“Get Weird in Portland”

Written by: Austin Beard, DPT18 and Andrew Yost, DPT18

The American Physical Therapy Association hosts numerous physical therapy conferences throughout the year, both locally and nationwide. These conferences give students of physical therapy  the opportunity to gather to get involved in the profession. The APTA is known for three large nationwide conferences; Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), NEXT, and the National Student Conclave (NSC). Of all the conferences hosted by the APTA, the NSC is the only conference designated for current physical therapy students. This year it was held in Portland, Oregon, and 11 students from the Class of 2018 were able to attend.

The conference was 2.5 days filled with exhibit halls, informative talks, and social events.  The keynote speaker, Alysia Montano, an Olympic runner, kicked off the event with a talk about how physical therapy was pivotal in her career.  Exhibit halls were filled by numerous physical therapy companies that represented a variety of settings who were there to inform students about opportunities for employment following graduation.  They passed out an abundance of free t shirts, pens, back packs, stickers, and other free trinkets that students enjoy.  Other companies were there advertising mobile apps, PT gizmos, and sharing information about residencies and certification courses.  The conference had 2 full days of lecture style talks that lasted one hour each.  Some of the topics included how to make a career in travel PT, getting involved in research, managing geriatric patients, beer (yes, a talk about beer), the role of PTs in primary care, low back pain evaluation, residency and fellowship, and the dreaded National Physical Therapy Exam and licensure. The evenings presented several opportunities to socialize and network. There was a “PT Pub Night” and a “PT Party” which were held at different venues downtown.

The theme for the conference was “Get Weird in Portland,” which was fitting due to Portland’s reputation of being “weird.”  Time outside of the conference was spent exploring that theme and finding out what all the buzz was about. Many of us braved the constant rain to explore the best places to eat, drink, shop, and just hangout. We found a local gem, “voodoo donuts,” that rivaled our local favorite Ducks Donuts here on the East Coast. One cool experience was the Saturday market which is held next to the Wallamette River every Saturday from March until Christmas Eve. At the market, there were plenty of “weird” Portland things that ranged from paintings and wood carvings, to interesting T-shirts and other forms of art. It was unique to see the culture displayed from tent to tent. We also visited a few of the MANY food trucks that scattered throughout the city (and they definitely did not disappoint).

National Student Conclave provided a great opportunity to get out of “the Creek,” see a new place, learn new things, and most of all interact with our fellow student physical therapists. It was awesome to be surrounded by students who are excited about the future of the physical therapy profession and inspired to help move it forward.

Falls Prevention Awareness Program

Written by: Richard Khang, DPT19

As we age, one of the most common injuries in that occurs in our older populations are falls. According to the American Council on Aging, 1 out of 4 American adults over the of 65 suffers a fall. Falls also make up the number one cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older individuals. To prevent falls among older individuals, the CU DPT program has established a Falls Prevention Awareness Program. Many people think that physical therapists only treat people after they’ve suffered an injury. However, one of the amazing services that physical therapists offer is injury prevention such as our Falls Prevention Awareness Program.

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in our most recent Falls Prevention Awareness Program at Buies Creek Baptist Church. The geriatric population is a large portion of our community that is often neglected. This program really sought to educate our older population about their falls risk with data and testing. It was a unique opportunity to interact with the community and show them very important information about falls risk. We were able to address concerns from the people there and identify risk factors based on surveys and questionnaires. I personally was able to help test individuals for orthostatic hypotension. I was able to educate the people I worked with about what I was testing for and how does it affect their risk of falling. This program allowed me to not only work on technical skills, but it really helped me to work on my education and interpersonal skills. Some of the individuals that I spoke to had no idea about some of the risk factors in their own home such as rugs or pets. Overall, I look forward to more amazing opportunities such as this to be involved in preventing injuries in our community.

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Our Falls Prevention Awareness Program is a program that accesses and educates older individuals about their risks factors of falling and how to begin to make changes to prevent falls. We coordinate with local churches, assisted living facilities, and community centers to offer our program free of charge to the community. We have the individuals complete questionnaires and surveys that help us to identify potential risk factors in their home or past medical history. We also access an individual’s falls risk by administering tests such as the Rhomberg, 5 Times sits to stands, Timed Up and Go, and testing for orthostatic hypertension. These tests give us data that we can use to access a patient’s fall risks. Once all the data is gathered, we sit down with the individuals and talk to them about the results and their risk of falling. We provided hand-outs with information, as well as modifications that could be used to prevent falls in the home or community.

https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/

Exercise is Medicine: Staying Physically Active in DPT School

Written by: DJ Redmond, DPT19

Leading an active lifestyle is one of the most important decisions you can make for your health both short term and long term. Short term maybe you’re blowing off steam from a tough day of class, you’re allowing yourself to escape the stresses of DPT school or heck maybe you just love to train. Long term you’re decreasing your risk for a ridiculous amount of disease such as hypertension, peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, the list goes on and on. While your personal health is by far the priority here, it’s also incredibly important to realize that as physical therapists you are setting an example for your patients in terms of a healthy lifestyle.

If you’re already in DPT school you’ve heard buzzwords and phrases such as, 1) “We are THE movement experts”, 2) “Where you end up is a function of where you started”, 3) “Exercise is medicine”, and if you’re getting ready to join us next year get ready to hear these phrases all the time.

If we unpack these phrases we see that: 1) If we are supposed to be experts in movement we should be able to tell somebody what certain movements feel like; where they should feel it, how to biomechanically achieve a proper movement and provide a demonstration. 2) Research indicates that if you exercise chronically early in life and continue those habits into your later years in life, you will be healthier compared to your peers who did not exercise during those same years. If “where you end up is a function of where you start out” let’s lead our patients and the public by example and show them that a healthy lifestyle now leads to a better and healthier quality of life in the future. 3) Exercise is literally medicine. Research across the board indicates that exercise has numerous physical and mental health benefits AND exercise is exponentially cheaper than treating comorbidities related to lack of physical activity.

DPT school is the hardest thing I have every done but it is by far the most rewarding thing as well. I take a lot of pride in knowing that I’m going to be a practicing physical therapist because it’s a field that I genuinely believe in. I’m willing to bet that most of us are getting into this profession because we want to help people. What better way to help someone than by improving their quality of life? Let’s go first, let’s set the example, let’s show our patients and the public that physical therapists practice what they preach!

I’d like to leave you with some examples/suggestions from the class of 2019 on how you can stay active while juggling the rigors of school. Good luck to everyone who has final exams coming up these next weeks!

Erica: I like to skate. For me it’s not only exercise, but also a way to be social and a way to challenge myself outside of the school setting. When school gets overwhelming it’s a great outlet. There are days when I don’t feel like going but I almost always feel better after coming back.

Alex: I promise myself at least 30 minutes a day, even if its nothing crazy. Usually I do dance, Pilates, or play outside if the weather is nice. I love taking my dog to the park when he isnt staying with his grandparents (because well, summer semester). I listen to my body, sitting all day really sucks so my body’s needs may change depending on things like the amount of sleep I’ve gotten, diet, etc. I think it’s important because the more we are connected with our own bodies, and play with movement, the better we are able to learn and apply what we are studying, more importantly the better we will be able to communicate with our patients about how to move. Not to mention the actual physical demands of being a PT, I don’t want my body to be totally shell shocked (more than it already will be), when we go from sitting in a classroom all day to patient transfers and being on our feet all day in clinicals!

Brittany: I have committed to doing group classes because I am usually too exhausted to come up with my own plan. I do classes and O2 and I went to Hollis’ HIIT class tonight and died so it’s legit lol.

Richard:  I usually take between 3-4 hours of biking a week in between study breaks. Exercise is important because we should be practicing what we preach

Justin: As professionals who specialize in movement I believe we need to live an active lifestyle. As a grad student, and a parent it’s hard to make time, but if it’s important to you then you will fit it in somehow. I’ll have to admit I’ve cut back on training since school, but it’s still an outlet I use to shut everything off and focus solely on lifting while I’m at the gym.

Chad: I do any number of things from lifting weights a 3-5 times a week, (depending on school work load), cardio in the gym, running/riding bike while exercising my dogs, regular or disc golf, and hiking. With the sports, I enjoy being competitive while having some fun and getting a little exercise. The actual exercise activities are mental breaks where I can let my brain think about whatever it want and the physical exertion helps me sleep a little heavier at night. Group activities, like hiking, are a great study breaks where I can combine exercise with hanging out with the family. A perk to having such a lifestyle is that is easier to lead by example than to preach with “do as I say, not as I do.”

Jackson: I don’t know if disc golf will get you in shape but it at least gets me outside. Depending on where you go, you’re going to be walking in the woods, you could even turn it into a hike. It’s something I can do in a social fashion or just by myself. For me it’s a great way to take my mind off the stress of school and just zone out. Running also helps me stay in shape and focus on something other than school. I’ve tried to set myself some goals with running since the beginning of school, and though I haven’t met all of them, it pushes me to at least attempt to get there.

Myself (DJ): I feel very lucky to have found a hobby in powerlifting. I try to compete in at least one meet (competition) per year. If I put my name on a meet roster and I paid money to compete I’m going to make sure I put in the work to perform well and try not to embarrass myself! Honestly, I just love training as well. It’s such a mentally and physically challenging sport and it really makes you focus on your biomechanics to 1. Avoid injury and 2. Figure our your leverages in order to lift optimally for your individual anthropometrics.

Camels in the Community

Written by: Danielle Eustace, DPT19 and Stuart Gupton, DPT19

Over the course of the fall semester, Campbell DPT students have been out serving the community in various capacities.  These are self-directed learning opportunities that allow students to volunteer in areas that they want to learn more about.  Being located in Harnett County provides us the unique opportunity to see the direct impact our volunteer opportunities have on the community.  These volunteer opportunities provide us with countless lessons of compassion and charity that can’t be taught in a classroom and will improve our ability to be the best clinicians we can possibly be upon graduation.

Here’s a look at what some of the students have done in the community this semester:

Leah Cashwell, DPT1 and Emily McGrath, DPT1: For a few of our service hours, we had the opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity in Dunn. That day, we were able to help move quite a bit of dirt to fill-in the foundation of a new home! Although it was really hot that morning and we are not the best at shoveling dirt, we had an amazing time and met some of the sweetest people in Harnett County. Not to mention the fact that we got our picture taken on a this piece of heavy equipment! It was a great day and a nice break from studying!

Liz West, DPT1 and Savannah Snead, DPT1: We volunteered at a Special Olympics event in Raleigh where athletes did events such as barrel racing and other equestrian activities. It was a great opportunity to serve an organization that empowers people to fully participate in sports and to watch the athletes enjoy their passions.

Yuval Friedman, DPT1:  I volunteered at Miracle League of the Triangle in Cary, a baseball league for children with special needs.   The field is adapted to be able to accommodate for special devices such as walkers and wheelchairs.  It was such a good opportunity to have 1 on 1 time with kids and families whose lives may be a little different than ours and maybe not at all. It was fun to just sit with the kids and talk about their favorite things to do while waiting to bat, or chase each other around wildly while in outfield.

Maryann Hoskins, DPT 1 and Ashley Henderson, DPT1: We volunteered at the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in Raleigh.  It was a lot of fun and a great way to apply skills we have learned in the classroom and we had unique exposure to orthopedic injuries that we had learned about but had yet to see in-person.  Coordinating with other volunteers and healthcare workers allowed us to practice and apply the skills we’ve learned in interprofessional communication.

These are just a few examples of how our DPT1 students have left their camel footprints in the community thus far.   We can’t wait to see what other adventures our volunteering endeavors will lead to!