Jun 03 2017

Lauren Kozar

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Professional Goal Statement:

Upon graduation my goal is to earn a position within an outpatient orthopedic and sports medicine practice, and my overall ambition is to one-day become a well-respected leader among sports medicine rehabilitative therapists in quality care sports medicine services to athletes and other individuals with musculoskeletal associated injuries.  In order to meet the comprehensive needs of my patient’s, and to provide optimal physical therapy care to athletes of all levels, I plan to further improve my knowledge and skills in the practice of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation by advancing my skills in the application of evidenced based practice; achieving board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist, a corrective exercise specialist under the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist; and by fulfilling continuing education courses that will help broaden my skill-set to meet the diverse needs of my patient’s and to optimize their return to work or sport.

Career Plan:

Past History:

  • 2011
    • Accepted to The Ohio State University (OSU) Athletic Training Program
    • Summer 2011: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Football and Ohio Dominican Football
    • Autumn 2011: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Men and Women’s Gymnastics
  • 2012
    • Winter 2012: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Football
    • Spring 2012: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Men’s Lacrosse
    • Earned the position of a research assistant in the OSU Movement Analysis and Performance (MAP) Program
    • Served as a research assistant for the National Institute of Health sponsored project: Functional Evaluation to Predict Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury
    • Internship with Grace Physical Therapy in Fredericksburg, VA
    • Became a member of the National Athletic Trainer’s Association and the Virginia Athletic Trainer’s Association
  • 2013:
    • Autumn 2012: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Women’s Ice Hockey
    • Spring 2013: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with Ohio Therapy Institute
    • Served as a research assistant for the National Institute of Health sponsored project: Functional Evaluation to Predict Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury
  • 2014:
    • Autumn 2013: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with Dublin Jerome High School
    • Spring 2014: Athletic Training Clinical Rotation with OSU Sports Medicine and Dublin Jerome High School
    • Served as a research assistant for the National Institute of Health sponsored project: Functional Evaluation to Predict Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury
    • Admitted to the UNC Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program
    • Passed the BOC Exam for Athletic Training and became a licensed ATC in North Carolina
    • Completed the coursework making me eligible for the Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification Exam under the National Academy of Sports Medicine
    • Graduated from The Ohio State University Bachelors in Arts and Sciences in Athletic Training from The Ohio State University
    • First Aider for Gatorade Summer Athletic Camps at The Ohio State University
    • Switched membership from the Virginia Athletic Trainer’s Association to the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association
    • Joined the APTA and the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association
  • 2015
    • Acute Care Physical Therapy Clinical Rotation with UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC
    • Completed the necessary continuing education courses and renewed my ATC license in the state of North Carolina
  • 2016:
    • 8 week Outpatient Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinical Rotation with UNC Hospital at the Meadowmont Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, NC
    • 8 week Inpatient Neuro Physical Therapy Clinical Rotation with HealthSouth in Columbia, SC

Current Goals

  • 2017:
    • Complete my final 12 week Sports Medicine Physical Therapy Clinical Rotation at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center in Sterling, VA
    • Study for boards, and send out resumes to potential employers
    • Pass the Alabama Board Exam, and obtain a Physical Therapy Licensure in the state of Alabama
    • Secure full-time employment opportunity in an Outpatient Orthopedic/Sports Physical Therapy Clinic
  • 2018-2019:
    • Become an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
  • 2019-2020:
    • Obtain a Certification in Strength and Conditioning through the National Strength and Conditioning Association
  • 2020-2021:
    • Become an
  • Ongoing: throughout my career I will pursue continuing education courses that will benefit my practice as an orthopedic physical therapist (i.e. Hospital for Special Surgeries Sports Medicine Symposiums, dry needling, etc); I will attend national and local physical therapy conferences to be an active member in the PT community, to further my knowledge on the physical and mental treatment of orthopedic injuries, and to expand my professional network; and I will strive for professional development.

Self-Assessment:

  • Strengths:
    • Significant Sports Medicine experience with high school, collegiate, and professional level athletes
    • Diverse clinical experiences regarding setting and patient diagnoses. Physical Therapy Clinical experiences include: acute care patients in a large level 1 trauma center, outpatient orthopedic clinic, and an inpatient rehabilitation hospital that specializes in the treatment of neurological conditions ranging from CVAs, spinal cord injuries, Gillian-barre, Parkinson’s, lupus, and etcetera.
    • Research experience focusing on LE biomechanics and injury prevention
    • Strong professional and interpersonal skills, including: goal-oriented, strong and consistent work ethic, dependable, excellent time management and organizational skills, effective and efficient communicator, empathetic and encouraging, and overall a well-rounded team player
    • Excellent safety awareness. I strive to establish and maintain a safe working environment, ensuring the safety of myself, patient, and others throughout my clinical interactions.
    • Excellent clinical reasoning skills
    • Background education from a top-rated PT program.
  • Areas for Professional Development:
    • Improved knowledge and understanding of insurance, billing, coding, and administration
    • Wider use of various types of modalities
    • Better understanding of statistics to effectively and efficiently perform literature reviews
    • Expanding my professional network, and seeking out mentorship for further development of clinical skills

Areas of Special Interest:

  • Sports medicine rehabilitation
  • Out-patient orthopedic rehabilitation for the general population
  • UE rehabilitation in athletes

Objectives:

  1. Complete doctoral degree in physical therapy at the University of North Carolina, and pass the Federation of State Board of Physical Therapy examination in October of 2017
  2. Attain a position in an outpatient orthopedic/sports rehabilitation center in the greater Birmingham area that specializes in the treatment of the athletic population
  3. Further develop orthopedic and manual therapy skills needed to take the Orthopedic Specialization Exam within 2 years of graduation
  4. Complete continuing education courses on UE injuries in athletes

Strategies for Developmental Needs and Interests:

  • Continue to reflect upon and self-assess my strengths and weaknesses to facilitate my growth and learning as a young professional in orthopedic/sports based physical therapy.
  • Identify and meet any and all requirements for physical therapy certification in Alabama
  • Attend continuing education courses/conferences regarding evidence-based practice and the appraisal of articles
  • Build a network of healthcare providers when attending continuing education courses
  • Gather material needed for further certifications, and develop an organized study schedule to ensure I cover all materials prior to the examinations

Electives:

  • Fall 2016:
    • PHYT 875 – Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Intervention
  • Spring 2016:
    • PHYT 870 – INTEGRATED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE:
    • PHYT 800 – INDEPENDENT STUDY (Teacher Assistant for the Musculoskeletal I Course of the UNC DPT Program)

Product Examples:

Samples of my work from the curriculum include:

  1. Doctoral Capstone Project on the Baseball Pitcher’s Elbow, which may be viewed at https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/category/current-students-spring-of-2017/entry-level-students-current-students-spring-of-2017/kozar-lauren/
  2. Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) that assessed the effects of two different UCL reconstruction techniques (the Docking Procedure and Tommy John Surgery) on the pitching performance statistics of 27 year old Major League Baseball Pitchers. This assignment, which served as the starting point for my capstone project, provided me with knowledge and skills needed to properly conduct a literature search and to effectively and efficiently appraise studies.  The CAT also provided me insight regarding UCL reconstruction outcomes in professional baseball pitchers, while helping to identify gaps in current literature regarding UCL reconstruction outcomes.
  3.  Advanced Orthopedic Paper on the diagnosis and treatment of SLAP tears in elite baseball pitchers

Other Professional Activities:

  • Member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the APTA Sports Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Sections
  • Member of the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association (NCPTA)
  • Member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association (NCATA)
  • Achieved 120+ hours of Integrated Clinical Experience in Spring 2017 in an outpatient facility
  • Earned a position as a Teacher’s Assistant for the Musculoskeletal I Course for the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in Spring 2017
  • Defended legislation at the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association Legislative Day on April 11, 2017 in Raleigh, NC.
  • Attended the 10th Annual Hospital for Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine Symposium
  • Published an assessment of the Foot and Ankle Disability Index on the Rehab Measures Database
  • Presented physical therapy clinical in-services on Lis-Franc Fractures and Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries
  • Physical Therapy Journal Club Member
  • Attended the NEXT Conference and Exposition 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland
  • Earned membership in the University of North Carolina Honor Society
  • First Aider for Gatorade Summer Athletic Camps at The Ohio State University
  • Research assistant for the National Institute of Health sponsored project: Functional Evaluation to Predict Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury
  • Research assistant in the OSU Movement Analysis and Performance (MAP) Program
  • Ohio State University Athletic Training Quiz Bowl Team Captain

Self-Reflection:

Each day that we draw closer and closer to graduation from the University of North Carolina’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy (UNC DPT) Program and the beginning of a new chapter in all of our lives, I realize how lucky I am to have been a member of the prestigious UNC DPT program and the close knit family we have molded over the past 3 years. Although graduate school was trying at times, our amazing friendships have helped all of us overcome obstacles and excel in school and the PT profession.  We also owe a significant amount of gratitude to the devoted UNC professors, who spend countless hours outside of the classroom helping to enhance our clinical skills and professional development.  Thank you so much for providing us with a top-notch education, and for developing unique and creative opportunities to challenge our critical thinking skills.  I am also grateful for the emphasis that the UNC program placed on the importance of evidenced based practice.  The foundational skills that they have helped me to foster will be an extremely important asset for my commitment to life-long learning and evidenced based care. I would also like to say a special thank you to my amazing family and fiancé, who have provided me with immeasurable love and support throughout this journey.  From a young age, my family instilled in me the values of tenacity, accountability, compassion, integrity, excellence, and professionalism.  Throughout my Athletic Training and Physical Therapy educations, I have continued to enhance these skills, and I am beyond eager to implement them in the treatment of orthopedic rehabilitation and the advancement of the physical therapy profession following graduation in August 2017!

 

 

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