I chose to do my capstone fieldwork in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab at ThedaCare Waupaca. This is a program that most healthcare systems provide for patients. It is an exercise and education program for people who have just undergone a major health event. Cardiac patients include patients those with congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease, and other heart diseases. Pulmonary patients include those with COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and other lung diseases. The program provides exercise time which includes cardio and weights designed specifically for the needs of each patient. Each session also includes education classes that cover topics like medication management, diet, exercise, heart rhythms, stress management, support group, lab results, and many more. The program is typically prescribed by doctors to patients after being discharged from the hospital.

“It was amazing to see patients improve their overall health and wellness! The classes really bond with one another and really become each others support system through what can be a really difficult time in their lives. By the time they graduate from the program, they start to feel like family. After graduating from school I took a casual position at Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab at the Ascension Clinic in Plover, WI.”