Hospital-Based Setting: UP-PGH

The Philippine General Hospital is a tertiary hospital managed by the UP System, having a total of 14 clinical departments. One of these clinical departments is the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (DRM), and is further divided into several sections. The Physical Therapy section has three clinics, and we had the privilege of observing patients and physical therapists at work in two of these clinics, in the Ward 5 – Main Clinic, as well as in the Charity Out-Patient Clinic, also referred to as the Out-Patient Department Clinic.

The Charity Out-Patient Clinic has six interns, and each intern is able to accommodate a maximum of 10 patients a day. There is a fair number of regular staff in the clinic – 12 regular working PTs – but a rather scarce supply of equipment. For this reason, there is a great reliance on donations, and more importantly, on the ingenuity of the physical therapists. Some of the modalities that we were introduced to us were the paraffin wax bath, therapeutic ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, and hot moist packs.

Physical therapists in a hospital-based setting handle patients and teach, as well as study and do research. When we went to PGH for our observation though, we realized that they did more than that. Much, much more than that.

(Unfortunately we have no pictures to post, we weren't allowed to take any.)

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Serge Aclan “I never thought the Clinical Exposure could be so inspiring!” Those were the words that came out of my mouth right after our interview session in the Physical Therapy Section of the Out-patient Department of the Philippine General Hospital. I was hesitant to go at first, with the thought of having high grades in PT100 being the only reason why I would join my group mates for the exposure. The hot weather made things worse. We were heavily perspiring the moment we arrived in the said section. Because of this, it made me want to finish the activity quickly and run home for one cold shower.

When we arrived, I saw a patient getting ready to do routines for his therapy session. The place was clean and all white. Several PT interns were present in the said clinic. A few minutes later, we were accommodated by the PT we were about to interview.

During the course of the interview, two issues caught my attention. First, I can’t help but ask the state of the facilities in PGH. Of course, being a government hospital, PGH has limited facilities and, sometimes, dilapidated ones. Despite this physical therapists in PGH manage to find a way around these inequities. This amazed me.

Next, I was humbled by the passion of the physical therapist we interviewed to work in PGH despite the conditions of the said hospital. His passion showed the true meaning of service for the country and for the people.

The activity ended with the interviewee giving encouragements, even stating that he wishes to see us as his interns in the next three years.

I entered the facility with a gloomy face, wishing the activity was over. But afterwards, I went home inspired and a big, big smile on my sweaty face.

Angeline Dellosa I was one of those people who entered college with nothing else but a pocket full of hope, five-minute plans, and some loose change. It scared me because while I had no idea what I was getting myself into, everyone else seemed sure of where they were going and what they wanted.

I never had any love for Math or the Sciences. Instead, I loved to write, and be around people, be of help to them in any way I can. Because neither of these spelled Physical Therapy to me, I was compelled to believe that I made a mistake in choosing my course, that I did not at all have anything of considerable worth to offer.

This clinical exposure allowed us to observe the workings of a physical therapist in a hospital-based setting. The Philippine General Hospital, being a tertiary hospital, isn't able to offer much equipment, and each day physical therapists face such diverse sets of people. It loomed in me then that it takes far more than just talent to become a physical therapist --it takes dedication, passion, and commitment, a humanitarian character, patience, tolerance, ingenuity, joy. It takes a special set of eyes to see hope and chance in pain and disability, and a lot of heart to find no better recompense than in seeing a patient leave with something you gave, something that he or she did not once have.

It all sounds so cheesy, it seems, but as Sir Llonel had put it, "it's the cheese that makes PT’s tick".

This first clinical exposure did not just show me the roles and everyday workings of a physical therapist. It showed me the essence of physical therapy, and what physical therapists are made of. And suddenly, I knew -- I'm on the right track.

Trishia Luzarraga Undeniably, we Filipinos are less privileged than most countries. Yet we do not let this hinder our way of life. It seems part of the Filipino’s nature to do everything with a smile. It amazes me how we can be such happy people when everything around us is of scarcity. But I guess here lies the beauty of being Pinoy. And this particular nature of Filipinos was reflected in our exposure at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

Being one of the largest government-administered hospital in the Philippines, PGH is expected to cater the needs of the Filipino people, especially the underprivileged. Though the hospital lacks advancement in technologies and facilities, it still manages to serve the nation with great competence. This is done the Filipino way –making the most of what they have. I was astonished by the ingenuity of the PT’s in PGH. This shows absolute dedication.

Rehabilitative professionals work for the betterment of the lives of the people. Doing this with lack of facilities is difficult, but not impossible. It just requires dedication, passion, and love for the people you serve.

One thing I realized is that by pursuing this profession, I will have the opportunity to affect lives in ways beyond description. I will be able to give them something that they lack, and make them feel complete. And through this I will forever be part of them. This thought is overwhelming.  Hopefully someday I will be a person capable of doing such great things.

Having so little yet serving so much –this has to be the most fulfilling of all tasks. Maybe this is the reason why health care professionals choose to work in PGH. And the reason why we, Filipinos, cannot take the smile off our faces even in the hardest of times.

Patrick Manlapaz I grew up in scarcity, shortage, in lack. Every day I wondered how I would survive. I worried about my family’s poverty, and sometimes played the game of make believe just to sneak out of the unfortunate reality. But this did not stop me from fulfilling what I wanted. I did not let scarcity ruin the quality of life I hope to enjoy. I did not let the shortage and the lack dismantle my being and tear my pursuits apart.

Having been brought up this way, my heart has drawn me to avenues where I can serve. I joined organizations and causes that cater to the needs of underprivileged people as a volunteer. I actively participated not only in the local level but in the national level as well. I’ve been involved.

The exposure was another eye-opener. We witnessed physical therapists at the Phillipine General Hospital, a tertiary hospital, a hospital that is supposedly the seat of advanced technology and complete facilities, an institution that supposedly offers adequate and quality health service. However, this is not so. The hospital’s rehabilitation center is struggling to fully address the concerns of patients primarily because of incomplete facilities. PT’s then, utilize more than the facts about PT to be able to cope --patience, resourcefulness, dedication, sacrifice, and the heart to serve.

That is the essence of a true physical therapist. You don’t just do your job, you do it with passion and willingness. You don’t let scarcity, shortage, inadequacy, and lack let you down.

The struggles and hardships that PT’s encounter are no comparison to how they feel when they see their patients regain his or her ability to walk after being brought to the center in a wheelchair. That, according to Sir Jojo and Llonel is what keeps them going.

Carmela Santiago PGH may not have the best rehabilitation facility in the Philippines, however, it amazes me how in spite of this, the physcial therapists of PGH still give excellent physical therapy services to their patients. I believe that this shows us that a good physical therapist must be able to adapt to his or her workplace environment (good or bad) to give the patients the best service that he or she can give despite the different difficulties he or she may encounter. 

Handling an average of ten patients a day coupled with a limited number of equipment is no easy task, but to the physical therapists of PGH, this is a normal thing that they have to accomplish. Like what our interviewee said, working in a hospital setting such as that of PGH can be very difficult. They encounter some difficult patients, they sometimes have a hard time managing what equipment they have,  sometimes they lack the budget to replace old equipment and sometimes they also have a hard time working with the administration --- these things make me wonder why they don’t transfer to another hospital. The answer, they said, is in the rewarding experience they get when they see their patients get well and when they see that in some way, they have improved their patients’ quality of life.

In the end I realized, all workplaces --- be it a private hospital or a government hospital like PGH --- have their own advantages and disadvantages but a physical therapist must learn to cope up with these things. Cheesy as it may sound, I think that what I must consider above all in choosing where I would like to work someday is where I will be happiest to serve as a physical therapist.