Clinical Requirements

Acute Care

Acute care typically involves:

  • A large urban hospital
  • Acutely ill / emergent patients
  • Surgical
  • Medical
  • Critical Care
  • Rehab
  • Ambulatory clinic follow ups for Med/Surg patients with Internist/Surgeon
  • Interdisciplinary team
  • Many diverse fields of practice in which PT is involved
  • Many other health care providers striving for a common goal of patient well being, healing, compassion, and or palliation
Home Care / Community
  • Bridges the gap after discharge - also frees up hospital beds for more acute patients
  • Patients discharged home but still require rehab to return to previous level of function.
  • Patient unable to attend out patient program
  • Could be checking in on patients with chronic diseases that require on going assessment, treatment and home program prescription
  • Aim is for independent function and managing condition in their community
Private Practice / OP MSK / Occupational Rehab
  • Typically private clinics but some hospital based OP clinics
  • All ages across the adult spectrum, typically younger adult
  • General MSK conditions/injuries, necks and backs as well as peripheral joints, sports injuries, work place injuries, repetitive strain injuries. Some practices do some Cardioresp and Neuro treatment although this is rare
  • Assessment, treatment (manual therapy, ther Ex, EPAs, home exercise programs), consultations
  • Possibility of discussion with referring doctor
  • Most Private Practices are not recommended for first placements
Alberta Adventure
  • Your opportunity to get out of the big city and go on an adventure
  • Think outside the box, see the province, wind down
  • Community hospitals and small community programs offer a very different perspective on patient care
  • All ages across the adult spectrum
  • Typically a very mixed case load
  • Most certainly some form of Cardioresp, possibly neuro, MSK
  • May involve some LTC/HC
  • Small facilities - everyone will know who you are
  • Please read the "merits of rural practice" section in the clinical practice handbook or watch the student interview video-Who would have thought my first job would be in rural AB? on the Clin Ed website under Alberta Adventure.