A Moving Physical Therapy Summer Internship For A High School Junior

A Physical Therapy Internship

Adaptive Sports Program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

What a moving visit we had to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, the site of David’s summer internship. David, a junior at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols, and his older sister are long time Internship Connection clients.  David has always been interested in science, so two summers ago, we placed David on a robotics internship. More recently, after recovering from knee surgery from a soccer injury, David was so impressed with the support and encouragement he received from his physical therapist, he thought that he might consider physical therapy as a career.

We placed David in the Adaptive Sports Program at Spaulding Rehab. As an athlete and compassionate young man, he could appreciate what it takes to get back into sports after an injury. In addition, he was also able to shadow a therapist working in their therapy gym. Spaulding in Charlestown is a magnificent facility on Boston Harbor where the Boston Marathon bombing victims were treated.

“The two main activities we do are canoeing and biking. The patients have fantastic life stories. They have gone through so much, so to help them stay fit and have fun is very rewarding. I get to meet new people every single day. Encouraging them to talk and bond with me is a key part of making both my day and their day fun. All the time, I’m asking patients about their lives…listening to them and just being a friend makes me feel that I am making their day better.”