ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. –
By definition, physical therapy is a health care profession that provides treatment to individuals to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and function throughout life.
At Joint Base Andrews, 779th Medical Group physical therapists not only provide Airmen with the care they need, they constantly strive for a standard of excellence for the entire team.
"The overall mission for the physical therapy team is to provide the highest quality of care in a professional environment and return our Active Duty personnel to full duty as soon as possible," said Senior Airman Melissa Miranda, 779 MDG physical therapy technician. "This objective is something that we created ourselves as a flight and make it known to all our patients."
The team is not only concerned with providing Airmen with superior care, they also take great pride in creating excellent relationships with patients, and consider that mission equally as important as providing quality care.
"I think the physical therapy team affects Airmen in a very positive way," said Airman Miranda. "It lets the Airmen know that no matter what may happen to them physically they will be in good hands when the time comes to recover. They know that our number one goal is about them and it helps them to trust we will do everything we can to take care of them."
Today, there are many types of physical therapy, ranging from orthopedic to geriatric. Airmen who enter the Air Force career field of physical therapy study not only proper procedures for taking care of patients, they also study the anatomical reasons Airmen need physical therapy.
"The physical therapy program includes a 13-week technical school where Airmen learn about anatomy, physiology, modalities, and procedures needed on a day to day basis," said Airman Miranda. "At a first duty station, there are many on-the-job-training and shadowing opportunities."
The interaction between physical therapy team members and patients as well as the team's overall commitment to excellence is why members of the team greatly enjoy their mission.
"It is such a fulfilling thing to have an injured patient walk through your doors, and in a period of time, walk out feeling better and able to perform their usual activities," said Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Gustafson, 779 MDG NCO in charge of physical therapy. "It is an amazing feeling to have a patient that just weeks before couldn't bend their knee and after working with them and encouraging them, seeing the joy in their eyes when they can finally bend their knee for the first time in months."