#IamMGH – Meet Victor Tran

#IamMGH tells the stories of our people. In celebration of Physiotherapy Month, meet Victor Tran, Physiotherapy Student at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). Victor shares with us his learnings and how his experience at MGH has helped him in his chosen profession.

“I’m really enjoying my time here at MGH! My preceptor and colleagues have been incredible. They always lead by example and encourage me to think critically about my actions and decision-making skills. I’m very thankful to have experienced, constructive and supportive mentors who encourage me to grow.

My placement at MGH has me working mostly with older adults who have a wide range of conditions. This includes dementia, stroke, cancer, urinary tract infections, fractures and more. This placement has given me many opportunities to use what I’ve learned in school and see how it applies in practice.

I work with up to 10 patients a day. When I come into work, I’m immediately reading patient charts, organizing my day and then seeing patients. It's very fast-paced! As a student, this placement is helping me sharpen my time management skills and keeps me thinking proactively throughout the day.

Some of the responsibilities and duties I have include performing mobility assessments, thinking of appropriate treatments to improve a patient’s function, helping patients walk, teaching exercises, educating patients and family members about safe mobility, and formulating and adjusting discharge plans as needed.

A large part of this placement involves interprofessional collaboration and communication. I work closely with physiotherapy assistants, occupational therapists, nurses, transition navigators and physicians to deliver care to patients.

My two favourite things about working at MGH is learning how to be a better problem solver and seeing my patients make progress over time.

Sometimes a patient is not ready for their appointment when you want to see them, so you need to adjust your schedule. When you do see them, they may have different symptoms, and therefore the discharge plan needs to change to better suit their current condition. It’s been invaluable for my career to learn to quickly problem solve and think ahead.

Seeing my patients make progress brings me great joy. I know it can be scary and overwhelming for a patient to be in the hospital, so I try to have conversations with them during our walks and physiotherapy sessions to help them feel more at ease. The interprofessional team is here to help the patient heal and get better in some way. It feels great, but also humbling, to be a part of a patient’s care journey.

MGH has taught me a lot about the role of physiotherapy in a hospital setting. I know I would like to work in a hospital when I graduate and I believe MGH has given me the opportunity and insight to grow the skills I need to be an independent physiotherapist. Thank you, MGH!”

At the time of this story’s publication, Victor’s student placement has ended at MGH. We wish Victor all the best in his future endeavours!