| Friday, September 10, 2010 | |||
| NEWSRoom | |||
| 07/01/2010 | |||
Q&A with Carole B. Lewis, Geriatric Physical Therapist |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rate It! Q: Who motivated you to work in geriatrics? How about physical therapy? A: My grandparents taking me to Florida for six months when I was 5 motivated me to work in geriatrics. The physical therapist I worked with at the United Cerebral Palsy Association inspired me to work in physical therapy. Q: What is your role in the physical therapy profession? A: I do many things with my rehabilitation background. That is what I think is so wonderful about our profession. You can do so much with it. I practice clinically in both home care and outpatient venues. I teach on the medical faculty at GWU to the fellows going into geriatrics. I teach geriatrics seminars all over the world. I write books, articles, and patient manuals in my specialty area. I have invented, applied for a patent, and produced an evidence-based product. I also do volunteer comprehensive community fitness screenings at senior centers. Q: What's it like working in your various clinics? A: My clinics have always been a place for fun and growth. I pride myself in the energy and intensity of my teaching in all venues. I am always looking for new ideas and ways to expand and grow and nurture those around me to grow as well. Q: When and how did you start working in physical therapy? A: My very first private practice site was originally a POPTS. I worked for six rheumatologists, who after six months decided, "they did not want to be in the PT business," and gave me the practice. I am a lucky girl. Q: What are your responsibilities day-to-day? A: For me they are different day-to-day. Clinically, I spend all my time treating patients, writing notes, and communicating with doctors and other health professionals. Educationally, I spend my time in prep, presentation, and updating. What is nice about this is that it keeps me up-to-date clinically. Q: What types of diagnoses do you see daily? A: Lumbar stenosis, gait and balance deficits, stroke, Parkinson's disease, fractures, total joints, shoulder dysfunctions, and many more. Q: Can you share a story that changed your view of your profession? A: I graduated from Ohio State ‘oh, so many' years ago. Upon graduation, I decided to move to Los Angeles so I could work under Dr. Rene Calliet (author of many books I read in school). I landed the job at LAC-USC Medical Center in a department of almost 50 therapists. My first rotation was luckily down the hall from Dr. Calliet's office. On my first day, I waited to see him and I told him I came to work all the way across the country to be able to work with him. He smiled but seemed unimpressed. About a week later, I was paged to his exam room. He called me over, as he had a patient with back pain, to do five to 10 positional tests I had vaguely or never seen. At the end of these tests, he turned to me and said, "So, what do you think?" I was completely frozen at this unexpected query. I slowly started backing up and looked him right in the eyes and said, "Think, you mean we are supposed to think?" He and I broke out laughing and he went on to explain the evaluation he was doing. From that point on, I read everything I could get my hands on, not just his stuff! Q: Are there other areas of interest for you as a physical therapist that you plan to pursue? A: My colleagues and I at Great Seminars are planning to expand our efforts to bring evidence-based practice to the clinic by launching an interactive web site, greatseminarsonline.com, with online courses that feature experienced clinicians evaluating and treating real patients in real time. I think today's clinicians are looking for continuing education opportunities that synthesize current research into practical clinic based applications. Too often, practitioners complain that continuing education lectures are filled with information that is not readily useful. My goal is to help practitioners get as much usable evidence-based information as possible in the most usable format. Q: What are the greatest challenges you face as a PT? A: I really believe that I am not alone when I say that the greatest challenge is to give the most effective care possible with all the rules and restraints of the healthcare system. I find that keeping up with all the latest research is invigorating, but at times, can be consuming and exhausting at the same time. But we owe it to our profession, our patients, and ourselves to be doing the most appropriate therapy. Q: Do you feel that the role of the PT has changed over recent years? A: Yes, it has changed, dramatically. When I first started (which was not so recent), therapists did not synthesize information, they just treated. You learned techniques in school and that is what you did. Now, top-notch therapists know the current research and use it in daily practice and they are constantly updating their knowledge base and questioning the research that is out there. Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job? A: Getting people better is more rewarding than anything else. I am so thrilled that I have the knowledge that can help people walk, perform, and move as they once did or even better. Working on or with someone; and correcting a deficit that they could not even describe, is exhilarating. Q: What advice do you have for others thinking of entering your geriatrics? A: Do it. Geriatrics is the future! It is the most creative, thought provoking area of PT. Unlike other areas that I frankly find boring, treating in geriatrics often involves patients with multiple diagnoses, functional deficits, a magnitude of medications, and dubious support systems. These factors combined make the synthesis of information exceptionally challenging and rewarding. Q: How have you grown professionally working in geriatrics? A: Geriatrics has opened so many doors. To be a geriatric specialist, you need to be an expert at functional assessment and treatment, as well as a proficient manual therapist and exercise expert. On top of that, you almost need a medical degree to understand the impact of the various diagnoses, psychosocial issues and polypharmacy. I feel I must constantly keep up in these areas. |
|||
Share This!
| Short Link: http://www.news-line.com/?s17707 |
0 Comments
Post Comment
