One of the topics I suggest when prospective physical therapist students ask me for advice on writing letters of intent for physical therapy school is to talk about their experiences. Now I realize many will not have much experience in physical therapy but I am not talking about that. I am talking about experience with people or with injuries or events that have made them view life differently. Experiences help us to relate to others better, to understand them more, to identify with them and, in my opinion, help us become better physical therapists.
The reason I am thinking about this is because of my lack of sleep. We were blessed with two (count them, two) new arrivals two months ago today. Needless to say, I am not getting much sleep at all. I am again keenly aware of how much sleep or lack thereof influences all aspects of life. In the clinic, I routinely ask how my patients are sleeping after surgery or injury because I realize that if they are not sleeping they are not feeling well and are not healing as well as they could otherwise. Even though I have not had a recent surgery or a recent injury, this lack of sleep makes me feel....well, not very good. Because of my experience, I have a renewed appreciation for my patients who are not getting the sleep they need and how this can influence their days (and nights) and I think this awareness helps me be more in tune to the needs of my patients (as long as I am not falling asleep on them ;) ).
Sweet dreams....
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