May 21 2019

Morse, David

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Professional Goals Statement

  • To make meaningful contribution to the profession of PT through evidence-based practice, novel application of existing evidence and new approaches. I plan on driving evidence-based care through participation research projects as a clinician. I also plan on completing requirements to become a Neurological Clinical Specialist in order to further advance my knowledge and skills in treatment of patients with neurological conditions.

Career Plan

Accomplished

  • May 2007: BA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a specialization in Geographic Information Services (GIS)
  • October 2007 – August 2010: Geographer/Mapping Technician for the US Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Services National Resources Inventory
  • May 2012: MA in Applied Geography with a specialization in Urban and Regional Planning and Geographic Information Systems from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • May 2012 – August 2013 and May 2014 – August 2015: GIS Specialist at the Town of Chapel Hill Long Range Transportation Planning Department.
  • August 2013 – May 2014: PhD in Applied Geography at the University of Connecticut (completed all but dissertation)
  • August 2015 – August 2016 – GIS Mapping Supervisor and Analyst at Counter Tools Inc

 

Anticipated

  • DPT 2019
  • Neurologic Specialist Certification (NCS)
  • Clinical Based Research Position

 

Clinical Affiliations

  • June 2017, 8 weeks: Acute Care, UNC Hospital Cardiopulmonary Service, Chapel Hill NC
  • March 2018, 8 weeks: Outpatient Orthopedics, Mills River Physical Therapy, Mills River NC
  • May 2018, 8 weeks: Inpatient Rehabilitation at UNC Hospital, Chapel Hill NC
  • May 2019, 12 weeks: Outpatient Neurologic Therapy, Atrium Health Rehabilitation Center, Monroe NC

 

Electives

  • 2017: Tyrrell County Service Learning Spring Break Trip
  • 2018: Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy
  • 2019: Integrated Clinical Experience in outpatient orthopedics
  • 2019: Guatemala Service Learning Trip

 

Professional Development and Experiences

  • 2016 – Present: American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and North Carolina Physical Therapy Association NCPTA Member
  • 2017: Poster presentation at NCPTA conference; Application of Stance Control Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis in the acute stroke population for gait training. (Preliminary Results)
  • 2018: Assisted in development of a coding strategy for use in a R21 exploratory grant funded falls in older adults in skilled nursing homes and the effect of threshold lighting in reducing falls frequency for those at risk for falling when mobilizing at night.
  • 2019: Poster presentation at UNC Human Movement Science Symposium; Application of a Stance Control Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis in the acute stroke population for gait training (Final Results and analysis)

Self Assessment

Strengths

    • Strong college level teaching skills
    • Effective interpersonal communication skills
    • Previous experience as a PhD and MA student performing grant writing and research-based activities.
    • A diversity of prior work experiences demonstrating ability to work in multiple settings and also supervising personnel in a project-based work environment and effectively managing workflows.

 

Areas for further development

    • Develop experience working with a diversity of patients
    • Increase ease with application of therapeutic approaches introduced to me as a DPT student.
    • Increase participation in advocacy for the PT profession
    • Increase knowledge of maintaining and operating a stand-alone clinic.

 

Objectives- State your special areas of interest and at least three main objectives for graduate study, listed in measurable terms.

  • Pass the NCPTE in October of 2019
  • Gain full-time employment as a physical therapist after taking board exams in October 2019
  • Become a Neurologic Clinical Specialist within 3 years of working as a PT
  • Participate in clinical instruction to give back to the profession
  • Increase involvement with the APTA and NCPTA through participation in advocacy
  • Participate in the production of evidence as a clinician through research

Specific Strategies

  • Continue to take advantage of existing research project going on at UNC in order to participate in research develop research writing skills
  • Develop a study schedule and timeline for the NCPTE
  • Maintain my APTA Membership in order to utilize member resources.
  • Become a member of the Neurology Section of the APTA

Specific Course Plan

  • PHYT 875 Advanced Orthopedic Assessment: I plan on taking the course to improve my knowledge of orthopedic conditions and treatment approaches so as to provide a more thorough background for treating a variety of patients in the clinic. While it is not my plan to work full time as an outpatient orthopedic therapist I feel that having this background will prove invaluable in the clinic setting where I cannot predict the patient population I will receive after graduation.
  • PHYT 885 Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention:I will be focusing my professional development around the neurologic population and will certainly benefit from time spent doing an in-depth review of a subset of this population during this class.  I hope that my time here will lay the groundwork for future research and directly contribute to my capstone project.
  • Integrated Clinical Experience: During this period, I will continue to hone my ability to evaluate and treat patients in the outpatient environment which will assist prior to my last clinical rotation which will be in a neurological patient population.  The ICE environment will be one of orthopedic therapy which will provide me with a diverse background better preparing me for a generalist approach to practice and hopefully attune my ability to not only treat neurologic and orthopedic conditions but know when and when not to refer.
  • PHYT 754 Research Experience: Participate in research project with may lead to the development of a capstone project and potentially publication on topics such as gait training post stroke, propulsive reserve and its potential role as a tool in gait training after upper motor neuron injury (stroke), and/or the effects of dual task activities on motor learning.

Work Samples

  • Follow this link to view my capstone project in its entirety including the research findings and poster presentation.
  • Follow this link to view a reflective story map I created after my service learning trip to Tyrell County NC.
  • Follow this link to view a falls prevention self assessment and home modification guide I produced during my second clinical rotation in an outpatient underserved area which needed a some good falls related home modification material to give to their patients.

Reflective statement and assessment of progress toward goals.

  • As a student physical therapist I have started to accomplish some of my career goals. I have already made a meaningful contribution to the field through participation in research exploring novel approaches to gait training for those with acute stroke. I am also well on my way to completing all the requirements for graduation from a DPT program and have created a study plan to ensure that I am prepared for he NCPTE in late October. During my time as a  student I have also participated in PT outreach and service learning which has resulted in some of the most meaningful experiences during PT school. My service learning trips to Tyrell County NC and to Guatemala taught me more about health disparity in terms of access, quality of care, and public health issues leading prevalence of preventable conditions being directly related to where in the state or in which country you live.  I have and will continue to seek out research opportunities as a clinician related to these issues. I am progressing well toward my goal to become a neurological clinical specialist. My last two rotations have been in neurological settings, inpatient and outpatient, and I plan on transitioning to full time work in these same settings. This, along with ongoing participation in continuing education related to my clinical work will put me on track to participate in residency with 3 years after graduation. I have also been able to develop experience in treatment of a diversity of patients and have become comfortable applying the therapeutic approaches taught to me in DPT school. I have also been able to participate in PT advocacy at the state level during advocacy day in 2017 and 2019 at the NC Legislature in Raleigh. I plan on continuing to advocate for my profession by maintaining my memberships with the NCPTA and APTA, and continuing to communicate with my peers and representatives on policy related to PT which I am passionate about. Finally, I have gained valuable insight into the operation of a stand alone PT clinic. During my outpatient orthopedic clinical rotation my supervisor was the owner of the clinic and provided me the opportunity to contribute to the behind the scenes operations of  marketing and community outreach (falls education clinic at a local church). Overall, I am well on my way to meeting my broader career goals and I have met all the goals I set for myself as a PT student. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the DPT program at UNC, one of the best schools in the county, and with some of the best educators I have had the chance to learn from during all of my higher education experience.

2 responses so far




2 Responses to “Morse, David”

  1.   Lisa Johnstonon 11 Jun 2019 at 4:33 pm

    David: I am so happy to get to see your hard work and your future plans. You have accomplished a lot and I am sure there are great things ahead in your future. Good luck to you! Lisa

    Reply

  2.   Michael Lewekon 14 Jun 2019 at 1:05 pm

    David
    You have been so productive during your time here, contributing to various research and service learning projects. You have set great goals for yourself. I look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the future.
    Mike

    Reply

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