Black Friday… that’s what today is.
What is it about Black Friday that keeps the tradition alive? Is it scouring ads and discussing with family or friends the best deals? Is it the planning of where to go when? Is it the excitement of shopping – finding the item, waiting in line and bagging the deal? Is it the hunt…
Even as a seasoned physical therapist, the struggle is real for me. At times I cannot find the right words. The right words mean that I connected and was effective in how my message was received.
At times this struggle weighs on me.
How is it that of all the professionals that a patient with terminal cancer visits, the most…
For years I’ve held back on a burning idea in my head. An idea popped into my head 25 years ago and I pushed it back into the dark recesses of my brain. The vision came out of my mouth as a joke with a patient. At the time, what I wanted to do clinically would have been deemed…
Every February I look forward to spending time catching up with colleagues and learning from some of the best in the profession. As I prepare for the annual conference, I scroll through the speaker list. I tend to smile and nod my head many times because I’m really happy to see the fruits of one’s labor be recognized…
Although I truly appreciate all the work that has been done in the pain sciences world, it still isn’t enough to help guide our clinical decision making process.
I have unanswered questions: which patients are the best candidates for pain education? How soon should a change occur? How much of a change is enough to warrant a positive response…
What is loyalty? When I think of loyalty, I think of Man’s Best Friend. A dog will love you no matter your mood and will always come running with a wagging tail when you come home. A dog will stay by your side whether you are happy, sad, frustrated, irritated, busy, hangry, or ill. A dog demonstrates little fear…
De-izes…. The first time I heard this combination of sounds was with the word “dehumanizes.” Lazy language dehumanizes patients. One example that I recall was Room 220, Bed 2. A few other examples include “the knee patient,” “the stroke patient,” “the gunshot wound.” Over time, the lazy language that dehumanized patients was replaced with words that put the patient…
Fourteen years ago I made the executive decision to specialize in geriatrics. This decision wasn’t made lightly. I considered not only the patient population, but also the business side of things. For example, that population would have huge growth requiring access to care. These individuals also deserved to have access to care to professionals who specialized and understood their…
We know via health services research that the services of physical therapists are underutilized. This same research supports a pathway of care that favors the services of a physical therapist sooner versus later. We are passionate about what we do. It either angers or breaks our hearts when we hear the statistics of unnecessary surgeries, the negative effects of ill…
As I reflect on 2016, so many memories flood into my brain. For me, 2016 has been a year of many struggles. I think the most frequent comment I heard this year, “things aren’t easy for you,” or “life is just a struggle.”
I am more grateful than anyone knows for failing after being accountable and planning ahead for…