How to Prepare for Clinical Rotations

Studywithanspt/ January 4, 2021/ PT School Essentials

Hello friends! 👋🏼 It’s been quite a long time since I’ve written a blog post for you guys since it’s been such a crazy year. 2021 is finally here and writing more helpful blog posts is part of my new years resolution! For this first post of the year, I’m going to tackle one of the most common questions I get on Instagram – “how do I prepare for my upcoming clinical rotations?” Instead of answering everyone individually, I figured it might be more helpful to lay out all of my tips and advice on one page!

This blog post will highlight different things that you should do, think about, and prepare for as you approach your clinical internship! While this post is geared towards PT students, any graduate student with upcoming clinical rotations could benefit from this! ❤️

1 Email your CI and ask them about things that will help you start this internship off on the right foot.

In my Clinicals Checklist pdf in my Downloads, I listed out some points to hit in your email to your CI for the first time. This is your chance to start off on a positive note and become the most prepared for this experience.

Here are some tips:

  • Be very professional in your email! – this is the first time they’re actually hearing from YOU, so you want to make a good impression
  • Don’t forget to ask about first day logistics (parking, ID badge, arrival time, dress code, etc)
  • Make sure to ask about common diagnoses they see, typical treatments, and concepts that you should brush up on
  • Ask about your weekly schedule and what you need for a typical day (note pad/iPad, pen/pencil, etc)
  • Ask for recommendations on housing, transportation, food, etc.

2 Get everything situated BEFORE actually starting your clinicals – living situation, transportation, etc.

You’re already under a lot of stress from starting your internship that you really don’t need more unnecessary stress during your first week. If your clinical site is far from home, this means you’ll have to find a place to live and settle in before starting work. (pro tip: ask your CI about potential housing around the area! I know some classmates who were offered housing from their CI’s because they had an extra room or knew someone with an Airbnb)

Here are some websites that you can use to find short-term housing 🏠 :

  • Airbnb
    • Probably the most popular choice (I used this for both of my out-of-state rotations)
    • Most Airbnb hosts have discounts for stays longer than 1 month!
    • You can ask the host if they have student or healthcare provider discounts – there’s a chance that they’ll give you a discount on your stay
    • If it’s your first time booking with Airbnb, you can click this link for up to $50 off your first stay and $15 towards an Airbnb experience (referral link).
  • Furnished Finder
    • Like Airbnb but for healthcare professionals! (it was made for travel nurses but I think they also accept students)
    • They require stays that are at least 1 month long
    • They may require a background check and credit report when requesting housing
  • Rotating Room
    • Another Airbnb-esque website but for students looking for short-term housing
    • The actual address of the listing is on the website, so you will know exactly how far or close it is to your clinical site
    • Not as much info included on the listing as Airbnb or Furnished Finder though

Here are some tips for transportation 🚙 :

  • Use your own car if you can! Renting a car can be very expensive…
  • If you’re an APTA member, you have discounts on AVIS, Budget, and Payless!! Just log into the APTA website and look for the car rental member discount
  • If you’re under 25 years old (like me hehe), you can bypass the extremely expensive 25-and-under fee that rental companies have by using AAA’s discount with Hertz

Other miscellaneous tips:

  • If you’re entering your internship during the crazy COVID 🦠 time (I’m assuming most of you reading this will be), ask your CI about your clinic precautions and how this pandemic has affected the clinic. This way, you can (mentally) prepare yourself for the rotation (buying masks, hand sanitizer, etc). Some outpatient clinics are doing home health or telehealth because of COVID so it would also be good to know if you’ll be doing these as well! Also, if you’re traveling out-of-state, make sure you know the travel rules, as some states may require a 14-day quarantine period as you enter.
  • If you’re traveling, pack light and buy small, disposable items once you get to your destination! I have another blog post talking about “Useful Items for Clinical Rotations” that you could check out for some things that you might find helpful during this internship!

3 Before your first day, do a run through of how your first day will be!

In order to avoid any mishaps on your big first day, prepare by going through how you would spend that first morning:

  • Pack your bag with all the things you would need – ID badge, pens, paper/notebook/iPad, hand sanitizer, wallet, keys, etc.
  • Pick your outfit and shoes of the day and make sure its comfortable (if you’re in the PT field, you KNOW you’ll need to be able to move around a lot throughout the day)
  • Meal prep and pack your lunch so it’s ready to go the next day
  • Set the home and work address on your GPS app (I use Waze) so that you’re not scrambling to find the address right before leaving
  • Drive to your clinical site during the time you’re actually supposed to go (ex. go at 8AM if that’s the time you’re planning to go every day) – this way, you’ll be familiar with the route, traffic patterns, and actual clinical site before your first day. Plan to get there 15 minutes early every day! ⏰

4 Go over old material that will be helpful to know as you diagnose and treat patients in the clinic!

This will really depend on your clinical site and your CI! Be sure to ask your CI about common diagnoses and treatments that he/she/they see and use! This way, you will be able to prepare ahead of time and brush up on old material. 📚 Here are some concepts to go over based on the setting:

*I have a free pdf download of the concept on my downloads page!

General OP Ortho:

  • Basic MSK evaluation*
  • Common MSK pathologies and treatments
  • Goniometry/ROM*, MLT, and MMT
  • Special tests, especially for shoulder and spine
  • Common post-op protocols
  • Isometric, concentric, and eccentric concepts
  • Modalities – electrical stimulation*, US, cryotherapy, etc.
  • Pain theories
  • Billing and documentation

OP Sports: (everything from general OP plus…)

  • Common sports injuries
  • Pediatric diagnoses that may affect sports performance (if peds population)
  • Commonly used treatment protocols (Thrower’s Ten, L-protocol, etc)
  • Gait* and running gait
  • Biomechanics
  • Body mechanics and ergonomics

OP Peds/School-Based:

  • Gross motor milestones*
  • Pediatric reflexes*
  • Common pediatric diagnoses
  • Common pediatric treatments
  • Normal and abnormal gait
  • Orthotics and adaptive equipment
  • Public laws pertaining to education and special needs children (IDEA, IFSP, etc)

IP Acute/Subacute/LTAC:

  • Equipment – lines and tubes
  • Cardiopulmonary diseases*
  • SBAR
  • Admissions and discharge/transfer criteria for the setting
  • Common post-op precautions
  • Infection control
  • Bed mobility and transfers
  • Assistive device fitting and education
  • Restraints
  • Critical lab values
  • Orthotics

SNF:

  • Medicare rules and policies
  • Outcome measures
  • Fall risk indicators
  • Fall prevention
  • Restraints
  • Infection control
  • Critical lab values
  • Taking vitals
  • Bed mobility and transfers
  • Gait and stair training
  • Assistive devices fitting and education
  • Common post-op precautions
  • Cardiopulmonary diseases*
  • Effects of deconditioning or immobility

Home Health:

  • OASIS application
  • Biomechanics and ergonomics
  • Common post-op precautions
  • Durable medical equipment and assistive devices
  • Fall risk indicators
  • Outcome measures
  • Fall prevention

Keep in mind these concepts are just general ones that could be helpful to know before starting clinicals!

5 Be prepared to learn a lot, reflect on what you’ve learned, and utilize your knowledge.

Clinical rotations are times where you really get to see how all your didactic knowledge can be put to use! It is actually so cool to see a patient with a diagnosis you’ve only studied in class or a treatment technique you’ve only heard about through friends. The best parts are actually getting hands on experience and positively affecting the lives of your patients. However, the first internship might be very overwhelming for some.

Here are some tips for making the most of your internship:

  • Use a journal or notebook to write down the types of patients you had for the day (without names of course). You could also write down things you learned about these patients, from your CI, or in your setting that you found interesting!
    • I would actually recommend using the Passion Planner Daily from Passion Planner for clinicals – each 2-page spread is dedicated to one day with space for your schedule, to-do lists, creative space for notes or other thoughts, mood tracker, and more. The whole book is also 3 months long – which is the average internship length for PT students. You can use my code “VALENTINE10” for 10% off your purchase!
  • Look up things that you’re not familiar with! 🔎 It can be a particular medication, a treatment technique, a rare disease, etc. Instead of just accepting that it’s something you don’t know, educate yourself now so that you can remember for next time!
  • If you use a notepad or iPad to write up notes or document throughout the day, look over them after each week! This is especially useful for evaluations – by going over your eval, you can create the most efficient plan of care for your patient.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new! Chances are, your CI will do a few things differently than you were taught or use new techniques that you’ve never even thought of. Take this opportunity to learn from them and try out something you’ve never done before.

Hope that was helpful for you guys! I’m starting my last clinical rotation as well so I’m definitely taking my own advice! See you guys on the next blog post!

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