The Ohio State University (OSU) physical therapy doctoral graduate, Monique Turner, spend two weeks with our team at the HERC center as a part of her Internship program in the UAE. Monique is a part of the Orthopedic One team, a leading clinic from Columbus, Ohio (USA).

Before joining our team, Monique did a part of her Internship program at Kanad Hospital Physiotherapy in Al Ain (UAE). Part of her work was evaluating and treating outpatients with orthopedic conditions. In addition, she led a service improvement project deemed to understand Emirati pregnant women’s perception of physio and exercise with the idea of decreasing no-show/cancelation rates.

At HERC, Monique had a unique opportunity for ”at hand experience” working within the multidisciplinary team.

She contributed to the preliminary stages of a project aimed at increasing personal trainers awareness of and competence in managing clients with orthopedic injuries. She worked closely with our Sports Medicine Specialist Ivana, who mentored her through HERC’s specific clientele and also provided much insight into the administrative workings, including the functioning of the UAE healthcare system at large. In addition, Monique had an exciting time seeing the type/ level of patient/ therapist relation and witnessing the importance of understanding cultural differences and their effect on the overall satisfaction in the patient’s journey.

Apart from the practice, she joined us for our first Blood Flow Restriction Certification course that we pioneered (for the first time in the UAE) back in June. This was a fantastic experience for her as Blood Flow Restriction has been booming in the USA in the last couple of years and has found its way into rehab and physio centers.

Our Head of Education Department, Dragan Stankic, walked her through our course creation, regulation, and certification process. She also contributed with her input to our upcoming courses related to physiotherapy, which will be launched toward the end of 2022.

In her own words, the main takeaway from this Intern experience:

”I must strive for and attain excellence in my skill and practice. I heard stories and saw firsthand how patients left their superficially advanced physiotherapy clinics to pursue HERC because they knew they needed real help. Similarly, my goal is that patients would come to me with confidence and peace because they know they will receive the help they need when they step into my treatment room.”

In the future, she plans to obtain clinical experience in the U.S. before exploring her options abroad. While in the U.S., she plans to pursue additional sports medicine-specific training and an Orthopedic Clinical Specialty (OCS) and take courses towards a Women’s Health Clinical Specialty (WCS). During this time, she also plans to apply for a role with the World Physiotherapy Future Network and act as a liaison between different entities in the Gulf and the U.S. to increase the transfer of knowledge and skills for improving physiotherapy globally.

Our team had a great time hosting Monique, and everyone benefited from the experience.