Which specific field of PT does this fall under?

[nomattic]

Hi PTs,

Sorry for the following newbie question, but I figured this forum might be the best place to get some fast answers before my upcoming interviews.

Recently during my volunteering in a spinal cord injury/TBI-focused clinic, I found out that there are PTs specifically working in the ICU in order to assess a patient's mobility, function, etc. relatively immediately after they were brought in and stabilized post-injury. I was not able to actually shadow those PTs or speak to any of them, as they work in the adjacent hospital, but I am REALLY interested in finding out more about it. So, my question: Is this type of work a subspecialty of neurology-based PT? Or is this its own discipline within the realm of PT (acute care, etc.)? Do you need a special certification in order to work in this type of environment?

I'm trying to figure out how to talk about this interest during an interview without sounding like a total assclown. Thanks in advance, everyone.

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[dizzy88]

I would assume acute care if it's immediately post. Neuro rehab will begin once a patient can handle 3 hours of therapy.

If you're interested, you should definitely take the opportunity to contact them and see if you can observe.

 

[callmecrazy]

ICU generally falls under acute care. There is no special certification needed. During my acute care clinical, I got to spend a good bit of time in the ICUs. It wasn't viewed any differently than other units in the hospital. The ICU is also not only neuro focused. You will see a lot of cardiac, and this is where I came across all of the patients that wre detoxing as well. All my most interesting patients were there...

This generally appeals to PTs that have a higher interest in more complex cases and/or like the acute medical side of PT. it can also be a bit more intense requiring you to be both very thorough and on your toes more so than other areas, which really appeals to some PTs.

 

[nomattic]

I would assume acute care if it's immediately post. Neuro rehab will begin once a patient can handle 3 hours of therapy.

If you're interested, you should definitely take the opportunity to contact them and see if you can observe.

Thanks for that clarification. I definitely plan to shadow ASAP, but was worried I wouldn't be able to get in before my interviews in 2 weeks.

ICU generally falls under acute care. There is no special certification needed. During my acute care clinical, I got to spend a good bit of time in the ICUs. It wasn't viewed any differently than other units in the hospital. The ICU is also not only neuro focused. You will see a lot of cardiac, and this is where I came across all of the patients that wre detoxing as well. All my most interesting patients were there...

This generally appeals to PTs that have a higher interest in more complex cases and/or like the acute medical side of PT. it can also be a bit more intense requiring you to be both very thorough and on your toes more so than other areas, which really appeals to some PTs.

Thank you! You really hit the nail on the head. Those reasons are exactly why this facet of PT appeals to me, combining my favorite aspects of health care with the diagnostic skills needed to be a good PT. While I did know that the ICU is not purely neuro, I didn't know that PT's in that setting work with non-neuro ICU patients, also. That's awesome!

I definitely plan to look further into this. Thanks guys.

 

[pubicsymphysis]

WOW, I am very interested in working in ICU PT. Great post. I am trying to volunteer in a more stable ICU hospital.