Before You Start Your Affiliation

1. Contact Your Affiliation Site

First, get in touch with the SCCE and your clinical instructor, whom you’ll be working with throughout the duration of your clinical. Ask them any questions you have. What is the onboarding, and how do I get that started? What’s the attire? How should you prepare? What should you bring with your during your first day? What patient population will you be working with? These are some questions you definitely need to ask.

2. Review The Basics

Before starting your rotation, make sure you review the basics of physical therapy assessment and treatment, such as range of motion exercises, gait training, bed mobility, and transfer techniques.

3. Familiarize Yourself With the Affiliation Patient Population

Acute care patients often have complex medical conditions, so it’s important to understand the common conditions you may encounter, such as stroke, orthopedic injuries, and cardiac conditions.

4. Learn About the Hospital Setting

Become familiar with the hospital setting, such as hospital policies, procedures, and protocols. Also, understand the roles of different healthcare professionals on the acute care team. This should be included in your onboarding as well.

5. Practice Communication Skills

Effective communication with patients, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals is critical in an acute care setting. Practice active listening, empathy, and clear communication to ensure that you are able to communicate effectively with your patients and other members of the healthcare team.

6. Understand Safety Precautions

Acute care patients often have multiple medical issues, so it’s important to understand the safety precautions that must be taken during treatment. This includes proper body mechanics, fall prevention, and infection control measures.

7. Prepare For a Fast-Paced Environment

Acute care settings can be fast-paced and require quick decision-making. Be prepared to work efficiently and manage your time effectively.

8. Seek Guidance and Feedback

Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance and feedback from your clinical instructor and other members of the healthcare team. This will help you to improve your skills and become a better physical therapist.

On Your First Day of Affiliation

1. Bring a Pen and Paper

During our affiliation, we both bought a notebook that can fit in our pocket scrubs, and some of our classmates brought foldable clipboards. We often would use them to help us with writing notes later, or if we saw something cool, we jot it down to research it later.

2. Set Goals and Expectations With Your CI

Sit down with your CI and have a quick meeting with them about goals and expectations of this affiliation. Express your excitement to begin the clinical experience. Tell them about your learning styles, and how you would like to receive feedback. If you have any concerns of questions, be honest and transparent about them.

3. Stay Open Minded

Be open-minded and receptive to new experiences, and take advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as you can during your inpatient acute care rotation. Maintain a positive and professional demeanor throughout your affiliation. Some affiliation sites even offer the opportunity to observe a surgery! Take advantage of every opportunity offered to you. It will make you a better student and a better clinician.

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Remember these are real people with real conditions you’ll be working with. Treat them as such, and provide the best healthcare you can.

Good luck!