Dec 03 2020

Feinberg, Raiya

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Professional Goal Statement

Upon graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, I plan to remain in North Carolina and develop my career as a compassionate, educated, unbiased physical therapist treating patients of all backgrounds. I have a special interest in working with neurologic conditions and my goal is to use the skill set and tools I have developed throughout my schooling to become a successful entry-level physical therapist. Once I have achieved this, I hope to further my professional skills through continuing education courses, maintaining an APTA membership, and becoming a Clinical Instructor for new physical therapy students. I will strive to be a therapist that uses evidence-based practice to provide my patients with the best possible care.

Career Plan

May 2018: Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Clemson University

August 2018- July 2021: Doctor of Physical Therapy program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  • Summer 2019: UNC Hospital- Acute Care Clinical Rotation
    • 8 weeks
    • Cancer and Neuroscience Hospitals
    • Chapel Hill, NC
  • Spring 2020: Cape Fear Valley Health- Neurologic Clinical Rotation
    • 2.5 weeks (terminated early due to COVID-19)
    • Outpatient Adult Neurology Clinic
    • Fayetteville, NC
  • Spring 2021: Compleat Rehab and Sports Medicine- Outpatient Clinical Rotation
    • 8 weeks
    • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
    • Gastonia, NC
  • Summer 2021: Atrium Health- Inpatient Rehabilitation Clinical Rotation
    • 12 weeks
    • Spinal Cord Injury Unit
    • Charlotte, NC

July 2021: Sit for the National Physical Therapy Exam

July 31st 2021: Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy

By October 2021: Obtain a job working as a physical therapist in North Carolina

2021 and beyond:

  • Maintain an APTA membership
  • Work as a Clinical Instructor to new physical therapy students
  • Obtain the Neurological Certified Specialist (NCS) certification

 

Self-Assessment

Strengths:

  • Compassionate, caring, and respectful towards patients, family members, and coworkers
  • Good communication skills that allow me to build rapport with coworkers and patients
  • Able to maintain professionalism while being culturally competent and inclusive of all individuals

Areas for Further Development:

  • Increasing my confidence in the skills and knowledge I have gained during the last 3 years
  • Improving my involvement with the APTA and NC state legislature
  • Keep up to date with the most current evidence-based literature

 

Objectives

Special Areas of Interest: Neurology (Acute, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient)

  • Enroll in the Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention elective course for the spring of 2021.
  • Graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in August of 2021.
  • Sit for and pass the National Physical Therapy Licensure Exam in July 2021.
  • Obtain a job working as a physical therapist in a neurologic setting in North Carolina by October 2021.

Specific Strategies

  • Complete and pass all graduate course work.
  • Complete a 12-week clinical rotation in a neurologic setting in spring of 2021.
  • Enroll in an online study and preparatory course for the National Physical Therapy Exam during the spring of 2021.
  • Upon graduation and passing the National Physical Therapy Exam, search for career opportunities that will allow me to work with a neurologic patient population.

Products

Below you will find links to several projects and products I created during my final year in the program.

Community Health and Wellness Program for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Annual Exam for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Critically Appraised Topic: The use of Virtual Reality (VR) to improve functional mobility post-stroke

Doctoral Project

The Impacts of COVID-19 on Rehabilitation Practice: A Clinician Perspective

  • A mixed methods research study examining how a global pandemic affected therapy services provided in a hospital setting.
  • Presented to the rehabilitation staff and administration at UNC Hospitals.

Advisor: Dr. Jessica Cassidy, PT, DPT, PhD

Products:

Link to capstone website: dptcapstone.web.unc.edu/2021/04/12/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-rehabilitation-practice-a-clinician-perspective-2/

Elective Course Work

Fall 2020:

  • Research Experience (PHYT 754)
    • Spent 3 credit hours in the Fall semester researching and preparing to put together my doctoral level capstone project in the Spring. I chose to research how COVID-19 has affected the delivery of rehabilitation services.

Spring 2021:

  • Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention (PHYT 885)
    • 3 credit hours exploring a deeper knowledge of neurological conditions and intervention options that can be seen in acute care, inpatient, and outpatient therapies.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace is extremely important and in recent years its an issue that has been brought to light. In order to farther my understanding of this issue and learn methods to combat it, I chose to research several articles to educate myself on the matter. Below you will find reflections from two of the several articles, summarizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion within healthcare.

  1. Diversity in Healthcare: Driven by Leadership – ProQuest. https://search.proquest.com/docview/203897176?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true. Accessed May 8, 2021.

Diversity in the workplace can create a more successful working environment in which individual differences and ideas contribute to a larger picture of productivity and equality. However, in order to achieve a diverse workplace, changes must be made by higher level management and institutions. Healthcare facilities often hire leaders that fail to represent the diversity in the surrounding community. This leads to a lack of individualistic ideas at the top of the system. Studies have shown that less than 10% of hospital CEO’s are minorities while the communities surrounding hospital systems are evolving into multicultural environments. Several hospital systems around the country have decreased funds for diversity training programs and do not have a plan in place to encourage employees to participate in cultural competence. For change to occur, institutions must support diversity initiatives and provide education about the patient population to employees can best sever their patients. This starts with the recognition of mistakes and implementing plans for change. I hope that once I enter the work field, I will have the opportunity to engage in diversity seminars, training courses, and peer conversations to help be a part of the change.

  1. Armada AA, Hubbard MF. Diversity in healthcare: time to get REAL! Front Health Serv Manage. 2010;26(3):3-17.

It is terrible to see the research showing that people of color receive lower quality healthcare compared to white patients. Hospital systems that put forth a required cultural competence program for employees are often introduced by CEOs and led by human resources managers and staff. While having HR representatives present for these discussions is beneficial, HR staff is not trained in medical management of patients. They do not understand the differences that patients of color may experience while moving through the healthcare system. This can include things such as racial and ethnic patterns in disease incidence and symptom presentation, insurance regulations, disparities in language access and the use of outcome measures with non-English speaking patients, etc. Currently, there is an isolation between the management side and the clinical side of healthcare. I believe there needs to be a move from CEOs and HR representatives leading these initiatives alone to the incorporation of clinicians and even past patients that come from different cultural, racial, financial, and other backgrounds. This is an issue that must be combated by several groups of individuals coming together. Healthcare systems need to collect data on their patient population, their staff population, and their administrative population and create a plan based on the needs identified. This is easier said than done; however, something has to be done. It hurts me to read about the diminished quality of care that minority groups receive from the American healthcare system.

Reflection

Becoming a physical therapist has been a life goal of mine since I was in high school. I look back to the 15 year old version of myself and the hopes and dreams I had then and I am so proud to say I am finally achieving them. The last 3 years in this doctoral program were not easy; however, I have grown as an individual, a peer, and a clinician. I cannot believe the time has come to no longer be a student and to stand alone as a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

I would like to thank all of the incredible professors at UNC Chapel Hill for providing me with the knowledge, support, and guidance that led me to this point. I would also like to thank all of my clinical instructors for standing by me and encouraging me to become the best clinician I can be. To the class of 2021, I could not have done this without you. These last 3 years were tough on their own, let alone adding in a global pandemic, but we made it! Lastly, my amazing family and friends that have constantly supported me on my career path.

I have learned invaluable lessons during the last 3 years. Most importantly, we’re all humans. Every patient is individual in their diagnosis, deficits, and recovery; however, they are all humans and deserve to be provided with the best care possible. I am excited to begin my career as a physical therapist, changing lives every single day and helping patient’s achieve their fullest potential.

2 responses so far




2 Responses to “Feinberg, Raiya”

  1.   Lisa Johnstonon 02 Jun 2021 at 1:57 pm

    Raiya: Great job on your portfolio. It is really nice to see samples of your work. I so much appreciate the help you provided in my class last fall. We will miss you! Good luck and stay in touch! Lisa

    Reply

  2.   Jessica Cassidyon 07 Jun 2021 at 1:34 pm

    Wow, Raiya! Fantastic job on your portfolio. I especially enjoyed reading and viewing examples of your work beyond our Capstone time together. Best of luck over these next few months. Please don’t hesitate to reach out beyond graduation. -Jessica

    Reply

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