For Today And Tomorrow (1967)

[Music] Yeah. Wow. [Music] Hi, baby. [Music] Hi. I want to fill the whole room with flowers, but you know how it is with a starving law student. It's lovely, Bill. Thank you. Yeah, I really feel bad about this. Friedon insisted on dragging him to the beach. Don't talk that way, Phil. It's really my fault. It's just that I'm so clumsy. Clumsy? You're a better athlete than I am. I'm certainly glad to hear that. Oh, hi. Uh, I was just Oh, I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I'm Miss St. James, your physical therapist. Oh, hi. A physical therapist? What do you do? I wish I had a nickel for every time I've been asked that question, Phil. A physical therapist is like a specialist in exercise and things like that. Oh, there's a lot more to it than that. Let's see. Fractured FEMA, cervical sprain, and multiple contusions. You'll have a chance to learn a lot about it. It sounds like it's going to get a little rough. I think I'll check out. Are you going to come back tomorrow? Oh, sure. I'll see if I can dig up enough money to buy you another rose. Great. Bye-bye. Bye. Hey, seriously, what do you do? You mean what am I going to do to you, don't you? Yeah. Well, your doctor has asked me to evaluate your needs and begin treatment. Do you work with my doctor? Yes. We're both a part of the health team. Great teamwork. Well, it'll take both of us to get you back to your surfboard. Oh, I don't know about that, but I guess I can see what you mean. I'll probably need lots of exercise, huh? Right. But first, I want to do a test to determine how much your injury has affected your ability to use your arms and legs. And then we have to consider the amount of pain you're having and do what we can to lessen it. Great. When can I start walking again? We have to get you out of bed first. Now, your doctor said you can walk with crutches as soon as your arms are able to support your weight. This is really getting complicated. I thought all he did was give you a pill and tell you to get plenty of rest. That sort of thinking went out with the horse and buggy. Today, the emphasis is on early mobilization. Mobilization sounds like a war. Why not? That's where physical therapy really started. Do you know it wasn't until the First World War when the wounded had to get out of bed and back to the battlefield that any real thought was given to physical rehabilitation? You might say physical therapy was born on the battlefield. Well, where will we start? After we finish this muscle test, we'll treat you at the bedside for a day or two and then you'll have to go to the physical therapy department. Now, let's measure your range of motion. Okay. Does this hurt your arm any? A little. Okay. Now, I'm going to support your weight on my arm and I want you to move it up. Okay. And back. Okay. Now, let's move your arm away from your side. Hold it. Now, don't let me push it in. Okay, relax. Now, bring it back to your side. It wasn't easy to walk on crutches, but once I mastered them, I could get back to the dormatory by myself. With Miss St. James help. I improved rapidly. [Music] This part of the treatment involved the use of moist hot packs on my neck and shoulders, and I must admit, they felt good. [Music] The treatments went on though, only now I was an outpatient. Well, this is the last of your prescribed ultrasound treatment, Judy. I was just getting attached to that thing. What do you plan on taking when you go back to school? Oh, I don't know. I really can't seem to make up my mind. You mean no special interests? So far, just dancing. Well, what about the sciences? I like them, but you know, I'd really rather do something where I'm working with people. Oh, you mean like I do? Uh-huh. I watched you around here at the hospital. And lately, I've been thinking about it, too. Where did you go to school? Well, my first two years of undergraduate work were at Valley Junior College. Then I transferred to Stanford University in my junior year and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy. Now, I've just completed my master's degree in physical therapy here at the university, and I plan on teaching school here this fall. Do you think it'd be too late for me to try to study a physical therapy career? No. As a matter of fact, if you're really interested, I'll get a brochure for you from the American Physical Therapy Association that tells you a great deal about our profession and what it takes to become a physical therapist. Gee, that would be great. I'd really appreciate that cuz I don't know what I'm going to take next fall. Well, you'll have all summer long to think about it. Yay. All summer. I'd been thinking about physical therapy all summer and decided this was the career for me. It's a profession in which I felt I could make an important contribution. Many universities and professional sports teams have physical therapists directing their training staffs. Summer passed quickly. It felt great to be well again and back on the tennis courts with Phil. Phil had already been accepted into Harvard Law School, and I spent a lot of time thinking about myself and the career I would follow. But it wasn't until late August that I made up my mind about what I wanted to do. There was a special physical therapy counseling session at the university that afternoon, and I asked Phil to drive me over. There were several people at the session who had already graduated with balora degrees and were just starting on a certificate program to become physical therapists. Others were returning for their master's degrees. The counselor had a transcript of my grades. He pointed out that a course of study would have been easier had I started in high school to prepare myself for physical therapy. However, by completing undergraduate prerequisites for junior and senior physical therapy courses during my first two years in college, he felt that a course of study could be outlined. I already knew that a good physical therapist must have a wide range of interests, that the more varied my own abilities, the better I could help others. Of the 125 units of undergraduate work required, a minimum of 12 units in biological sciences were needed with at least one course in physiology and anatomy. I had to have eight units in the physical sciences, either physics or chemistry, and 12 units in psychology. Additional courses in the social sciences, such as psychology or sociology, were strongly recommended. Physical therapists work with people, not with test tubes. Hello. Hi. Hi. I guess we're early, huh? I guess. At least we'll make a good impression on our first day. Well, I guess we're all a little nervous. My name's Don Matthews. I'm Ellie Waterfield. I feel the same way I did the day I started school. Why? So do I. My name's Judy Davis. Well, why did you decide to study physical therapy? Well, a physical therapist came to our school and spoke at our career day and uh that's when I decided I really wanted to get into it. Mhm. Well, I had physical therapy for quite a while when I was little. You see, I had polio and I don't know, everyone helped me so much that I just hope that I can help someone. Well, you look great now. Thank you. I was just one of the lucky ones. Thank goodness polio is on the run. There's still an awful lot to do. That's true. [Music] Good morning. Welcome to the course. Today we will start with an introduction to the theory of therapeutic exercise. Later on in the course, we will have opportunities to make practical application of this knowledge. The year flew by and then it was September again. I was ready to begin my upper division physical therapy courses. Time goes quickly when you're doing something you like. Principles and theories learned in the classroom are reinforced by demonstrations of their practical application in the treatment of patients. No one can appreciate how a person fully immobilized by long leg braces and on crutches feels when he loses his balance and falls. But by experiencing this sensation, we learn how to teach patients to fall without injuring themselves. Testing devices are used to determine the presence or absence of damage to nerves outside of the central nervous system. Physical therapy includes many areas of learning. Some of these are anatomy and physiology of the human body. In addition, lectures in medicine, surgery, orthopedics, and pediatrics provide broad understanding of patient care and treatment. [Music] Following completion of the academic courses, we began the most exciting phase of the program, clinical education. During these internships, we worked in physical therapy clinics. And with the assistance and guidance of clinical teachers were able to begin actual patient treatment. In combating birth defects alone, physical therapy has helped thousands who were once doomed to spend their lives as hopeless insides. [Music] Ellie's first clinical experience was at a children's hospital and her first patient had polio. Pool therapy uses the principle of buoyancy to assist weak muscles in accomplishing desired motions. LA's own polio background helped her do especially well with this youngster. Clinical education is diversified to give a broad cross-section of experience with all the phases of the patients needs. [Music] We learn to work not only with the patient but with the patients family and other members of the health team as well. There are many fields where physical therapy is making contributions. Patients with industrial injuries can return to work sooner and with less after effects. Arthritis, aging, chronic disease, nerve, and brain damage all can be improved through the use of physical therapy. Other patients are given special vocational rehabilitation, counseling, and training to assist them in adjusting to their work or in training toward a new vocation. One of Don's clinical affiliations took him to the Veterans Administration Hospital. Of course, all of us are given training in administrative duties and responsibilities, but with Don's eventual goal of having a private practice in physical therapy, these subjects were of particular interest. Upon completion of our clinical education, we graduated with a balorate degree and more important as professional physical therapists. Cleveland, aren't you excited? I packed my bags 10 times since the mail came this morning. So great. Hey, but you're not going to leave until after the party tomorrow. I mean, well, Phil's coming in, and I did want you to meet him. Oh, I can stay for that. But where's your letter? Oh, I haven't heard anything yet. May an instructor post a letter. Of course, Miss St. James. Oh, Miss St. James. Oh, great. The USS Hope. Well, you go all over the world, and I'm taking my profession right along with me. Can I sneak a word in here? Oh, Don, Miss St. James is going to spend a whole year on the USS Hope. That's really great. Hey, Don. Looks like your commission came through. Yeah, I'm I'm being assigned to the Letterman General Hospital. Where's that? San Francisco. I had applied for a position here at the University Hospital, but I still hadn't received my letter of acceptance, and I began to lose hope. Our graduation party was a great success. Miss St. James gave us a few parting words of encouragement, congratulations, and advice. But the most wonderful words she said were, "Judy, your application to work at the University Hospital has been accepted. Congratulations. At last, I was a part of my chosen profession. A profession where I can see the results of my work and know that it means something for today and tomorrow. Breathing. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat up [Applause] [Music] here. [Applause]