DPT Portfolios

Adamson, Chris

 

Professional Goal Statement

As a physical therapist, I hope to bring a different perspective to the physical therapy experience. The knowledge and education attained through completion of a physical therapy program is an incredibly powerful tool that allows us to provide optimal patient care in a variety of settings. Through entrepreneurial ventures, I hope to promote the profession in a positive light while empowering my colleagues to recognize their worth and encourage personal and professional growth. In my opinion, there is an incredible need for our help, yet an underutilization of our services due a lack of public knowledge regarding the scope of our practice, a lack of promotion from current therapists, and constant financial restrictions for accessing our services. It is my mission to break down these barriers and open doors for physical therapists that have not been possible before, for the benefit of our patients and our profession.

 

Career Advancement Thus Far

• April 2017
  • Passed the Board of Certification Exam to receive my Athletic Training Certification (ATC)
• May 2017
  • Passed the National Strength and Conditioning Associations Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists Exam to obtain the CSCS designation
• May 2017
  • Graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training
• August 2019
  • Began the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• June-August 2019
  • Clinical Affiliation at Craven Physical Therapy & Spine in New Bern, North Carolina (8 weeks)
• March 2019
  • Clinical Affiliation at UNC Hospital – Hillsborough, NC (2 weeks)
• March-April 2021
  • Clinical Affiliation at Pivot Physical Therapy – Wake Forest, NC (9 weeks)
• May 2021
  • Architech Sports & Physical Therapy – Pineville, NC (2 weeks)
• May-July 2021
  • University Physical Therapy – Hillsborough, NC (10 weeks)

 

Future Plans

• July 29th 2021
  • Sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)
• July 31st 2021
  • Graduate from the University of North Carolina with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree
• 2021-2023
  • Be employed as a Physical Therapist
  • Start a mobile physical therapy business that specializes in pain reduction and manual therapy techniques.
• 2021-2028
  • Grow my practice and employ other therapists
• 2023-2033
  • Pursue and obtain Clinical Electrophysiology Specialist certification (ECS)
• 2030-20XX
  • Continue growing business, promoting profession and begin mentoring young physical therapists and entrepreneurs

 

Self-Assessment

• Strengths
  • Background in human sciences with a BS in athletic training and DPT education
  • High level athletic background, personal experience and knowledge regarding sports injury, injury prevention and rehabilitation
  • Strong communication skills, bedside manner, and ability to interact with patients and colleagues.
  • Inventive/creative mindset that increases my problem-solving skills.
  • Entrepreneurial spirit and business aptitude
  • Optimistic personality
• Areas for Professional Development
  • Implementation of outcome measure and evidence-based practice
  • Involvement in professional organizations
  • Political advocacy for the profession
  • Supervision of other physical therapy staff such as PTAs
  • Further development of clinical reasoning and evaluation skills

 

Objectives

• Pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) in 2021
• Graduate with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from UNC-Chapel Hill in August of 2021
• Begin working in the State of North Carolina as a physical therapist
• Create a successful physical therapy business that promotes the profession and employs future-minded therapists
• Mentor the younger generation of physical therapists

 

Specific Strategies

• Create a study plan to ensure success on the NPTE in October
• Enter into clinical practice soon after graduation to maintain and expand upon clinical skills.
• Implement prior business experience, education received in school and leverage guidance from my mentors and prior relationships to create a successful physical therapy practice
• Enroll in a clinical electrophysiology residency and pursue mentorship
• Attend business workshops and physical therapy conferences to continue learning and implementing a successful business plan

 

Electives

Fall:

• Business school elective, 3 credit

Spring:

• PHYT 800 – Independent Study, 2 credit
• PHYT 800 Section 965 – Sports medicine, 1 credit

 

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

The Most Sacred Right – NPR Podcast on Fredrick Douglass and Universal Suffrage

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/02/919532810/the-most-sacred-right

The point of a vote is to have the ability to voice your opinion and have it be reflected in the governance of your nation. To allow those with less influence to be granted more freedoms and rights in the trajectory of theirs and their families lives. This is the principle of Popular sovereignty that Frederick Douglass fought so hard to achieve and maintain throughout his life. He believed that natural rights are like the rights to breathe, they belong to everybody and that the right to vote is the most sacred form of protection in a republic. We can learn so much from his work towards ending slavery and the pursuit of universal suffrage. I look at the right to vote similarly to the right to access and be provided with quality health care services. The current state of healthcare pushes unreasonable productivity demands that are constricting the amount of time we can spend with our patients. This is a problem that disproportionally affects minorities, those with disabilities, or those facing economic hardship. As I set out into my career, I want to make sure that I do not get caught up in the rush of the day, and that I take the time to listen to each of my patients concerns, demonstrate to them that I am understanding them, and provide them all with quality care and opportunity regardless of their personal circumstances. As I’ve described below, I intend to start a mobile physical therapy practice and one of the ideas I’ve had for this is to provide pro-bono services on weekends to rural communities who are underserved and have less accessibility to quality healthcare.

 

Reflections on Race and Medicine in the Year of COVID-19 and Nationwide Protests – Damon Tweedy, MD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xyadm9Mhqk

In this discussion about racial inequality in medicine, Dr. Tweedy shared some excellent clinical examples and perspectives as a black man in the medical field. One of the most striking examples he shared was this concept of racist biology in the research and how medical management of common diseases differs based on race. He explained that in clinical practice, there is a different medication for blood pressure management for black people than there is for white people. Similar, in managing kidney disease, there is a different coefficient used when calculating medication that is based on literature that focused on black individuals having more muscle mass than white people. Dr. Tweedy emphasized two main points in this scenario, 1. Who are we to determine whether someone is black or white? Considering this is dependent on their ancestral origins and percentages vary from person to person. 2. We should not be characterizing diseases as “typically black” or “typically white”, as he provided an example of someone who appeared to be black, but had a presentation characteristic of cystic fibrosis, which is predominantly found in white populations. These are just a handful of the many biases that exist in health care. The other key discussion point Dr. Tweedy addressed was the importance of documentation and he emphasized that all medical professionals are writers. He explained that we are writers translating the story of our patients and to not discount the importance of documentation because our words can have implications on their future care. This is something I will take with me going forward to ensure my documentation is as objective as possible and only what is medically necessary to pass on to the next provider. To summarize the presentation, Dr. Tweedy quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in saying, “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” I think this is a great phrase to live by as I head into my career!

 

Capstone Project

For my capstone project, I teamed up with classmate Kyle Wolfe to work on our dream of starting a mobile physical therapy practice. The capstone project built upon our business plan that was developed in PHYT 705 – Managing Contemporary Practice class taught by Dr. Ellen Roeber. The focus of the capstone was to provide some of the research backing, and feasibility of implementing this business into the Raleigh-Durham area. You can view the project at the link below:

https://dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/2021/04/15/chrisadamson-onsitept/

 

Independent Study (PHYT 800)

For my independent, I worked closely with Dr. Jon Hacke on the current state of Dry Needling. I reviewed the literature, prepared an evidence table, and produced an informative document on DN that includes the history, the theoretical basis, current research, and methods being used. You can view this document here:

DN Independent Study 

 

Reflective Statement

Throughout my time here at UNC I’ve experienced a lot of growth in my understanding of physical therapy and the impact we can make on our patients. I’ve been challenged to expand my knowledge in areas where I lack confidence, and I’ve been able to build on my areas of strength. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the ability to intertwine my mobile PT dreams into my curriculum to be better prepared for the challenges that face any new business. Alongside my partner, I’ve developed a business model, discovered some of the supporting evidence on pain interventions, and assessed the feasibility in the local market. I’m excited to embark on my own PT journey and to see my efforts finally pay off. I’m grateful for the education and opportunity that UNC has given me and I will forever cherish my time here.

Comments RSS