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Who Directs Patient Care?
by Jason Marketti

A while ago, a patient came into the facility and we were given two weeks to make the patient stronger and safer to go home. The two weeks was what the patient's insurance company authorized. Research shows that a person will need to increase caloric Read More...

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My Inquisition
by Jason Marketti

Like a lot of therapists, I have a full-time position and several per diem jobs that I go to if my caseload is low or when I need extra cash to purchase a large item. Recently I applied to a company that was paying five dollars more than what I'd normally Read More...

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No More SOAP Notes
by Jason Marketti

With the advent of electronic health records (EHR) and the ever-changing resources we learn through computer documentation, there doesn't seem to be a need for the SOAP-note format. In fact, if SOAP notes are still taught in therapy school it may be a Read More...

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Therapy Jokester
by Jason Marketti

Humor has been a large part of who I am and what I do. I use my standard joke name, "Frank N. Stein," around this time of year and have the per-diem therapists try and treat him. After looking around the facility for him, they usually realize it's a joke Read More...

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Our Meme
by Jason Marketti

When a therapist tells me a patient is "circling the drain" or a "frequent flyer," I immediately cringe at the idea of a professional using those terms. However, I also know exactly what they mean. When we get "knees," "hips" or "backs," they fail to Read More...

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PTAs and the Future
by Jason Marketti

I'm sure there are some people who'd like to see the PTA profession disappear and have every patient treated only by a PT. And for those who feel like that, let's discuss what we should do with the PTAs. But first the United States needs to open its borders Read More...

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Total PT Immersion
by Jason Marketti

As PTs and PTAs, we went through enough testing in school and yet we had to pass one more test to get that magical piece of paper from the licensing board. The problem is that to get that license to practice, we did not have to show any skills to the Read More...

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Non-Compete Clause
by Jason Marketti

Something to watch for while negotiating a therapy job is the non-compete clause employers might try to get you to sign. Do not sign it. Brock Lesnar (of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts fame) signed one with the WWE and it almost prevented Read More...

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Getting Too Close
by Jason Marketti

I don't know how many times I've seen this behavior by therapists in various clinics and facilities I've been in. I call it "helicoptering." It's when the therapist hovers over the client or when the therapist is too close to the acceptable comfort-level Read More...

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Before Therapy
by Jason Marketti

I am asked occasionally what I did before I got into therapy. Often I will make up some James Bond action job with a sprinkle of Nora Roberts romance mixed in for good measure. But then I am asked, "Seriously, what did you really do?" My first paying Read More...

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The Doctor Patient
by Jason Marketti

I have had the pleasure of working with several doctors, some MDs but mostly PhDs. In the early stages of my professional career, I was intimidated by some of them and I'm sure they knew that based on how nervous I appeared to be. Lately though I have Read More...

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Drug Testing
by Jason Marketti

Should mandatory drug testing be a prerequisite to becoming licensed, along with random drug testing for all health professionals? Maybe. My stance on legalizing marijuana can be controversial and until the federal laws change, the status of any drug Read More...

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Joint Mobilization
by Jason Marketti

"Spinal manipulation is not designated as being under the exclusive domain of any one specific profession or group of practitioners." So says the APTA; however, the position they take with the PT assistants is that we should not be allowed to perform Read More...

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Good Eats
by Jason Marketti

A while back, I mentioned to a patient that I like chocolate chip cookies. For the next several days I was brought some cookies wrapped in a napkin; apparently they had been saved from lunch or from the snack tray that is brought around. I am very picky Read More...

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Training the Staff
by Jason Marketti

As new nursing staff members begin to work, I will often introduce myself to them and explain that certain patients would need pain medication prior to therapy. One nurse I spoke with told me he had assessed pain on several people and they did not want Read More...

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