To see Julie’s video for efi, click here.

“Therapeutic Associates Residency Program”

By Amy Temes Clifton, PT, DPT

This spring, I will be completing the Therapeutic Associates Inc. Orthopedic Residency Training Program. The residency has involved taking NAIOMT (North American Institute of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy) Level I – II courses/exams, other courses including pharmacology and radiography coursework etc, leadership training, receiving mentorship, participating in research and being a clinical instructor.

How did I get here?  When I graduated from physical therapy school in 2007, my interest was Orthopedics and manual therapy. I was glad to be finished with classes and exams for a while. But after working for a few months, I realized I wanted more skills and more strategies for treating clients. One of the reasons I chose to work for Therapeutic Associates Inc. was their continuing education support and mentorship for all new employees. Additionally, TAI was starting the first class of Orthopedic Therapy residents and I thought this would be a great opportunity to work with skilled orthopedic and manual therapists.

This residency has facilitated my manual therapy and orthopedic certifications process’. The reasons for choosing this specific residency were the number of mentorship hours with OCS and FAAOMPT certified therapists, other PT/physician specialists, and the ability to take a variety of continuing education courses (specifically manual therapy) in my first two years. I chose to spread the residency process over two years, while others may complete in only 9 months or up to 3 years. What I didn’t appreciate until recently, was the benefit of preparing me for a leadership role both clinically and in the community, as well as preparing me for an active role in local clinic based research, writing articles for local magazines and newspapers. I recommend a residency program to assist new grads in developing strong assessment and treatment skills and to improve clinical reasoning strategies.

Easy Ways to Reduce Salt in Your Diet

It’s one of the “white” substances that are not good for your body and that contribute to the deterioration of your health, but because it adds to the taste of food and tempts our palate, we’re unable to stay away from sodium chloride or what we know better by its common name -salt. It’s the main cause of hypertension and various other illnesses that we could really do without, so if you’re concerned about your health and want to live a long and disease-free life, you must cut down on the amount of salt you eat.

The average human being requires just 2300 mgs of sodium each day, with the amount being significantly lower for people who suffer from high blood pressure and other illnesses and for people who have crossed the age of 45. But we eat much more than that, simply because most of the food we choose comes laden with salt. If you want to reduce your intake of sodium chloride, you don’t have to eat unsalted food and kill your taste buds; rather, all you need to do is follow these simple methods:

• Opt for fresh food: Unless you don’t have easy access to fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, don’t go in for the canned varieties. Besides being loaded with synthetic preservatives, they have large amounts of salt so that they don’t spoil. When you buy your produce and meat fresh at the local supermarket, your food tastes much better and your meals are much healthier. 
• Cook from scratch: It’s something that’s gone out of fashion, the ability to cook from scratch using ingredients that are not preprocessed. But when we make the effort and take the time to cook from scratch, we are gaining in health because we avoid using food items that are already processed and that are loaded with salt. Readymade meals are good in a pinch, but when it comes to your daily meals, it’s best to go with freshly cooked or cooked from scratch and frozen for later.
• Avoid eating out of cans: Eating out of a can is ok if you’re on a long camping trip or out in the wilderness with no access to a supermarket. But if your larder is filled with cans of preprocessed and ready-to-eat food, you can bet your sodium intake is more than it should be. Even if you’re not able to cook a meal or two, try and make do with fresh fruit and vegetable salads or a healthy juice. 
• Limit eating out: While restaurants are good places to meet friends or enjoy an evening out with your loved one, the food you’re served may not be the best when it comes to your health. You don’t have control over the ingredients and the amount of salt that is added to each dish, so it’s best you limit eating out if you need to reduce your sodium intake.
• Use herbs and spices to add to the taste of food: Rather than using salt to enhance the taste of food, rely on mild spices and fresh, aromatic herbs to boost the flavor of the dish you’re making.
• Make your own: And if you love a good snack or two, make them on your own instead of buying the ones that come in attractive packages and are loaded with salt and other preservatives. It is a harder work, but when you have to make your own potato chips, you sometimes do without them because you’re not too inclined to make them from scratch. And this means you stay healthier and slimmer without all the fatty snacks.

It’s not salt per se that’s bad for you, just the amount we eat. So use this taste enhancer in moderation and reap health benefits accordingly.

By-line:

This article is written by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of Physical Therapist Assistant Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id : shannonwills23@gmail.com .

For Immediate Release
8:00 am MST  Monday, January 11, 2010
Contact:  Kay Hummel, Bogus Basin Nordic Team  

BOISEAN SARA STUDEBAKER NAMED TO OLYMPIC BIATHLON TEAM

            Altenberg, Germany.  Boise, Idaho native Sara Studebaker will go to the Vancouver Winter Games as a United States Olympic biathlete in February.  Studebaker will be one of four American women competing in several biathlon events. The United States Biathlon Association nominated Studebaker late Sunday after the conclusion of biathlon trials held in Altenberg.

                Studebaker grew up in Boise and was a seven-year member of the Bogus Basin Nordic Team.  She is a 2003 graduate of Boise High School and skied on the cross-country team for Dartmouth College, where she graduated in 2007.  Since then she has lived and trained biathlon in Lake Placid, New York, at the Olympic training center and site of the 1980 winter games.        

http://biathlon.teamusa.org/news/2010/01/10/usba-to-forward-names-to-us-olympic-committee-for-2010-team/30463

Background / US National Biathlon Team Member, SARA STUDEBAKER
Sara Studebaker skied on the Bogus Basin Nordic Team for seven years and competed in five junior national U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships.  During junior high, she also learned the sport of biathalon thanks to Eric Reynolds, Boisean and former BBNT coach, U.S. Army biathlete and international biathlon competitor.   

Studebaker and classmate Lindsay Burt went to Russia representing the United States at the world summer biathlon championships (running and shooting) as Boise High tenth graders. Studebaker and Burt competed at several junior national biathlon championships while also competing at the national level in nordic skiing for BBNT and the Intermountain Division. 

Studebaker captained the NCAA championship Dartmouth College nordic ski team that won the national ski title in March 2007.  Since then, Sara and boyfriend, Zach Hall, also a 2007 Dartmouth graduate and USBA athlete, have resided at Lake Placid, NY, continuing their ski training as biathletes.  Both athletes visit Idaho frequently and this autumn helped lead training practices with the Bogus Basin Nordic Team and attended workouts with Idaho Nordic ski club. 

In 2008, Sara was the overall North American Cup Champion (race points) and was the top U.S. biathlete at the 2008 Canadian nationals.  In 2008 and 2009, she competed in IBU Europa Cup races in Europe. In 2009 she made her World Cup debut and earned World Cup points in Vancouver, BC, Canada, site of the upcoming Winter Games. Sara spent this November and December in Europe at the first three biathlon World Cup events in Sweden, Austria and Slovenia.  In the first two race series, she was the top American biathlete out of three women sent to Europe.  She departed Boise Dec. 27 for Germany to compete in the final U.S. trials determining the Olympic roster and to ski and shoot in additional World Cup competitions. 

Studebaker receives partial support from the USBA, United States Biathlon Association, but also seeks financial assistance and equipment support from many sources.  More information on Sara Studebaker is available on her blog. http://sarastudebaker.blogspot.com/

As a follow up to my last post, I though it appropriate to share this excellent video produced by APTA called “You Can Be Me: A Career in Physical Therapy.”  It is an inspiring look into the lives of several different PTs, in different work settings.  Though just under 10 minutes, it really speaks volumes to the many ways in which our profession positively affects people’s lives everyday.  Kudos to APTA and to Physical Therapists in general for their incredible work.

Happy New Year!!

The APTA has a page on their website dedicated to resources for students interested in a career in PT.  It not only gives some of the history of the profession and the Association, but includes a list of all credentailed PT and PTA programs in the country and provides answers to some frequently asked questions about the journey toward becoming a PT.  Using this information and some of our own, Therapeutic Associates recently developed an Introduction to Physical Therapy handout for our therapists to take when speaking to school groups or individuals about the profession. 

I always encourage students to get some hands-on experience in the field as well.  Many PTs are introduced to the profession (and first develop a passion for it) as patients.  Regardless of whether or not you have experience from this perspective, I think it’s a great idea to shadow a few clinicians and conduct some volunteer observation hours in a clinic.  Consider visiting several different types of settings (hospitals, private practice outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, etc.) to get a feel for their differences.  Maybe even schedule an informational interview with a PT who you admire.  Inquire about his/her own professional journey and gather any advice and/or inspirations you can

I am always happy to talk to this ‘next generation’ of therapists and excited to know that more and more people are considering a career in our rewarding profession.

Incidentally, two of our physical therapists from our clinic at The Athletic Club of Bend - Chris Cooper, PT, MS, CSCS, and Laura Cooper, MSPS, CSCS –  recently spoke with Kristi Miller on Good Morning Central Oregon (on Bend Broadband Cable TV) about the benefits of the ASTYM system.  This is a great overview of what it is and how it benefits patients, and includes excellent footage of a treatment in session so you can see what it’s all about.

Please share any success stories or other comments if you have either provided ASTYM treatment or experienced it as a patient.

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.

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.