Week 7:
Making the Most of It

July 26, 2020

Week seven is behind me and in the back of my mind all week was that the end of my fellowship was approaching. Knowing this, I wanted to make the most of every moment both at the office and during my last weekend in Washington! I have had experiences in the past where in the end and I felt the experience fade into the past as wonderful memories, that will not be the case this time. These seven weeks have felt like a glimpse into my future rather than memories to be filed away. This fellowship has given me the opportunity to experience first hand the life I am working towards. I have no doubt that prosthetics and orthotics is the career I want to pursue and that I like to be involved in the fabrication aspect as well as direct patient care.

This week I met a patient that brightened my whole week. From a medical standpoint there was not anything particularly unique, she had drop foot which caused her toes to drag as she walked. She needs an orthotic that will help keep her forefoot up as she walks. This patient’s personality and energy was contagious, she arrived to her appointment with vibrant, colorful clothing and pink and orange hair. She was so intrigued by the casting process and excited to take pictures of it to show her family. As we were waiting for the cast to harden she explained to us that she drives a bright pink hearse and drives it for events such as weddings and proms. She even showed us pictures of her hearse all decorated for an event. These interactions, where I can meet such a variety of people and learn new things everyday are the reason I want to pursue a career with patient care. I truly believe that I have grown as a person with each patient I have met.

In the lab this week I made a conscious effort to learn more about the lamination process and assist in laminations. Laminations are rather technical and not a skill every practitioner is regularly exposed to. It used to be that nearly every prosthetics and orthotics office had an in house lab for fabrication, however, that is no longer the case.  Many offices now send their projects to central fabrication labs that only fabricate and do not see patients. I am so thankful that MPO has given me both experience in the lab and with patients. The more knowledge I have about the field and the process the better I can one day help patients of my own. `

My coworker Jarod and his family went out of their way to ensure that I had the full Washington experience before heading back home. First we took a road trip out to Ruby Beach. The drive was beautiful and it was amazing to be on a beach and see and feel the ocean before heading back to the land locked states I spend my time in. I brought my camera to the beach and had lots of fun taking pictures and climbing some of the rocks to get better shots. That night we cooked hot dogs over the campfire. The next day we drove to the top of Mount Walker. It was the perfect day for this, the sky was clear and everything was vibrant. Once again I got to play with my camera and I got some incredible shots.