IPE Activity 1 - Shadowing and/or Interviewing Team Members During this clinical period, I had the opportunity to shadow a surgeon, physician assistants and orthopedic technologists in the fracture clinic. What did you learn about the professions/roles on this team that you did not know previously? In terms of new findings, I learned about the profession of an orthopedic technologist. Initially, I assumed that they were nurses as I wasn’t aware of the profession. In terms of their roles, I learned that orthopedic technologists are responsible for applying/removing a fiberglass cast, fitting/adjusting a walker brace, dressing a wound, removing sutures, educating patients/families and others. For example, orthopedic technologists educate …show more content…
The main difference is that physician assistants perform the initial assessment, which the surgeon utilizes to create or adapt the treatment plan; thus, the physician assistants ease the workload of the surgeon. The main similarity between the roles of a surgeon/physician assistant and orthopedic technologist is documentation as all decisions and actions are documented within the patient’s record. The major difference is that surgeons/physician assistants are more verbal (i.e. conversation with patients), while orthopedic technologists are more hands-on (i.e. cast application, suture removal, etc…). In terms of similarities and differences between the orthopedic and imaging teams, I would say that the roles of orthopedic and radiological technologists are similar in comparison to surgeons/physician assistants. For instance, the technologists are one of the first healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care during appointments. Moreover, the technologists have similar restrictions, such that we may be aware of certain details regarding the patient’s health that we may not be able to disclose given that it is outside the scope of our …show more content…
Furthermore, I specifically want to better understand the differences between supine and standing foot/ankle (i.e. standing foot/ankle projections are specific to a surgeon at the JDMI site) images to improve my positioning and image critique. How were the patient/client/family voice/goals expressed? The interaction between healthcare members and patients/families was natural and casual. I believe that the patient/family are comfortable with the orthopedic team; thus, allowing them to voice their goals/concerns confidently. Surprisingly, regardless of whether the patient’s expectations were or were not fulfilled, the patient/family seemed content with the experience and response received from the providers. For example, a patient received unexpected news; however, the way the team explained the situation and plan reassured the patient that they were in good hands. Did anything about the experience surprise you or make you uncomfortable? If there was conflict, what were the positions/perspectives behind the conflict and any strategies used to resolve