RehabCare

Halloween at RehabCare!

Patients at Washington, Missouri's Cedar Crest Manor were greeted by Thing 1, Thing 2, and the Cat in the Hat when they came for therapy today!  Just in time for Halloween, Julie Hulsey, PTA-PD and Renee Kuenzel, OT get into the spirit by dressing up as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  They were joined by Lacey Sincox, CNA who posed as the Cat in the Hat.

Matt Meier, PT, Deb Sweet, OTA, Jill Surmeier, PT, Heather Venezia, OT, Jake Hoene, PTA appropriately dress up as the village people at their facility Friendship Village South in St.Louis. As you can see, RehabCare is a great place to be!

Watch out for "BlackBerry Thumb"!

Today I came across a great article titled Black and Blue from a BlackBerry? on ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners.  You have to check out this article if you spend as much time as I do on my Blackberry and laptop.  The article speaks about the new wave of overuse injuries that therapist are now seeing.

"Valerie Brill, PT, OCS, of Excel Physical Therapy outside of Philadelphia, Pa., says injuries such as "Wiiitis," musculoskeletal pain from playing the Nintendo Wii video game, and "Blackberry thumb," pain from repetitive strain and overuse of the thumb on a hand held device, are injuries becoming common among the technology-savvy crowd." 

Who would have thought that staying up on current technology trends would result in injury?  Don't worry though, the article also goes over a few steps you can take to avoid ever experiencing a case of BlackBerry Thumb or Wiitis. 

RehabCare Hits a Homerun

This spring the RehabCare softball team started off with a home run winning the first game of the season 17-2. These University of Michigan-Flint Physical Therapy students take time away from their busy schedules every Wednesday evening and bring their best game to the softball field. What a great way to hang out with friends, get a little exercise and enjoy friendly competition. Per the captain of the team, they have continued the season with multiple victories thus far. We would like to welcome our first RehabCare softball team and wish them luck throughout the rest of the season. I will keep you updated on the teams record. Stay tuned.....

M-I-Z-Z-O-U resounds at the APTA Student Conclave

A number of Physical Therapy students from the University of Missouri-Columbia attended the National American Physical Therapy Association Student Conclave in San Jose, CA.  Although miles away, their support for the MIZZOU football team was outstanding. These students took in the workshops and employer exhibits offered at the APTA student conclave, but were decked out in their MIZZOU gear and began their chanting at kick-off. A colleague of mine and I joined the group to cheer on Chase Daniels and his team as they faced the Texas Longhorns. We discussed the highlights of the day at the conference along with questions they had about becoming a physical therapist between completed passes and touchdowns. Although the tigers weren't able to bring home the victory we had hoped for, these fans stayed true to their team and gave one last M-I-Z-Z-O-U before retreating back to the hotel. A few plane rides and educational classes didn't divert these Physical Therapy students from supporting their team...........TRUE TIGER FANS!!

"Who's Who" At The APTA National Student Conclave

National Student Conclave (NSC), the only physical therapy conference designed just for students, is right around the corner! This year’s conference takes place October 17–19, in San Jose, California. This is your chance to meet fellow students and future colleagues who will influence and assist your professional development in many ways.

Tune In

Check out the Physical Therapy Channel. 

This website, created by Physical Therapists, is a great new resource for those in the PT field.  You can view videos and podcasts from all realms of the Physical Therapy world.  For instance, you can find:

"demonstrations of treatment techniques, rehabilitation products, software demonstrations, rehabilitation facility tours, interviews with physical therapists and other healthcare related disciplines, online in-services, operating room surgeries, and a host of other unique content from the physical therapy industry."

You can just visit the site and view the featured videos and podcasts, or you can become a member.  Members are able to "subscribe, listen, view, upload and share physical therapy videos and podcasts" on the website.  All you have to do is register . I just watched the video titled "Newly Injured Paraplegic - Part 1" and found it really interesting.  So, check it out by tuning into the Physical Therapy Channel.

May Is The Time To Thank A Speech-Language Pathologist

May is "Better Hearing and Speech" month!  With that in mind, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is celebrating by organizing events to raise awareness on communication disorders and the professionals who can help.  With this in mind, ASHA has dedicated an entire page on their website where you can go to find Hearing and Speech Resources.

"Whether it's a hearing loss, difficulty with swallowing or balance, a disorder such as stuttering or delayed language, or a voice problem, a person's ability to learn and interact with others can be affected."

"If you suspect you or a loved one may be experiencing such a problem, consult an audiologist or speech-language pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association."

The Real World: OT Style

One of our favorite student bloggers, Karen, posted a blog back in February that I found very interesting.  She and some of her classmates ventured out into the "real world" posed as patients who were post-rehab and trying to integrate themselves back in to the world.  They planned a trip to the grocery store to purchase items to make dinner and then cooked the dinner all while simulating various disabilities (blind, deaf, paraplegic).  Some of the students were there to assist and others had devices such as walkers and wheelchairs to help them.

"OTs can do day rehab groups that focus on community reintegration from rehab (like post stroke or new mobility device), such as going to the grocery store. Here is our experience with it."

She wrote the blog in 3 parts - going to the grocery store, cooking the meal, and the aftermath. She accompanied it with pictures of each of the students and very detailed descriptions of how people reacted, how they themselves reacted and the outcome.

Great information and thanks for sharing, Karen!

Helping Us To Help You: Student Survey A Success

In an effort to find out what new graduates and students in therapy programs are looking for in today's job market, Campus Relations developed a survey to get those answers.  We came up with 10 questions that targeted what we wanted to know; questions such as:

On a scale of 1-6, rank what type of rehab setting you are interested in pursuing.
Are you interested in an rural or urban setting?
What factors are important to you when comparing potential employers?

The survey was sent to all students graduating January through June that we have met through various campus job fairs, luncheons, conventions and online job boards.  To date, we have received over 400 responses to the survey.  We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your participation and providing us with the tools to help us understand what expectations and interests new graduates are looking for.  If  you'd like to provide us with your input, we'd still love to hear from you.  Click here to be redirected to the Spring Student Survey.

RehabCare And Mizzou Students Explore The Body

The RehabCare Campus Relations Team joins the University of Missouri School of Health Professions Students and Alumni to explore the body at the Body Worlds 3 exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center.  RehabCare sponsored the networking reception for the School of Health Professions students, faculty, staff, alumni and St. Louis area high school students who have been accepted for admission to MU in the fall.  During the reception we had the opportunity to speak to entering students their interest in becoming a therapist as well as current therapy students and their plans after graduation.  The Campus Relations team really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the event.  Special Thanks to Meichele Foster, Development Officer, for including RehabCare in this event. 

"This trip allowed SHP students to see a very interesting and unique exhibit that has application to all of the disciplines in our school.  In addition, it was a great opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to get better acquainted."
Dean Richard Oliver, PhD