May 01 2018

Alan Levinson

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Professional Goal Statement 
To develop strong clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills that result in effective evaluation, assessment, and treatment of PT conditions for patients with a variety of presentations in a variety of settings.

Career Path and Plan

  • Prior Education: BS Degree Psychology, Tulane University; MA Degree Counseling and Personnel Services, University of Maryland
  • Prior Career: Rehabilitation Counselor, Technical Recruiter, College Career Advisor
  • Enrolled UNC DPT program Fall 2015
    • Clinical Rotations and Integrated Clinical Experiences
    • Outpatient Orthopedic, Nash UNC Healthcare
    • Acute Care, Rex UNC Healthcare
    • Inpatient Rehab Unit, UNC Hospital
    • Outpatient Orthopedic, UNC Physical Therapy Hillsborough
    • Outpatient Orthopedic, Duke Diet and Fitness Center
  • Sit for the PT Licensure exam in July 2018
  • Graduate from UNC with a DPT degree in August 2018
  • Begin my PT career – and experience a variety of settings including Outpatient, Acute Care, Inpatient Rehab, and Industrial/ wellness clinical settings.
  • Further involvement with the professional association, continuing education opportunities and conferences Consider residency/ fellowship opportunities to expand my DPT education and delve deeper into 1 or more specialty areas in line with my variety of interest settings.

Self-Assessment
Areas of strength

  • Build rapport and convey respect and concern quickly.
  • Professionalism regarding how I am prepared each day for work, accountability to clients and colleagues to follow through with all assignments, and maintaining appropriate communication with and about patients and their families.
  • Cultural competency and eliminating preconceived or prejudicial influences from my interactions with each patient.

Areas for improvement

  • Plain language – I must replace “PT speak” for plain language to get my point across in a way that all patients can understand.
  • Documentation – I continue to search for the best note taking and record keeping system so that complete and accurate notes are documented regarding treatments and interventions employed in each session.
  • Confidence – Perhaps I am my own worst critic as a previous clinical instructor stated, but I eagerly seek more experience and exposure to patient care opportunities to help me build that confidence.

Objectives – Future Focus

  • Muscle strengthening and pain management for cancer patients with bone metastases.
    Compare pharmacologic vs. exercise interventions for pain reduction in cancer patients with bone metastases.
  • Falls prevention in the geriatric population
    Complete the online APTA course on the Otago Exercise Program for falls prevention in older adults.
  • Gait training with stroke patients
    Research at least 2 training approaches for improving gait quality for stroke patients

Elective Education
PHYT 754, Fall 2017 – Independent Research, 3 credits
PHYT 870, Spring 2018 – Integrated Clinical Experience – Orthopedic, 2 credits
PHYT 895, Spring 2018 – Interdisciplinary Service Learning Trip, 1 credit

Examples of Work

Advanced Patient Management – Oncology Final Assignment
Advanced Patient Management – Spinal Cord Injury Final Assignment
Evidence Based Practice II – Critically Appraised Topic
Capstone Project Manuscript – Role of Balance Confidence on Mobility Performance in Community Terrain

Reflections

Physical Therapy is a wide field, and each semester has opened my eyes to new applications of PT and unique populations and objectives that can be served. Over the course of 4 clinical rotations and 1 semester of ICE, I have identified an interest in both orthopaedic and neurologic PT conditions. That said, I believe my progression after graduation would be establishing a foundation of orthopaedic practice where I can hone my evaluation, diagnosis, and plan of care development skills. I hope to work in a clinic where I am not limited to orthopaedic clients so that with mentorship I am able to become more proficient with neurologic evaluations and treatments as well. Neurologic conditions and evaluations are more complex and challenging for me. Additionally, the special populations we encountered for our Advance Patient Management courses allowed me to really consider more closely the oncology and cardiopulmonary patients, among others. These individuals have unique diagnoses to factor into a plan of care, and are often found within both orthopaedic and neurologic impairments seen in outpatient and acute settings. As far as my self-assessment on my progress toward my goals, I am right on track. My confidence is growing by the day in my final rotation, I am preparing and expecting to successfully complete the licensure examination after graduation, and I am networking and building my exposure to potential employers.

One response so far




One Response to “Alan Levinson”

  1.   Lisa Johnstonon 18 Jun 2018 at 9:42 am

    Alan: Great job on your portfolio. I am sure it is great to see the end coming closer. Thanks for sharing the samples of your work. It is nice to see all you have accomplished. Good luck to you. Lisa

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