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!

Director Matt Booth, DPT, OCS doing the Ironman!

I just found out that Matt Booth, DPT, OCS (you may remember him from my previous post on PT of the Year Awards), the Director of our Boise Parkcenter clinic in Idaho is doing the Ironman competition in Couer d’Alene this coming weekend!  A seasoned triathlete, Matt will join more than 2,200 athletes from around the world to compete in a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. 

Matt works with triathletes all year round – both as a therapist and a team leader.  He started a TAI Boise Tri Team and 4 of them will be competing in this Ironman.  Another 6 competitors from our half-Ironman group will be watching and cheering on after their own big event last weekend – the Boise Ironman 70.3 (TAI was the official medical sponsor of this event).  To follow Matt and his fellow TAI Boise Tri Team members and their progress during the race, go to www.ironmanlive.com.   The race starts at 7:00am Pacific time and they have until midnight to finish.  Here are their names and race numbers:

Matt Booth:  832
Norb DeKerchove:  1825
John Kormanik:  1547
Darren Russinger: 1209

This is an incredible international competition and TAI is proud to have Matt and his team represent us (they’re even wearing custom TAI trisuits!!).  GOOD LUCK!!!

Oyster Racing Series

The Oyster Urban Adventure Racing Series in Seattle and Portland this year is the perfect opportunity for athletes (at all levels), weekend warriors, and brave hearts of all kinds to strut their skills and have a lot of fun, while raising money for a good cause.  It’s a combination of physical challenges (including, but not limited to, running, biking, skating, climbing, and boating) and unique urban challenges that can involve shopping, public transportation, trivia, and eating.   TeamSage Productions produces the event and annually donates hundred of thousands of dollars to non-profit organizations, including the Arthritis Foundation, with proceeds from the Oyster Racing Series. 

The Oyster Racing Series started in Denver in 2003 and what makes it unique is that it’s always set in a city and is conducted in one day. The race course and components are a secret - participants come prepared for anything and move from checkpoint to checkpoint throughout the day to discover what crazy adventure comes next.  Past participants in our fair cities of Seattle and Portland have thrown fish, kayaked Lake Union, eaten bugs, climbed stadium stairs, traveled the Tram, shopped at Whole Foods, golfed, and run and biked dozens and dozens and dozens of miles, among other things.

Therapeutic Associates is the 2009 Oyster Relay Challenge Sponsor, meaning that we are going to pull together our own teams of 4-6 participants to navigate this wacky and wild day of racing and - if you think you’re up to the challenge - we invite you to coordinate your own motley crew to join in the fun!  Visit the Oyster Racing Series website for registration and other details or contact me directly if you have questions.  This is a great way to get outside, get some serious exercise, test your teamworking skills, and have a heck of a lot of fun in the city.

Manual Therapy One-on-One Mentorship Program

Bill Temes working with TAI therapist Karen Walz

Did you know that several years ago TAI started a One-on-One Manual Therapy Mentorship Program available to all PT employees?  This program serves as a clinical education tool, in addition to your daily mentorship and other con ed activities.  In it, one of two of TAI’s FAAOMPT therapists (both NAIOMT fellows and instructors) – David Deppeler, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT or Bill Temes, PT, MS, OCS, COMT, FAAOMPT - come to you and shadow you as you work with patients.  You schedule the time (standard is 32 total hours over the course of your first two years of employment with TAI) as appropriate for everyone.  Sometimes therapists schedule the time during their ”easier” patient visits to verify technique and approach in a more confident situation, and sometimes they schedule during more challenging cases to really pick the brains of expert clinicians.  You can work with David or Bill or schedule separate time with both!  In addition to providing hands-on advice, David and Bill help guide you in your development of your manual therapy goals.  The intention of this program is to supplement therapists’ manual therapy coursework with individualized and focused mentorship. 

For more information on this, or any of our other manual therapy or clinical education offerings, please contact me!

Wii-Hab

This weekend I went to a friend’s house and played Wii Bowling. I’m a novice and still fascinated with the technology, so playing generates a lot of excitement, if not a high score for me Around the 5th frame, I asked the group – Any of you guys heard of Wii-hab? To my surprise no one – not even the therapists in the room – had. I went on to explain what I knew and realized that some of you might also be interested.

If you Google “Wii-hab,” you’ll find articles and blog posts and videos on Wii-hab experiments from across the country. No one seems to claim that it replaces more traditional or typical forms of therapeutic exercise, but dozens and dozens of therapist anecdotes attest to the progress that their patients have made under their guidance while working with the Nintendo system. For some, the competition format of the games is motivating, while others find freedom in “virtually participating” in activities that injury or pain might otherwise keep them from in real life. The games – the Wii-Fit series in particular – seem to challenge players to test standing, balance, upper and lower extremity strength, range of motion, posture, hand-eye coordination, reflexes and endurance in ways that compliment their rehab exercise plans. And, time and time again, patients and therapists alike comment on what might be Wii-hab’s most important attribute…it’s fun!

I know at least one TAI clinic is using Wii-hab: Sequim Physical Therapy in the north Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Director Enid Halewyn has been using it there for several months now with patients of all ages with various types of balance and proprioceptive issues. In her words: “We’re loving it!”

There is no scientific evidence on the affects of Wii-hab on patient progress, but studies are under way. Regardless, it sounds like it will continue to be used on a supplementary basis and, just maybe, this trend will lead to other innovative interactive-media rehab experiments.

If any of you have thoughts on or experiences with Wii-hab, please share.

Leadership Development Training

When TAI CEO Steve Anderson talks about our Leadership Development Training Program, he usually starts with something like…’One day I was on my stairmaster – where I do a lot of my best thinking – and I thought What makes Therapeutic Associates stand out among its competition and what will help propel the company and the profession forward? And that’s when the Leadership Development Training Program really started to take shape.‘   Now, because the company structure has always been one where leadership is key, we have always helped our therapists to cultivate these skills.  But it was several years back when Steve led the way toward formalizing these offerings into the unique program we now provide that supports therapists through different levels of training in the business aspects of running a practice. 

The first level of classes is encouraged for all therapists – and, in some cases, for all staff – regardless of a clinician’s interest in one day becoming a Key Person.  These classes cover basics in Customer Service, Marketing, Time Management, and Coding/Reimbursement.  Level 2 gets a bit more in-depth in its coverage of HR, Communications, and Contracting, among other topics.  This level is designed to nurture TAI Key People.  The final level is intended for those who are ready and waiting to move into a Key Person role when the right opportunity arises.  It covers areas including Financial Management, Business Planning and Budgeting, Delegation, and Stress Management.  Participants at this level receive mentorship from their current Director, review case studies, and undergo other training.  All levels of the Leadership Development Training Program include reading lists and lots of peer mentorship.

While the first priority for any of our Key People is to be a top-notch clinician, we believe that business skills are very important tools in the belt of any private practice therapist.  I’ve noticed a few PT schools around the country have begun to include this training in their curriculae and I look forward to new developments in this area in our field in the future.  For more information on our Program, see our website - or email me if you’d like to chat with a clinician who has gone through it.

Welcome!!

Happy November!

Welcome to Therapeutic Associates’s “Careers in Physical Therapy” blog.  My hope for this is not only to provide more information on employment opportunities with our company, but also – and maybe more importantly - to address some common questions (including those you usually hate to ask!), engage in meaningful discussions about finding the right employment fit, and talk about new ideas, new directions, and new advancements in our field. 

For general information on our company, please visit www.therapeuticassociates.com.  If you are specifically interested in reading more about employment with us, www.therapeuticassociates.com/keyperson is the place to start.  Here you’ll find general information on what makes us a unique PT employer, and be able to link to our current openings and read profiles from some of our Key People.  After all, wouldn’t you like to get to know this guy better? -

To suggest topics, ask questions, or chime in, email me at ldillon@taiweb.com.

Here’s to your career!

Lori Dillon
Recruitment Director, Therapeutic Associates