what I think will be beneficial to them.
- As an administrator, I am in charge of managing the budget, ordering supplies, and tracking work orders for the facilities and maintaining equipment.
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3. What I like best/least about my work …
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Chris Weaver uses a physio-ball to help improve a patient's balance and stability.
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What I like best about my work is interacting with the patients, helping them with their rehabilitation, and seeing them return to their pre-injury status and level of function.
What I like least about my work is the military aspect of being deployed outside the clinic and other tasks that take my staff or myself out of the clinic. Likewise, I dislike dealing with staff shortages due to staff deployment.
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4. My career goals are …
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My career goals are to attend college and earn a degree in physical therapy. Also, I am continuously working towards furthering my military career.
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5. When I’m not working, I like to …
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Chris Weaver catches up on adminstrative work at his desk.
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When I’m not working, I like to workout, run, play basketball and football, and go canoeing, skiing, and scuba diving. I also spend a lot of time volunteering with patient activities and charities.
Sometimes we have trips or activities for our patients that were injured overseas. They might not be able to get around all that well, or they might need help doing certain tasks. I help out with whatever I can, whether it’s pushing a wheelchair or getting someone’s food.
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