Interprofessional Clinical Placement

by Erica Linde

I am so grateful to the class of 1966 for their generous donation to the Dalhousie University School of Physiotherapy annual travel bursary fund which helps students to cover some of their travel expenses for their clinical placements.

I was so fortunate to have spent my integrated practice placement up in Prince Rupert, British Columbia in their Northern Health Regional Hospital. The Prince Rupert Interprofessional Student-led model (PRISM) clinic was such a great place to learn the importance of being part of an interprofessional healthcare team.

During my placement I learned a lot about the value of the services that we as healthcare professionals provide to the community, especially when the resources are limited in northern communities. I also developed a better understanding of the value of patient advocacy. My experiences during the placement included: going on visits to individual’s homes to provide mobile physiotherapy services with the help of rehabilitative assistant and occupational therapist; teaching aquatherapy for knee, hip and shoulder rehab at the local community centre; providing in-hospital balance classes and community senior exercise classes and the opportunity to work closely with the orthopedic surgeon to observe various surgeries and follow up with those patients throughout their rehabilitation process. During my spare time I was really able to enjoy the great outdoors and discover why it is they call it “Beautiful British Columbia”. I was able to experience another part of this awesome country while honing my professional skill set! My final advice to any students thinking about travelling for their placement…Do it!