Four months of waiting are finally over -- I finally received word about where I'll be for my yearlong clinical. It took every ounce of maturity and focus not to have a breakdown while I was waiting, but I'm happy that I kept myself together because I couldn't be happier about the placement. During the first six months of the rotation I'll be at ...

This weekend I had to stretch my already-struggling assessment skills to the virtual world during a Skype session with my uncle. He's been having shoulder pain for the past few weeks and sought out my opinion via e-mail. We chatted back and forth about his symptoms, onset and pain, and he eventually tricked me into the session by suggesting that ...

The first week at a different rehabilitation center has proven to catch me off guard, by giving me much to think about while I attempt to absorb the complexity of the entire situation. As the first manager of a busy rehabilitation center, I'm attempting to embrace the process of workflow that's in place. This includes trying to keep our patients ...

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. ...

My final day at Memorial Hospital West (MHW) outpatient rehabilitation has arrived. After 20 years of practice, the day has arrived when I'll walk out the doors as a senior physical therapist. This is where I practiced, learned, experienced, and enjoyed every patient and family. Most importantly, it's where I learned I had a much larger family ...

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 -- The CSM session ''Athletic Injuries to the Forearm, Wrist and Hand,'' presented by Kevin J. Lawrence, PT, DHS, OCS, was well attended with standing room only. I was ...

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 -- One of Tuesday's hand rehab sessions, ''Infant Brachial Plexopathy: Nonsurgical and Surgical Management,'' presented by Susan V. Duff, PT, OTR/L, EdD, CHT, Gregory G ...

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 ...

''A New Beginning'' was a topic I covered over the past few weeks. As a firm believer in rapid, positive change with unbridled energy, I decided to apply for a higher position within my healthcare system. As of this week, I was honored with the offering of this position, as manager of outpatient rehabilitation services for Memorial Regional ...

I spent the better half of yesterday trying to organize the notes and lecture materials I've accumulated since starting PT school. I'm amazed by a lot of things, mostly the amount of knowledge that has been imparted upon us in such a short period of time, but equally by how much I have managed to forget. I filled 13 three-inch binders to their ...