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 ...

As this year comes to a close, I'd like to reflect on a most productive, busy and emotional past 12 months. Final grades have arrived this morning for the fall semester of the DPT program. My capstone project will begin very soon. After narrowing down my choices to two patients, this week I came across two more interesting patients who are ...

We recently had to attend the third year's presentations of their performance-improvement projects, the final requirement of the program and what looks like the most frustrating assignment to date. The annual project basically populates an existing database with key information regarding process of care and patient outcome information. From what ...

Completing the fall semester early led me to believe that my first week would be relaxed and quiet. Unfortunately, this was not the case. As the senior physical therapist in a busy outpatient department, I'm expected to mentor, counsel and discipline employees (although I've been lucky so far in that discipline has never been necessary). This week ...

On Thursday morning, please send positive vibes my way. At 8:30 a.m., I'll be working my way through my first true competency practical. The exam will reflect basically everything we've learned in our musculoskeletal course series over the past year and a half, and the most comprehensive evaluation we've had up to this point. No one has quite ...

One thing is true in the field of rehabilitation: Change is constant. This has never been more true than at the present time. Within the past year, there have been staffing shortages followed by staffing surplus; needed equipment, but not enough room; along with insurance changes that are limiting patients' ability to obtain necessary help. ...

I'm happy to report that I'm confident and satisfied with the way my interviews unfolded, despite my absurd level of nervousness beforehand. I had three interviews in total, and by the time the last was over I wanted to walk out and high-five everyone. It's amazing how much energy that level of alertness and attention requires, and then how ...

As a therapist and candidate for a doctorate in physical therapy, I have several opportunities to speak up and make a statement for the patients we treat on a daily basis. Over the past year and a half, I've learned it is in our scope of practice to make the determination if a physician's orders are appropriate or justified for our patients. Just ...