Author: DPT Student Chat

Since the last #DPTstudent chat was about your first clinical experience, I thought the next topic should continue to focus on “firsts.” I think it would be appropriate to have the next chat be about your first year as a #DPTstudent. I’m sure a bunch of you are eager, anxious, nervous or excited to start your journey on becoming a Physical Therapist and have plenty of questions about what’s it like in school.  Even if you’re just an undergrad about to apply to PT school, you can join in and ask what the process is like as well!

So, be sure to join us on Wednesday July 29, 2015 at 9PM EST on our #DPTstudent Chat, “Your First Year as a PT Student” and to tell your friends about us!

The moderator team for the chat will be Jocelyn Wallace (@Jocelyn_SPT) from Nova Southeastern University, Tyler Tracy (@TylerTracy10) from Texas State and Myself, Mark Kev (@markykev) from Stockton University.  Don’t forget to include the hashtag #DPTstudent when tweeting! See you all there 🙂

– Mark Kev, SPT, CSCS (@markykev)

On this week’s #DPTstudent chat, we will be talking residencies and more with representatives from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Brad Myers (@BradMyersDPT), clinical faculty and Dr. Rich Severin (@ptreviewer), current ortho resident,  and UIC program director, Aaron Kiel (@UICPTFacPrac) will be available to answer any of your questions regarding residencies. How can you be more competitive? What should a new grad look for in a residency? What’s the best time in your career to begin a residency? And more!

Join us Wednesday March 11th at 9PM EST on Twitter. Use the #DPTstudent hashtag to follow and contribute to the conversation!

It’s about that time when acceptances are coming in for DPT-to-be’s across the country! If you’re lucky enough to have garnered multiple acceptances, you’re probably working hard to figure out what school is right for you. How much should location matter? Is a higher cost ever justified and in what situations? How do different programs set up their clinical affiliations? Do different programs focus more heavily on different settings?

We’ll discuss these questions and more on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 9PM EST! If you’re a current #DPTstudent please join us & add input about why you chose your program! Follow & use the #DPTStudent hashtag to participate.

In other news, we are sad to announce that Laura Webb (@lauralwebb) has finished her time as a moderator of the #DPTstudent chat. She is onto bigger & better things as she nears graduation and we are grateful for her enormous contributions to our team! The good news is we are happy to announce that Mark Kev (@MarkyKev) has agreed to join the team. He is an integral part of the #DPTstudent community and we are excited to have him on board.

More about Mark:

“Greetings everyone, my name is Mark; almost everyone calls me Mark Kev. I’m a second year physical therapy student at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (which will soon become a university sometime soon I believe), a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and also a Level 1 Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW-1). I’m a baseball lover, bourbon aficionado #BourbonPT and a lifter of all things heavy. My endeavor into the #DPTstudent world on Twitter just so happened by chance. At the time, I was applying to schools and connected with prospective/current students which lead me to stumble upon the chat. I’ve been hooked ever since participating in my first chat. I’ve been fortunate enough network with some amazing people, both students and professionals alike and even had the opportunity to meet some of them in person – one of my goals is to meet and hang out with all you cool people! I’m excited to be part of the #DPTstudent moderator team and I look forward to all great adventures to come. “

As a reminder, you can request that we cover certain topics by emailed DPTchat@gmail.com!

Jocelyn Wallace, SPT (@Jocelyn_SPT)
Tyler Tracy, SPT (@TylerTracy10)
#DPTStudent Chat Moderators

Hello and happy New Year, #DPTstudent chatters!

As the spring semester begins, we’re addressing practice-relevant topics you will need to know once your start your clinical rotations and begin interviewing for PT jobs!

To get things started, we’ll be talking with Mark Dwyer (@MarkDwyer87), for some quick tips on administrative aspects of PT practice.

This discussion will teach you how to:
–Spot fraud and abuse
–Appropriately bill for Medicare patients
–Clarify an organization’s labor practices in job interviews (productivity, use of techs, etc.)
–Choose the best CPT codes for your interventions
…and much more!

Do you have questions related to PT billing, administration, etc? This is your chance to ask an expert! Tweet us your questions using #DPTstudent, then tune in at 8pm CST on Wednesday January 14 to hear your answers LIVE during our YouTube broadcast.

See you then!
#DPTstudent
@LauraLWebb, @Jocelyn_SPT, @TylerTracy10

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, we may notice our patients experiencing holiday-related stress and busier schedules that compromise their ability to stay committed to healthy lifestyles. How do you address this in your clinic to keep patients moving towards their goals? What fun promotions or #bizPT specials do you offer patients during the holidays? How do you address holiday employee scheduling? We’ll discuss these topics and more during our next #DPTstudent chat on Wednesday, December 3rd at 8pm EST! See you there.

On this week’s #DPTstudent chat, we will be talking LIVE with Dr. Heather Hettrick. Dr. Hettrick is a professor at Nova Southeastern University, Past President of the American Board of Wound Management and currently on the Executive Committee of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care. She has numerous certifications in wound care and lymphedema management. and is Program Director at Hospital St. Croix in Leogane Haiti where she is assisting in re-establishing a lymphatic filariasis clinic. Dr. Hettrick is on the Executive Board of Bring Hope to Haiti, a not-for-profit organization that runs a clinic in Haiti with the following mission:

–to train global volunteers as specialists in wound care, edema and lymphedema management
–to support locally operated clinics in under-served areas
–to alleviate global suffering caused by wounds, edema and lymphedema in resource poor nations; particularly those facing Neglected Tropical Diseases

Their focus is on Haiti where many citizens suffer needlessly from a condition called Lymphatic Filariasis (LF). This occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. Globally, an estimated 40 million people are afflicted with LF and the resulting lymphedema. In the Western hemisphere, LF is endemic in 7 locations- the hardest hit being Haiti. Associated pain and profound disfigurement lead to permanent disability, and mental, social and financial losses contribute to stigma and poverty.

Bring Hope to Haiti is a wonderful example of what we, as #DPTstudent(s) and physical therapists, can do to help shape a better world. Join us LIVE on Wednesday, October 22nd at 9:00 PM EST to speak with Dr. Hettrick about her work in Haiti and her astounding career.

Follow the #DPTstudent hashtag on Wednesday to get the link to watch live and use the #DPTstudent hashtag to ask questions & contribute to the discussion.

For many DPT students, the National Student Conclave (NSC) may be their first physical therapy conference. With travel arrangements, school being in session and getting ready for the event, the process of choosing what to actually do when you get there can be an afterthought, or just completely overwhelming. But, what presentations a #DPTstudent chooses to attend can have a big impact on the experience. So how do you choose?

Some suggest researching the presenters, looking up other papers and presentations on the topic to gauge your interest and asking other students who may have seen presentations on the topic. Others just pick what sounds nice or go to what other classmates or upper classmen choose. What side of the coin are you on? Is there anything else a #DPTstudent should consider?

Join us on Wednesday, September 10th at 9PM EST to discuss! If you are attending #NSC2014 and know where you’ll be, chime in and let us know!

More about NSC 2014:

NSC Website: http://www.apta.org/nsc/
NSC2013 Highlights: http://www.apta.org/NSC/News/2013/
Also check on the NSC app from @APTAtweets on the App Store.

See you there!
@Jocelyn_SPT
#DPTstudent Chat Moderator

Hello and welcome to a new school year, boys and girls. It’s that time of year again when pools close their gates, pencils are sharpened, and new classes of future Doctors of Physical Therapy begin their studies.

The APTA’s most recent vision statement stands in stark contrast to the previous Vision 2020, which proclaimed with great fanfare that its practitioners would soon all be Doctors of Physical Therapy. This title has become the norm in our profession, with 96% of accredited physical therapy programs now offering the DPT and the remaining planning to convert.

Norms aside, the usage of this title remains highly controversial for current practitioners and even #DPTstudents. This week, we’ll debate the usage of the title “Doctor” by Doctors of Physical Therapy. We highly encourage both students and practitioners to join in the discussion on Twitter this Wednesday, August 27th from 8-9pm CST. Participants may find the links below helpful in preparation for the #DPTstudent chat.

Recommended reading:
NYT, “When the Nurse Wants to Be Called Doctor”

APTA Responds to The New York Times on Physical Therapists Using the Term ‘Doctor’

See you there!
@LauraLWebb
#DPTstudent chat moderator