Emily Freeman completed a 180-hour health science internship at Anderson Physical Therapy and Hand Center and Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation under certified hand therapists. As part of her internship duties, she assisted patients with various therapeutic exercises and activities, applied electrical stimulation pads, made splints, organized supplies, and conducted research projects. The internship reinforced her desire to become an occupational therapist by allowing her to be an integral part of the therapy and recovery process for patients.

1. HEALTH SCIENCE
INTERNSHIP
HLTH 4200 By: Emily Freeman

2.  As part of my Health Science internship
requirements at Clemson University, I
completed 180 hours of work at Anderson
Physical Therapy and Hand Center and
Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
under Certified Hand Therapists.
 The following slideshow is a brief but through
look into my everyday duties at my internship,
including assisting with therapeutic activities,
stocking supplies, applying electrical
stimulation pads, making splints, and
Introduction

3. Anderson Physical Therapy and Hand Center
100 Healthy Way #1110 Anderson, SC 29621
 Specialized services
 Orthopedic & Sports Injury
Rehab
 Post-surgical Rehab
 Comprehensive Spine Rehab
 Neurological Rehab
 Balance & Gait Retraining
 Fall Prevention Program
 Hand Therapy & Custom
Splinting
 Comprehensive rehab for post-
surgical hand conditions
 Aquatic Therapy

4. Intern duties
From beginning… …to end
- Help patients into the
fluidotherapy machine to
get “warmed up” for
- Wipe down the table and
change the pillow cases
when therapy is finished

5. Assist with therapeutic
activities:
- Teach patients how to do exercises with Theraputty,
including the ones pictured above, for grip strength,
pinch, and cylindrical resistive flexion and extension

6. Assist with therapeutic
activities:
- Teach
patients how
to use the
flex bar,
which
simulated
different
wrist or
forearm
strains and
strengthene
d those
areas

7. Assist with therapeutic
activities:
- Teach patients how to use the wheel, which is especially useful for distal radius
fractures
- This tool works on flexion and extension, as well as pronation and supination

8. Assist with therapeutic
activities:
- Teach patients another distal radius fracture exercise
with the hammer
- Show the patient how to move the hammer in a slow
circle to work all motions of the wrist, moving down
the hammer shaft as the patient built up strength over
the course of therapy sessions
- Teach patients how to use the coin maze (bottom
left), which also works all motions of the wrist

9. Assist with therapeutic
activities:
- Help
patients
improve
pinch
strength by
using
pinchers
with different
resistances
to pick up
cotton balls
- Work on
pinch with
wrist
resistance
using the
pins and
corkboard

10. Keep things organized and
stocked
- Make sure all
paperwork
(evaluation
sheets, home
exercise
programs, etc.)
were copied and
filed accordingly
- Make sure all
supplies (edema
sleeves, towels,
Velcro, etc.) were
fully stocked and
cut extra Velcro
straps
- Make sure the splint
pan was on and at
the right temperature
to make splints
- Organize the
desk by cleaning
up clutter and
throwing away
unneeded papers

11. Retrieve therapy tools
- The ionto machine,
which introduces ionic
medicinal compounds
into the body through the
skin by applying a local
electric current
- The ultrasound, which uses
sound waves to treat
musculoskeletal problems,
especially inflammation like
- Moist heat packs, which
help get the patient
“warmed up” in the event
that they cannot use the
fluidotherapy machine

12. Assist with therapy
- Teach patients to use the pulleys to
stretch a proximal humerus fracture
or radial head fracture
- Help measure
patients’ grip
strength with a
dynamometer and
pinch strength
with the pinch
meter

13. Assist with exercises
- Teach
patients
Thera band
exercises to
strengthen
muscles of
the rotator
cuff

14. Projects
- Learn about charting
and made sure necessary
sections were filled out
and signed by Sam
- Create a wound care handout for
patients to take home and remember what
they learned on their first day of therapy
about how to clean and care for an open
surgery incision

15. Clemson Sports Medicine and
Rehabilitation
10626 Clemson Blvd, Seneca, SC 29678
 Interned under Nelson Vazquez, Registered and
Licensed Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand
Therapist
 Clemson Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation (CSMR)
“sees its mission as empowering, restoring, and

16. Splinting
- Turn on
splint pan
and cut out
splint
templates
- Observe
splints being
made and
practice
making them
- Pictured:
trigger finger
(volar hand
based static
MP block)
and thumb
fracture

17. Work with stroke patient
- Make her a thumb splint to
abduct her thumb so she could use
her hand functionally
- Work on grip strength in her
involved side hand using checkers
blocks with Velcro for resistance
- Practice writing with the noninvolved
side hand, in the event that her
involved side hand doesn’t regain
functionality
- “The brown fox jumps over the lazy
dog.” is one sentence that contains
every letter of the alphabet!

18. Work with stroke patient
- Attach
electrical
stimulation
pads to
patient’s arm
- Teach patient
how to use
pulleys to
stretch her arm
muscles,
which she
often
complains
about hurting
her at night
- Stretch out
with pulley
when
stimulated,

19. Projects
- Create therapy tool for
eccentric motion
- Research carpal
tunnel release
surgery effect on grip
strength
- Complete a
modalities experiment
comparing the amount
of edema caused by
the fluidotherapy
machine, paraffin, and

20. Projects
- Learn to measure
some ranges of motion
- Pictured above: ulnar
deviation
- Create a functional
occupational therapy test
using common items that
people with hand, wrist,
and arm injuries often
have trouble opening
- Come up with materials
and method to
experiment
- Create a PIP/DIP
flexion strap for patients
to take home and use
outside of therapy

21. Projects
- Complete a
case study on
a patient in the
clinic
- Work on creating
and modifying a
homemade
fluidotherapy
machine that
patients can make
and use at home
- Factors studied
were type of entry
for hand (size of
hole, sock vs.
rubber, etc.),
number of
openings in the
lid, possible heat
and air sources
(hair dryer and dry
vacuum), and
amount of time it
takes to reach
- Work at a
Foothills
Community
Health Care’s
“Spring into
Health” Fair,
screening for

22. Assist with therapy
- Enter patient reports
for each patient who
comes in for therapy to
help Nelson save time
and have more contact
time with the patient
- Plug in
class 4 hot
laser for
Nelson to
use
- Observe
use of laser,
which
- Warm up hot
pads and hot
cuffs in the
microwave for
patients to use
during
exercises and
electrical

23. Assist with therapy
- Work on
radial
abduction by
using a
rubber band
and trying to
place it
around the
- Attach
electrical
stimulation pads
to muscles and
tendons and
help patients
with exercises
while the muscle
alternates
- Teach
patients how to
work on grip
strength with
the gripper
holding a
business card
and adjusting
as strength
increased
- Work on fine
finger
functioning and
wrist movements
using pegs and
sockets that are
angled different
ways

24. Organization
- Make sure all
charts for the day
are initially
accounted for
and stowed
properly at the
end of the day
- Print off
necessary chart
paperwork
- Answer the
phone if Nelson
couldn’t get to it
- Call to check in
on patients who
missed their
appointment
- Make sure
towels,
pillow cases,
and other
supplies are
stocked at
the
beginning
and end of
the day

25.  Over the course of this semester, I learned
more about the upper extremities and therapy
than I could have ever imagined.
 I was able to be an integral part of therapy
and the recovery process, as well as conduct
my own research about different modalities,
therapy tools, and specific injuries.
 This internship reinforced my desire to
become an Occupational Therapist, and I’ll
forever remember the things I learned here
and cherish the friendships I made with my
preceptors and my sweet patients.
Conclusion