PAEDIATRIC physical therapy: It’s one career option for people with an interest in medicine but who have no desire to become medical doctors.

Career & Education talks this week with Terri-Ann Samuels about the profession. The 26-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and has been registered with the Council of Professional Supplementary to Medicine since 2007.

Following graduation from the UWI in 2006, Samuels did her mandatory one-year hospital-based internship. She gained additional experience working in Florida and Georgia, where also learned much about hippotherapy (therapeutic horseback riding) and aquatic therapy.

She is currently completing a doctorate of physical therapy with Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, USA. She has so far completed specialty studies in paediatric physical therapy, hippotherapy, aquatic therapy, in addition to various assessment and treatment protocols.

In the four years since completing her first degree at the UWI, Samuels has treated more than 500 people. And she shows no sign of easing up.

At present, Samuels conducts her therapy session primarily from her patients’ homes. The hippotherapy sessions are conducted at Ena’s Haven — a Christian enrichment group offering a variety of equine therapies to young children and teens — in Irish Town each Saturday. The therapies offered there include not only hippotherapy and equestrian-assisted psychotherapy; but also therapeutic animal husbandry and equestrianism. The aquatic therapy sessions are undertaken on Sundays in the Manor Park area.

Who is a paediatric physical therapist?

Physical therapy with an emphasis on paediatrics works to help children reach their maximum potential for functional independence through examination, evaluation, promotion, and health and wellness, and implementation of a wide variety of interventions and supports. Paediatric physical therapists assess and treat children from infancy through adolescence and collaborate with their families.

What is the value of the work that you do?

Paediatric physical therapists help children to develop and enhance their mobility so they can safely participate in activities in the community, at school, as well as at home. Therefore, the true value lies in child’s ability to participate in movement activities that can include crawling, walking, running, game playing, sports participation, and additional physical interactions. Children who use adaptive equipment, such as orthotics, wheelchairs or other forms of support, can benefit from having a paediatric physical therapist showing them how to navigate various environments.

What prompted your entry into the field?

I had always known I wanted to work with children, but I did not want to be a conventional medical doctor. So in my youth, I sought the guidance of my personal doctor who suggested physical therapy due to the intense hands-on and rehabilitative aspects that I wanted to be a part of. I then did volunteer hours with Ms Elizabeth Robinson (now deceased) at Medical Associates, which cemented my future professional pursuits. She made me realise that I could directly affect someone’s quality of life and overall level of function, while still being the fun-loving, sociable “character” that I am. So putting my new-found love for physical therapy and my love of children together, I became a paediatric physical therapist with specialty studies in this arena.

What are the challenges you face on the job?

I have found that my greatest challenge is combating the social stigmas associated with children with disabilities. Also, the acquisition of funding to offer assistance to the less fortunate has proven to be a labour-intensive and painstaking endeavour.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The children — seeing when they achieve their developmental milestones, as well as the plethora of physical and cognitive benefits our time together can achieve.

What are the academic requirements for entry into the field?

In Jamaica, they require: five CXC General Proficiency Examination subjects, with English Language and Mathematics compulsory requirements; Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) — any two 2-unit CAPE — or two GCE Advanced Level passes from the following list of subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology. In addition, to be a practising therapist, you have to be a graduate of a school of physical therapy and certified with the council of profession supplemented to medicine.

How much can an individual earn annually working as a physical therapist?

This varies from setting to setting. On average, a Government worker earns approximately $600,000 per annum, but the earning potential in the private sector can be much higher.

Why would you advise anyone to become a physical therapist?

This profession allows us (therapists) the opportunity to positively impact the quality of life, level of function and optimal completion of daily activities of our patients. Producing smiles as we watch a child complete a task; play a game they could not before; move with little or no pain; or watch a mother cry as her son walks for the first time — something she never thought would happen.

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Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy is from the Greek word “hippos” which means horse. It refers to therapeutic horseback riding that combines the dynamic movement of the horse with fun, challenges activities that address a multitude of paediatric disabilities. The horse’s walk provides sensory input through movement which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The resultant movement responses in the client are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking.

Aquatic therapy

Aquatic therapy is a type of physical therapy that involves performing exercises in the water. The water’s natural therapeutic properties are used to improve patients’ motions and flexibility in ways that may be difficult out of water. The buoyancy and resistance offered by the water improves range of motion, endurance, strength and confidence.

Conditions helped by hippotherapy and aquatic therapy

* Autism and Down’s Syndrome

* Cerebral palsy and learning and language disabilities

* Stroke and developmental delay

* Scoliosis and spina bifida (incomplete development of the spinal cord or its covering)

* Burns and multiple sclerosis

* Traumatic brain injury and amputations