HPW Student Internship Experience – Marie Krengel Spring 17′
My internship at cardiopulmonary rehab gave me a multitude of opportunities and new experiences. On a daily basis, I got to implement and supervise physical exercise programs for heart disease and pulmonary patients. I did this by taking blood pressure measurements at rest and during exercise, assisting patients on use of appropriate exercise equipment, leading patients in weight lifting and stretching sessions, measuring patients’ blood glucose levels, and monitoring patients’ heart rates by identifying normal and abnormal EKG rhythms. I got to help patients one on one by making personal adaptations to their exercise programs based on their needs, limitations, and goals. I would do this by reviewing their individualized training program and modifying it with them, as well as prescribing different types of exercise for them. I truly enjoyed getting to interact with patients and develop professional and personal
relationships. Some other cool opportunities that I got to experience included observing stress tests and an open-heart surgery. With stress tests, I got to observe multiple treadmill, medicated, and echo cardiogram stress tests. It was interesting to see what kind of information they gathered from these tests and its purpose for the patient. The open heart surgery was such a cool experience because you are in the room with the surgeons as they perform the surgery. Interning with cardiopulmonary rehab was an amazing experience that I would recommend others exploring.
Objectives
- Behavior:
- Lead educational classes (on 7 dimensions of wellness or any health topic)
- Take blood pressures, enter data, monitor and assist patients during exercise
- Assist in leading cardio-respiratory and pulmonary classes
- Observe EKG monitoring, physical therapy, stress testing, and surgeries
- Assist in creating an individual cardiac rehabilitation treatment plan
- Promotion and Marketing:
- Design brochures for educational classes
- Promote upcoming events and educational classes to the patients through working with the marketing department
- Organizational Experiences:
- Develop strength-training exercises with the supervisor
- Attend staff meetings and learn about budgets, insurance bills, and work on getting referrals for service.
On-Site Supervisor
Kelly Shields
Coordinator: Cardiopulmonary Services
Ministry Health Care
2401 Plover Rd
Plover, WI 54467
Kelly.Shields@ascension.org
715-295-3985
Hours
400 hours
Stipend
None
UW-Stevens Point Students Who Completed Internship
- Marie Krengel, Spring 2017 (pictured above)
- Taylor Kilgas, Fall 2015
- Zach Corlett, Summer 2014