Settings and Spheres: Acute Care

Prior to beginning school in January 2018, I spent a significant amount of my shadowing time in the acute care setting.  One specific acute care setting I visited was University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I classify this hospital as an acute care setting because the since of patients were seeking treatment from sudden causes with short-term stays.  Regarding sphere of practice, this hospital was under the biological or medical sphere, which includes hospitals, clinics, work sites, home health, and skilled nursing facilities.  I spent most of my time shadowing on the joint floor, which was dominantly geriatric.  I saw many total hip and knee replacements where therapy was started the day after surgery or even the day of, depending on time and client circumstances.  While in the rooms, I observed dressing, transfers from bed to chair, bed to toilet, bed to sink, and other transfers that encompassed activities of daily life.  Sometimes, we even took a walk down the hallway.  After client restored sufficient mobility, the process of returning home was initiated, allowing for a quick turnover in the hospital.