My Internship Experience at the University of Utah Cardiac Rehab Hospital

Hannah Bahr

My internship is about giving people their lives back. Most of us love to be active and do the things we want to do, but sometimes life throws a wrench at that. What if when you woke up this morning you could not get out of bed by yourself or you could not stand without having something to pull yourself up on? Being able to get up independently and walk wherever and whenever you want are perks of life that no one really appreciates until they lose it. It is so easy to take our health for granted! Personal Health challenges in my life have helped me to appreciate everything I am able to do. Last year, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her journey to understand her condition, learn about diet and exercise, and seek to regain strength really helped cement my desire to help people live their best lives.

It was interesting as my friend worked through various exercise options. There were some she hated, and it made me realize the opportunities that existed to help people find exercises they like that will help them. I love the challenge of finding exercises that provide the needed effects and are still a positive experience for people. Understanding people, their needs and preferences, and creating exercise programming that helps them achieve their goals is so rewarding. I love to help people connect with exercise as a sustainable lifestyle change.

This semester I have had the opportunity to be an intern at the University of Utah Cardiac Rehab Hospital. The Cardiac Rehab Hospital has been a great experience for me where I have been able to learn a lot about the field and learn a lot of applicable skills. I went from not even being able to take a resting blood pressure to being able to take blood pressure while patients were working hard and walking on the treadmill. This was very intimidating to me initially because there is so much going on; with the music, the feet on the treadmill, the noise the treadmill makes, and whatnot. I have also improved in administering exercise tests. This process requires a lot of attention and ability. You also need to be very aware of what is happening and how the patient is responding to the test to know how to increase intensity and when to call it and finish the test up.

I have had the opportunity to meet some great people that are working so hard to regain their health, mobility, strength, and opportunities. Many of these great people have faced major health challenges. Significant cardiac events and illness create a real challenge because exercising can be scary for patients learning to do it safely while they regain strength. The Cardiac Rehab Hospital provides a safe space with a multidisciplinary team to monitor health while testing fitness, developing and teaching exercise programs, and providing support and encouragement as they heal and regain strength and opportunities.

During my time working with cardiac rehab, I have watched as patients were able to grow and get better. I watched as they went from needing help standing up to being able to stand on their own. Celebrating their successes with them has been a great experience and has motivated me even more to move forward in this career. I have enjoyed helping patients regain part of their lives and watching their successes. As I move on my journey from internship into the professional field of Exercise Physiology I want to continue helping people learn and grow in my future.