Last year I spent a lot of time preparing material to present at the Wisconsin PT spring conference and was disappointed when I learned the class was canceled the week prior due to low enrollment numbers. I worked with three other therapists for months going over the course objectives, course content and supporting research. Well, a few months ...

Now that I'm home from CSM, I've had an opportunity to process all of the information. Most of the presentations were excellent. Those that weren't purely theoretical had a common theme. We have to maximize what we do because we're spending less and less time with patients. We have less time to spend because there isn't money to pay for our ...

I just returned from my first trip to the APTA's Combined Sections Meeting, and I'm left with a variety of feelings about the experience. Overall, I would consider the trip a success, but there were definitely some aspects of CSM that left something to be desired. I did a lot of reflecting on the flight home, and here's what I came up with. ...

The following post was written by ADVANCE guest blogger Brian Knutsen, OTR/L, CHT, president of Buzzards Bay Hand Therapy LLC, located in Marion and Lexington, MA. SAN DIEGO -- In the CSM session, ''Practice, Coding, Documentation and Reimbursement,'' Nancy Beckley, MS, MBA, CHC, shared a quick Medicare update to start. The audience then launched ...

SAN DIEGO -- Just like my fellow ADVANCE blogger Lauren, I'll be attending the APTA Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego. CSM happens this week so I'm already in my hotel. I've registered and picked up my materials. I attended my pre-conference workshop on item writing. I'm ready for things to begin. Unlike most of my fellow therapists, the ...

SAN DIEGO -- I arrived here on Saturday afternoon and have since had the most fantastic time reconnecting with old friends and enjoying the beautiful weather. (Side note- it's really not warm enough to lie on the beach in a bathing suit, but I suffered through it). Now that the weekend is over, I'm finalizing my plans for the conference and it's ...

The following post was written by ADVANCE Senior Regional Editor Rebecca Mayer Knutsen: SAN DIEGO -- Today, Tannus Quatre, PT, MBA, inspired a room full of people to overcome the fear of failure with his presentation, ''Starting from Scratch: Making Your PT Vision a Reality!'' Quatre believes that by being innovative, a physical therapist ...

I don't care what anyone says -- it's a very rough internal battle to remember that attending the APTA's Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego is primarily business, not pleasure. I'm finding it very easy to be distracted by the prospective outings that I could go on while I'm there. There's the zoo, kayaking at La Jolla beach, friends in Chula ...

When I was a physical therapy student, I often had to read research articles and analyze the study design, results and impact on physical therapy practice. Evidence-based practice was ingrained in each of my courses and throughout my clinical experiences. One of my clinical instructors would turn to research literature to answer any questions I ...

I wanted to write this blog to help out some friends with a huge and exciting student-led initiative to gain support for the Foundation for Physical Therapy, a fund that supports research opportunities that will progress the evidence base of our field. This project encourages all PT and PTA schools throughout the country to participate in a ...