Jul 23 2015

Pat McNamara

Published by under EDPT and tagged:

Professional Goal Statement

My short-term career goals are to find employment in either an orthopedic outpatient or sports medicine rehabilitation setting. To continue my education and development as a skilled clinician and educator, I aspire to continue to develop and deliver presentations at conferences on areas that supplement current education. Additionally I plan on furthering my own skills by enrolling in Maitland, McConnell taping, and dry needling courses to increase my treatment repertoire. My long-term career goals are to move into an educator and mentor role. I would like to be a CI and possibly a faculty member at an entry-level program. I would also like to use exercise programs as a foundation for children at risk for poor social and/or academic outcomes. As part of their physical development, I will encourage social, academic, and spiritual development as well in a fun engaging atmosphere.

 

Career Plan

  1. DPT Degree – 2015
  2. Orthopedic/Sports Medicine Clinical Experience (2015-2017)
  3. Sit for CSCS Exam (2016)
  4. Emergency Responder Certification (2016-2017)
  5. Sports Medicine Residency (2017-2018)
  6. Sports/Manual Fellowship (2019-2020)
  7. Sit for SCS exam (2019-2020)
  8. Sports Medicine/Strength and Conditioning Work experience (2020 – beyond)
  9. Clinical Faculty Position (2020-beyond)
  10. Open exercise/academic facility for “at-risk” youth (2020-beyond)

 

Self -Assessment

Strengths

  1. Experience as a personal trainer with variety of clients, many with orthopedic complaints
  2. Presented exercise technique, selection, and long-term adherence strategies at several state and regional conferences as well a guest lecture at Denison University.
  3. Multiple clinical internships in outpatient orthopedics with McKenzie, Maitland, and Mulligan trained manual therapists.
  4. Experience with teaching the POSE method of running, as well as the literature behind it.
  5. Maintained emphasis on building rapport with patients, consistently noted for my ability to provide a positive, encouraging atmosphere.

 

Areas for Further Professional Development

  1. Limited experience in sports medicine settings, both academically and clinically.
  2. Continuing education on POSE technique, McKenzie techniques, strength and conditioning specialist, and other specialty certifications to increase my knowledge of fitness, rehab, and the blend between the two.
  3. Continue to develop a working knowledge of interventions for various neurological and orthopedic presentations to improve balance, mobility, and function.
  4. Develop a professional network of colleagues to consult with and discuss topics of interest with.

 

Objectives

Special Areas of Interest

  1. Orthopedics
  2. Sports Medicine
  3. Manual therapy skills and techniques
  4. Fitness and wellness for low-income individuals
  5. Balance training for neuromuscular disorders and geriatric patients.
  6. Synthesizing presentations on topics of interest and providing educational seminars on practical topics.

 

Main Objectives

  1. Pass the licensure exam in October 2015
  2. Become a certified strength and conditioning specialist
  3. Continue to develop my competency by gaining relevant certifications (such as POSE, McKenzie, tactical operator conditioning specialist, etc.)
  4. Assist in the development of a male youth development center focused on fitness, education, and social bonding. This will be aimed at returning soldiers, at-risk teenagers, and low-income members of the community.
  5. Provide services (consultation or rehabilitation) to members of the special operations and conventional military units.

 

Strategies

  1. Stay active in reading and critiquing literature
  2. Continue to present at various conferences based on all 3 components of evidence (patient input, experience, and literature)
  3. Stay connected with classmates and faculty members, particularly on a personal level.
  4. Meet other therapists, and find mentors that will develop me as a clinician second and person first.
  5. Discuss options for exercise centers with local city counsels and mayors. This is my true passion, and I would love to provide high quality education and fitness to young people that would not otherwise have it.

 

Evidence of Goal Pursuit

  1. Doctoral capstone project :”Differential diagnosis and treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome”.
  2. Presented biomechanics, techniques, and assessments of the squat and overhead lifting exercises and pathologies at local and regional personal training conferences.
  3. Guest lectured at Denison University in a class of future researchers and medical professionals regarding the benefits of exercise and strength and conditioning.
  4. Purchased and began creating a study guide of the materials needed for the CSCS exam.
  5. Preparing two presentations currently: ACL injury prevention methods and pain neuroscience applied to lower back pain, specifically tying in deadlift and squat biomechanics and their applications in reducing lower back injuries.

 

Reflective Statement

My three years of physical therapy education have been some of the most rewarding, challenging, and frustrating experiences of my life. Working with soldiers at Fort Bragg and watching individuals return to their hobbies and loved ones in a much better state than they were in our initial encounter have been tremendously rewarding. Gaining an understanding of tissue loading, joint biomechanics, and passing this on to future personal trainers and physical therapists has been an incredible experience of learning and teaching.

 

My time with Major Miller at Fort Bragg opened my eyes to the room for growth for the profession. Major Miller holds several advanced certifications and approaches physical therapy as a career full of consistent problem solving. I truly grasped the ICF model of looking at how a movement dysfunction impacted an individual’s ability to interact with their community in a desired way, and then finding interventions that provide increased mobility has been extremely challenging and thought provoking. I learned to use special tests to find pain provocators and then devise interventions to alter the provocator through a test-retest experiment.

 

I have also seen the disjointedness of the medical system, and an intense desire for independence among practitioners rather than collaboration. UNC has done an exceptional job in teaching its students our abilities, limitations, and how to participate in a team setting. As healthcare shifts into new eras where treating and preventing chronic diseases will be emphasized, these skills will make PTs an extremely valuable member of the team.

 

I have been extremely grateful for my classmates and faculty members, I have been thoroughly impressed with the work ethic and creativity displayed. This does not go un-noticed and is reflected in the extraordinary reputation UNC’s program has. Thanks guys, it’s been a great three years!

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Overhead Presentation

 

PatelloFemoral-Pain-Syndrome

 

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