DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statements:

1. To share my expertise in the physical therapy management in pediatrics by incorporating clinical expertise and current evidence to develop learning opportunities for the student and clinician through collaborative education experiences.
2. To continue my clinical practice and plan to pursue teaching opportunities at the academic level and/or in a continue education setting.
3. To continue my ongoing endeavor of lifelong learning and career development by staying at the forefront of knowledge in obtaining my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

My Career Path:
(Click on graphic below)

I graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in 1976. I spent my first 3 years of practice at an acute care hospital in Wilmington, NC. I moved to Texas and had my first introduction to pediatrics.  I moved to Fayetteville, NC and I did adult rehabilitation and pediatrics. I had an opportunity to work in the school system in Rockingham and Guilford County schools for many years. Following the birth of my children, I began my own private practice in pediatrics and have continued to do this until now.

Overview/Objectives/Self Assessment:

I received an email to apply for the UNC tDPT program in the winter of 2012.  For the past several years, I had received this email and had replied by asking  how this opportunity could be made available for those of us in practice that never completed a master’s program. I received a response from Karen McCulloch, stating for the first time applications from practicing physical therapist with bachelor of science degrees were going to be accepted. I applied and was accepted and thus began this exciting and challenging journey.

My initial objectives were very different than the final outcome of this program. My main purpose in obtaining my DPT was to be able to teach. Taking this program as an online program required a great deal of growth and advancement in my technology skills. I thought I was going to learn more about medical diagnosis, evaluation, and interventions. Instead I learned more about evidence-based practice, clinical thinking, teaching techniques, synthesizing evidence into practice, wellness and prevention, technology, professional writing skills, and the importance of our role in healthcare.  This program has required me explore my opinions on our physical therapy profession, its past and future.  I have learned to articulate my views on a variety of topics through writing papers and participating in discussion board posts with other students and in responding to questions posed by the professors.

My journey through this program has expanded and honed the following skills:

• Communication Skills with patients, parents, other professionals, physicians and administration, verbally and written.
• Intervention strategies, supported and unsupported by evidence
• Utilizing a global perspective approach with family-child focus intervention
• Being a team player and a leader in decision making
• Understanding  the need for evidence based practice
• Utilizing technology as it applies to education

My journey will continue in the development of the following skills:

• Bring evidence into practice
• Expanding my skill set to teaching and administrative roles
• Utilizing technology as it applies to teaching

Course work:

I choose to pursue the Advanced Neuromuscular elective in order to seek more information related to current evidence on neuroplasticity, vestibular systems, cognitive process and motor control related to the pediatric population. I developed a webpage on locomotion training with children with Down syndrome that can be access through this link: http://neurospecialtopics.web.unc.edu/locomotor-training-down-syndrome/

My pediatric elective, Child/Family Assessment and Intervention allowed me to share my knowledge and experience with other clinicians and students through online discussion forums. We discussed the current evidence as it relates to many common and less common approaches in pediatric interventions.  The course also augmented my understanding of the “Guide to Physical Therapy Practice” as it relates to pediatrics and utilizing the ICF in determining goals and intervention plans. A sample of this work is available for review. (Pediatric Elective)

I feel strongly about the positive effects of yoga in the treatment of wellness and prevention and wanted to research the current evidence related to its use in the pediatric population during my Health and Wellness course. Unfortunately, the research is limited, however, this does not deter me from utilizing poses and positions in my practiced based on expert opinion and clinical reasoning.  I have attached my research on this topic for review.(Yoga)

Capstone Presentation:

The culmination of the  our program was to take the evidence obtained  from the Evidence Based Practice course and develop a product that was relevant to clinical practice. I chose to take the recently published “Physical Therapy Management of Congenital Muscular Torticollis: An Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline” and translate it into parent education. Utilizing the research  on parent/caregiver education for CMT, I developed a brochure for use in clinical practice with parent education. Please review my capstone website for the complete presentation.http://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/category/current-students-spring-of-2014/transitional-students-current-students-spring-of-2014/stein-marian/

Reflection:

I can definitely say that I am a life long learner. I am a mother, wife, sister, friend, and physical therapist. Being a physical therapist is not just a job I have done for 38 years, but it also defines who I am. Completing this program was on my list of things I wanted to accomplish as a physical therapist. At times, this has been challenging, exhausting, and overwhelming to say the least. Working full time and being in school required me to stay focused, set priorities, and be less of a perfectionist.  I cannot begin to list all that was learned these 2 years. My growth and development personally and professionally has been huge.

One of the things that was the most defining was realizing that providing the best patient care possible means being committed to evidence based practice. I was unsure of what that meant to me two years ago and now I understand. I love being able to say to a patient (or family) “the evidence support this intervention” or  “ based on expert opinion and clinical judgment”. I know what bringing evidence into my practice means now.   Another defining point in this program was assisting with the teaching of the online developmental disabilities module with Debbie Thorpe. This was a very positive experience and confirmed my interest and excitement in wanting to do more teaching.

I have pushed myself academically and personally at this point in my life and succeeded. I turned 60 years old last month and I can say this is an accomplishment! Even though I have years of experience, I learn something new everyday and that keeps me energized. I look forward to taking my new information into a new part of my career. Being a physical therapist provides me with a wealth of opportunities and I continue to be committed, passionate and open to change as a physical therapist.

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