Congrats New Delegates

Nicole Smyth, PT, DPT, OCS

At the recent Physical Therapy Association of Washington (PTWA) conference,  a new round of Delegates to represent Washington state was elected into office.  Congratulations to Nicole Smyth, PT, DPT, OCS, Staff Therapist at TAI-Fairwood PT in Renton, WA who was elected to her first term as a PT Delegate, and to Jennifer Lesko, PT, MS, who is currently PTWA Vice President and Director of TAI-Queen Anne PT and was elected to the highest position of Chief Delegate for the State. 

Jennifer Lesko, MS, PT

Nicole and Jennifer are joined by fellow TAI therapists Steve Allen, PT, MS, OCS, FAAOMPT and Bart Hawkinson, PT, DPT, OCS and just 10 other PTs from across the state who make up Washington’s Delegates to participate in APTA’s House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is the highest policy-making body of the Association.

Residency versus Fellowship

Thanks to alot of great education and promotion by APTA and many PT schools across the country, there seems to be a buzz right now about physical therapist residency and fellowship programs.  As I described in a post last year on TAI’s credentialed Ortho Residency Program, this journey of post-graduate education and mentorship really follows the medical model and may eventually become the desired and common path for most PTs after completing their DPT programs.

I am often asked – especially by 1st and 2nd year PT students – about the difference between a Residency and a Fellowship Program.  Generally speaking, Residencies are intensive postprofessional education programs that broadly strengthen a therapist’s skills in a specific area of practice.  Fellowships are also structured educational programs for post-graduates, but they focus more specifically on a specialty or subspecialty and are intended for therapists who already demonstrate clinical expertise and may have completed a Residency Program or are specialist certified.  APTA’s website has a lot of great information on these programs, including this FAQ page that explains in greater detail the differences between these two Programs.

APTA also lists all current credentialed Residency and Fellowship Programs on their website.

More Proof that PT is a Booming Career

In case you need more proof, here is another article (this one from Business Week) stating that Physical Therapy is a growing and fruitful career.  The arguments laid out here are not new – especially as Baby Boomers continue to age, and while concepts of “wellness”, and “preventative care” grow more and more popular in our nation, Physical Therapy will continue to be a sought-after approach for health and rehab of the musculoskeletal system.  If you find other articles supporting this claim or otherwise, please pass them on.

On a related but different note, I attended the APTA National Student Conclave last week and was thrilled to meet so many enthusiatic and dynamic PT students.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth.  It’s exciting to consider all of the wonderful people who are on their way toward a career in PT.  Of course, as a health care profession we rely on people who are not only critical thinkers and ethical, but as a particularly ‘human services’ driven field within healthcare, we need therapists who have compassion, excellent listening skills, and a way of relating to their patients.  I left the Conclave feeling inspired that so many of our future therapists absolutely seem to fit that mold.

National Physical Therapy Month

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know that October is national PT month.  Sponsored by APTA,  it’s a way to observe and honor our profession, but it also provides us with a great platform for continued education about Physical Therapy to the general public.  According to the APTA, this year’s theme, “Move Forward: Physical Therapy Brings Motion to Life” reflects the physical therapist brand, “Physical therapists help you restore and improve motion to achieve long-term quality of life.”

The APTA has been celebrating all month, with educational campaigns, media opportunities (apparently some PT students from NYU were on the Today Show this morning, introduced by Al Roker…still looking for a video clip of this!) and, of course, political action (APTA has been actively “at the table” during all phases of the current health care reform bill’s development).  Next week, APTA will host its annual National Student Conclave where hundreds of physical therapy employers (like Therapeutic Associates!) have a chance to meet PT students from all over the country.  I look forward to this event every year and consider it an awesome way to wrap up this exciting month

While our clinics are promoting National PT Month in different ways, one of the biggest things that our company has done this month is launch a brand new website!  Same address – www.therapeuticassociates.com – but an updated design and many new features, including several new patient education elements that fit right into some of the goals of National PT Month.  Check it out…and please share your feedback and comments!

TAI-Athletic Club of Bend Video

One of our PTs in Bend, Oregon passed along this video they produced about their practice – TAI Central Oregon PT @ the Athletic Club of Bend.  It gives you a good sense not only of how they work in the clinic, but also how they play outside of the clinic   If you have never been to Bend before, this might paint a clearer picture of why so many active outdoor lovers have flocked there in droves in recent years…it’s a beautiful and magical setting, full of things to do year-round.  Enjoy!

Congrats, Jenn Lorengo!

I recently received the latest PTWA newsletter and immediately noticed the headliner article “Lorengo Honored as Emerging Leader”.  Jenn Lorengo, PT, DPT, OCS is a staff therapist at our Liberty Lake clinic in the Spokane area.  She has been with TAI since 2005, spending the first several years of her time with us at our West Kennewick practice.  Jenn has always challenged herself to advance clinically and in other professional ways.  She currently serves as PTWA Secretary and her history with the state association dates back to 2005 where she started as a delegate, later served on committees, and founded the Tri-Cities District in 2008.

APTA’s Emerging Leader Award is an annual honor bestowed upon one member of each APTA chapter annually.  We are so proud of Jenn as this year’s recipient.  When I contacted her directly to congratulate her, her response was humble and grateful and in every way typical of Jenn and her leadership style: ”Honestly we have a lot of wonderful mentors within TAI that have helped to inspire me – I think it’s a credit to our entire company.”

Thank you, Jenn, for being a great role model in so many ways!

Great PT Links

I’m always on the look-out for helpful resources for physical therapists (present and future ).  I recently stumbled across a few great links that I want to share:

1.) This “elevator pitch” promo video was apparently the winner of last year’s First Annual Elevator Pitch Competition held by Evidence in Motion.  It successfully summarizes the vision and sentiment of our profession right now and I admire its simple and yet powerful, effective message.

2.) ADVANCE  produces a number of products and services (perhaps most notably, print and web publications) that focus on healthcare professions.  Through their website I found three great blogs:

• A Day in the Life of a Student PT is written by Veronica Haywood, a PT student in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The topics she addresses seem not only meaningful to other students, but also shed light on the kinds of issues and conversations that are relevant to our profession now and in the future.
• Life with a New PT Grad takes this concept once step further and is written by a recent grad who just started her career journey, working in an acute care setting.  Her posts share, in a very sincere fashion, the challenges, thrills, and everyday thoughts of a new therapist.
• Toni Talks about PT Today is written by an experienced PT in Texas.  Her experience lends to a breadth of post topics – everything from technical advice, to ethical ponderings, to philosophical debates.

If you come across interesting physical therapy resources, I’d love to hear about them – please share!

TAI ATs in the News

A while back I wrote a post about TAI’s Athletic Trainer program in Salem, Oregon.  That program continues to grow and gain attraction, most recently from a local newspaper, the Statesman Journal.  This article by journalist Justin Much follows the West Salem High School girls soccer team as they utilize our SAM (Speed-Agility-Mobility) training program. 

SAM is a comprehensive training program for athletes of all kinds, designed to increase athleticism while decreasing injury potential.  It was fully developed and is directed by certified Athletic Trainers.  SAM uses a dynamic warm-up approach and sport-specific activities to guide athletes safely and effectively through training.

TAI physical therapists and athletic trainers across the company are developing sports education and injury prevention presentations and accompanying materials for young athletes in a variety of different sports, including soccer, baseball/softball, running, basketball, cycling, and skiing.  Stay tuned for more information on how and when you can access these tools for your team. 

PT as a Career – growing, growing, growing

TAI Marketing Director Scott Wick recently passed along an APTA press release from June that announces that the President’s Council projects growth for the Physical Therapy profession in the years ahead.  It makes sense, given that the need for PTs already outweighs the number of licensed professionals out there.  If/When health care expands to meet the needs of a national plan, that will mean that many more people will presumably be seeking medical care, including physical therapy services.  Good news for the profession and those of you considering a career inPT!

This topic already is, and will continue to be, discussed thoroughly within and outside of the PT profession (e.g. here is a recent article from TodayinPT.com).  In fact, Scott has already been asked by some media sources to comment on it from our company’s perspective.  Here’s an excerpt from one of his recent discussions:

Are there more practitioners now than ever before?

Scott:  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 173,000 Physical Therapists employed in the US in 2006.  That number is expected to increase to 220,000 by 2016, or increase by 27%.  For our company alone, we have seen PT employment increase over the last five years by about 56%. 

Is there a greater demand for PT than ever before?  Why?

Scott:  I believe there is a much greater demand for PT services for a number of reasons:

1. Increased Awareness of our Profession:  This profession has come a long way since WWI and we have been evolving to become more of a mainstream medical provider.  Patient and Consumer awareness and understanding of the scope of practice and services provided by Physical Therapists is at an all time high and continues to grow through the efforts of the APTA, other state and local associations, and the efforts of individual companies like ours.   
2. Push for wellness:  With the epidemic in Diabetes and Childhood Obesity, awareness of “wellness” has increased across the country.  Examples of this include Washington State’s “Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign”, new Physical Activity Guidelines developed by the CDC, the “Exercise is Medicine” campaign asking all primary care doctors to focus on physical exercise during routine examinations, etc. 
3. Baby Boomers:  76 Million strong are now reaching Medicare age starting in 2010.  That is important not only because of the Medicare issue, but also to acknowledge the huge number of active adults in their mid 50’s to early 60’s.  This group is trying to stay active as they age.  Physical Therapists have been treating this group for decades already and they have a better understanding of our profession and how we can help to maintain and even improve their physical health.
4. Shortage of Primary Care Physicians:  There is a shortage of primary care doctors in our markets and not many entering this specialty.  Their training on the Musculoskeletal System is limited and due to the volume of patients they are seeing, they tend to rely more on Physical Therapists to diagnose and treat Musculoskeletal Issues than ever before.

How has TAI grown in the recent past?

Scott: Over the past five years, our company has certainly grown.  Our growth rate of New Clinics is about 16%.  We have seen an increase in New Patient volumes of about 18%.  Visits have gone up by 21%.  We expect these trends to continue in the years ahead.

If you’re considering a career in PT but don’t know where to start your investigation, APTA has some excellent resources.  If you are a PT (or on that path) and would like more information on career options with TAI, visit our website.

 

 

Health Care Reform and Physical Therapy

If you’ve been around a radio or television or an online news source in the past week you have no doubt heard a lot about “Health Care Reform.”  Naturally, there is significant focus on what shape the plan will take, how much it will cost and who will pay for it, and – the hottest topic of late - when we might expect to see some legislation make its way to the President’s desk. 

Of course, I have been curious about how the field of physical therapy might be affected by proposed reform.  Until more details are debated and drafted by Congress, we won’t really know the answer to that, but I was impressed when I discovered an entire section of the APTA’s website devoted to the “Health Care Reform” issue.  Here you can read the Association’s position on health care reform and find out about how APTA staff, affiliates, and members are advocating on behalf of the profession to legislators.  Their Government Affairs committee has maintained nearly weekly updates and podcasts on their activity and the situation in general – a good resource for comprehensive but relatively quick overviews.  And if you’re so inclined, they even have a virtual rally where you can participate in the advocacy online. 

I’ll keep you posted on details as this whole issue develops (since it sounds like the original August 1 goal date for legislation is no longer relative, we may be waiting for several months ) and invite you to share any information you discover.