In The Spotlight: Medstrom’s Physiotherapy Team – Meet Tom
Medstrom is proud to have a growing team of Clinical Advisors with a diverse multidisciplinary background, including physiotherapy team member Tom. Despite his short time at Medstrom, Tom already has a busy schedule as one of the trained physiotherapists employed at Medstrom. For the specialist physiotherapy team at Medstrom, their specific and refined skill set is something that is often in high demand in multiple areas of a Trust, resulting in the building of significant relationships quickly and easily.
Connection with patients
His role includes a huge amount of flexibility (something he notes as a key highlight), and when he lists what other benefits he enjoys, the sheer variety of interactions he can experience is mentioned frequently and passionately. Tom discusses specific patients he knows well – a woman in Penrith who’s currently on the Dolphin Therapy fluid immersion simulation support surface – and how his physiotherapy background has proven invaluable to assist in the rehabilitation, mobilisation and recovery of this patient.
Tom uses examples such as this to demonstrate the value added by the presence of a physiotherapist in and amongst the Medstrom clinical teams; the further extension of the multidisciplinary approach provides a profoundly holistic process and perspective, something Tom realised as a teenager when he was first introduced to the concept of physiotherapy as a profession.
Tom’s father suffered an injury that resulted in a broken back, and Tom witnessed the impact of the physios that assisted his father in his recovery first-hand.
He describes remembering the “tangible sense of progress” physiotherapy provided – eventually aiding his father from not being to walk to being independently mobile.
This tied in with Tom’s pre-existing interest in sport and his career was decided.
Assistance with equipment
Across his week, Tom moves around the north west of the country, visiting different Trusts and delivering various services. He ensures staff are comfortable and up to date on training for Medstrom products on their ward, he interacts with patients and ensures they’re comfortable and moving in the right direction in their recovery process, he audits equipment to safeguard against fault or damage and he contributes to the implementation of new products.
Beyond the collaborative nature with other caregivers, the role of a physio at Medstrom supplies a specific relationship with the Medstrom equipment, Tom says.
He elaborates that due to the slightly differing priorities and areas of focus as physio has for a patient, (often occurring at a different level of healing to most other care provided also) that the Medstrom team of physios observe and utilise the beds and mattresses in a particular way.
He gives the example of the innovative Solo/Solo+ beds with the ultra-low function and customisable height settings. As a physio, Tom fully appreciates how beneficial it is to have a hospital bed with an unrivalled height range and customisable height settings which can be matched to a patient’s popliteal height. He notes how these unique features are something he wishes all hospitals had access to as he has witnessed first-hand the difference it can make to safe mobilisation.
Providing help from hospital to home
Something Tom is acutely aware of is the role physios play in assisting at the point of transition for patients when it’s time for them to go home.
This point in the recovery timeline is a significant and tenuous period for patients and is a time when only a physiotherapist’s particular skillset can help.
Working closely with the occupational therapists, Tom explains the process of getting patients back home from hospital, how the specific relationship with equipment assists in smoothing the transition from hospital equipment to the patient’s furniture at home.
He expresses that the satisfaction of his job comes from being so present through so much of a patients recovery, and being able to be present in the final stages when they are healthy enough to be discharged. Medstrom’s physiotherapists play a vital role in not only making that happen, but also making it happen in the best and most comfortable way possible.
Find out more about the rest of Medstrom’s physiotherapist team and their experience of working at Medstrom in our ‘In the Spotlight’ series!
