Caitlin Benbow

2430 Springdale Road Apt 102, Waukesha, WI 53186

(715) 451-1713 benbow.caitlin@gmail.com

Clinical Practicum Hours

Cardiac Rehab: 650 hours
Inpatient: 160 hours
Supervision: 20 hours
o
Conducted two inpatient sessions without supervision. Sessions included
discharge instructions, lifting restrictions, at home exercise program and
guidelines, patient education on importance of exercise and diet changes, and
brief overview of the purpose of cardiac rehabilitation.
Patient education: 140 hours
o Inpatient education focuses on discharge instructions, lifting restrictions in
accordance to their diagnosis and procedure, and home exercise and
walking guidelines.
Outpatient: 490 hours
Phase II & III
Intake: 45 hours
o Performed five patient intakes without supervision at Gundersen Health
Systems.
o Observed five patient intakes at Watertown. Each intake lasts between 90120 minutes because of the extensive medical and psychological history
assessed.
Assessment/outcomes: 65 hours
o Performed eight discharge assessments.
o Assessments covered include: Bruce, modified Bruce, 6 MWT, timed up
and go, 30 second chair sit and stand, 30 second bicep curl, balance
assessment assessed by Tinetti balance assessment, and chair sit and
reach.
Exercise prescription and progression: 115 hours
o Created individualized exercise programs for 15 patients over the course
of my fall internship. Program were progressed weekly. Progression
consisted of accumulating 30 minutes before increasing intensity.
o Created SMART goals for the 15 patients in order to track progression.
o Goals were modified as necessary to take into considerations greater
progression or relapses.
Floor supervision: 160 hours
o Directly monitored one cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation class per
week for 16 weeks.
o Directly supervised four cardiac rehabilitation classes with a range of foursix patients per session.
o Supervised exercise physiology students for 7 weeks conducting 4 GXTs
per week on apparently healthy populations.

Discharge: 40 hours
o Reviewed discharge GXT with 12 patients.
o Summarized exercise progression throughout cardiac rehab and
explained discharge exercise prescription to 18 patients.
o Utilized the Karvonen method to determine a target heart rate range for 30
patients.
Patient education/tailored risk factor reduction: 65 hours
o Instructed one cardiac patient education session per week without
supervision for 16 weeks during my summer internship. Education topics
included:
o Nutrition
o Saturated vs unsaturated fats
o Omega 3s and 6s
o Complex carbohydrates and whole grains
o Sodium reduction
o Blood glucose management
o DASH diet
o Weight management
o Physical activity and exercise
o Home exercise programs
o Daily step recommendations
o Blood pressure management
o Lipid management
o Diabetes management (include metabolic syndrome)
o Psychosocial (depression, anxiety, anger)
o Instructed patient education once a week for 12 weeks at Watertown.
Each education session was taught in a group setting of no more than
eight patients. Education sessions typically lasted 15-20 minutes with a
question and answer session at the end. Topics covered at Watertown
included:
o Rate your plate
o Understanding stress
o Relaxation
o Blood pressure management
o Cholesterol management
o How to reduce your cardiovascular risk factors
o Heart healthy diets
o Whole grains
o Lean proteins
o Portion control
o Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables
o Healthy weight management
o Physical activity recommendations
o Home exercise

o MET levels
o FITT principle
o Anaerobic vs aerobic exercise
o MyPlate
o DASH diet
Diagnostic stress testing: 100 hours
Exercise stress test: 60 hours
o Conducted two GXTs with minimal supervision. The protocol used for both GXTs
was the Bruce protocol.
o Other protocols that were conducted during my stress test experiences were:
Modified Bruce, Naughton, Ebbeling, USAFSAM, and Balke-Ware.
Echo: 10 hours
Nuclear: 6 hours
Pharmacological: 10 hours
Catherizations/Surgeries: 14 hours
o Observed one TAVR and CABGx4 procedure at Gundersen Health Systems.
o Observed seven cardiac catherizations and two peripheral catherizations.
Pulmonary Rehab: 120 hours
Inpatient: 25 hours
Supervision: 15 hours
Patient education: 10 hours
o Inpatient education includes overview and purpose of medications, discharge
instructions, and guidelines for home exercise.
Outpatient: 95 hours
Functional assessment (6 MWT, etc): 15 hours
o Conducted two 6 MWTs with minimal supervision and ten 6 MWTs without
supervision during my summer internship experience at Gundersen.
o Conducted four 6 MWTs with minimal supervision and five 6 MWTs without
supervision during my fall internship at Watertown.
o During 6 MWTs the following parameters need to be assessed: oxygen
saturation, heart rate, RPE, RPD, claudication (if necessary), and an immediate
post exercise blood pressure.
Exercise: 40 hours
Aerobic: 20 hours
o Intervals for severe COPD patients.
o Limiting upper body exercises that exacerbate their COPD symptoms.
Resistance: 10 hours
o Total body resistance band training.
Functional: 10 hours
o Range of motion exercises to improve upper body flexibility.
o Inspiratory muscle and diaphragmatic training.
Breath control: 5 hours
o Techniques taught include diaphragmatic and pursed lip breathing.

Relaxation techniques and panic control: 5 hours

Patient education: 15 hours
o Instructed pulmonary education classes on physical activity and exercise,
breathing techniques, psychosocial support, and hypertension management. I
instructed one education class per week for 12 weeks.
Metabolic: 85 hours
o Worked individually with two unstable diabetics three times/week for six weeks
o Monitored blood glucose for diabetic patients for three exercise sessions, pre and post,
for four patients at Watertown.
o Instructed one patient education class on blood glucose management tips to nine
patients.
o Attended a diabetic education course at Watertown with instruction on medications, tight
glycemic control, and preventing hypoglycemia during exercise.
o Provided patient education regarding glycemic index, signs and symptoms of
hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia, medication overview, and effects of various foods on
blood glucose to a patient who was newly diagnosed with type II diabetes.
Orthopedic/Musculoskeletal: 35 hours
o Worked individually with a patient who had a right shoulder replacement two times/week
for six weeks.
o Created a resistance training program for one patient who had back surgery with fused
cervical vertebra.
Neurological: 65 hours
o Designed weekly exercise prescriptions for two stroke patients at Gundersen for 12
weeks.
o Worked individually with one stroke patient modifying exercises, using assist devices,
and creating exercise prescriptions for six weeks at Watertown.
o Designed progressive exercise prescriptions and patient education for a patient
diagnosed with a stroke in 2011 with aphasia. Exercise prescription is based on interval
training to improve cardiovascular endurance. Upper body strengthening exercises were
designed with his limitations, due to stroke, in mind. Neuromotor exercises completed to
challenge his balance.
o Created an aerobic exercise prescription for a patient diagnosed with myotonic
dystrophy in 2009. Patients vitals were closely monitored during exercise to limit the
amount of stress on his heart. Patient had a maximum heart rate which he was not to
exceed during exercise, according to his physician.