DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My goal is to integrate my previous professional and personal experiences with my outstanding DPT education to provide patient-centered care for patients across the lifespan. I plan to integrate evidence based practice into my daily clinical practice and surround myself with experienced therapists who share the same desire for lifelong learning. I want to help patients, no matter what their circumstance, to help regain control over their lives, improve function and improve their quality of life.

Career Plan

• Bachelor of Arts in Athletic Training – Hope College (2008)
• Master of Arts in Athletic Training/Exercise Sports Science – UNC-CH (2010)
• Employed as Athletic Trainer at a private K-12 school and UNC-CH (2010-2014)
• UNC Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program (2014-2017)
  1. Clinical Rotations:
     • Vidant Medical Center, Greenville, NC – Acute Care: Trauma ICU and Step-down Unit
     • Trinity Wellness Center, Raleigh, NC – Outpatient Ortho
     • Carolinas Rehabilitation, Charlotte, NC – Inpatient Rehab- Neuro/SCI Team
     • UNC Rex Health Care, Raleigh, NC – Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Ortho
• Attended Evidence Informed Approach to Spinal Manipulation Course (February 2014)
• Attended NCPTA Fall Conference (October 2016)
• Attended Herman and Wallace Pelvic Floor Function, Dysfunction & Treatment I Course – Tampa Bay, FL (Jan 2017)
• Participated in interdisciplinary service learning trip to Tyrrell County, NC (March 2017)
• Sit for/Pass NCPTE (July 2017)
• Graduate with Doctorate of Physical Therapy (August 2017)
• Be employed as Physical Therapist in the state of North Carolina (Fall 2017)
• Be Clinical Instructor at place of employment for accredited PT program (Fall 2019)
• Become APTA Clinical Specialist in one field (By 2022)

Self-Assessment

Strengths

• Valuable clinical experience as an athletic trainer working with middle school to college athletes
• Ability to build a rapport with patients and their families
• Desire and commitment to being a lifelong learner
• Experience collecting data and being the principal investigator on a study
• Experience being a clinical instructor and teacher as an athletic trainer
• Experience communicating with coaches, athletes, families, administrators, doctors and other medical staff
• Non-traditional student with real-life experience and perspective
• Experience with medically and emotionally complex patients, including those with chronic pelvic pain

Areas of Professional Development

• Knowledge and understanding of reimbursement, billing and insurance
• Speed of documentation
• Direction and supervision of support staff such as PTAs and aides

Objectives

My diverse opportunities through my clinical affiliations have demonstrated that my clinical interests are widespread. I loved my inpatient rehab rotation working predominately with spinal cord injuries, both traumatic and non-traumatic. The ability to spend 2-3 hours with a patient each day is priceless and as a PT, you can genuinely see the impact you have on the patient’s life by improving their function. I am also enjoying working with patients with pelvic floor dysfunction, gaining a better understanding of the pelvic floor’s influence on the body systems, while being able to utilizing my ortho and manual therapy skills.

Specific Objectives:

Improve proficiency with evaluation and intervention of patients with varying diagnoses (MSK and Neuro) evidenced by carrying full caseload without additional doc time needed by time of graduation.

• In the Fall, I completed 2 credit hours of Integrated Clinical Experience where I spent 60 hours each with patients with neurological conditions and those with orthopedic impairments in the outpatient setting. This experience, paired with taking Advanced Orthopedic Assessment as an elective in the Fall, offered me additional knowledge and experience in working with these patient populations. Additionally, completing my Capstone project on shoulder overuse in SCI allowed me to become well informed on the available evidence and application of this evidence for individuals with spinal cord injury.

Improve in confidence with the shoulder, including anatomy, evaluation, and intervention options.

• During my 60 hours of ICE in orthopedics, I was able to perform several UE evaluations and develop the patient’s POC. I also wrote my final paper for Advanced Orthopedic Assessment on anatomy, mechanical properties, associated injuries and management of the biceps pulley. This allowed me to appraise the evidence and garner a better understanding of the shoulder. The shoulder was also the focus of my capstone product, which looked at the prevalence of shoulder overuse in individuals with spinal cord injuries and determine the clinical implications of the evidence regarding shoulder exercise programs and transfer training.

Improve proficiency with thorough yet concise documentation, including documenting at time of service demonstrated by carrying full caseload without additional doc time needed by time of graduation.

• Completing 120 hours of Integrated Clinical Experience definitely improved my confidence and proficiency in this area. I feel more prepared to achieve this goal by the end of my last clinical affiliation because of this.

Learn more about women’s health and determine if this is an area of practicing clinical interest

• In January 2017, I flew to Tampa Bay, FL and attended the Herman and Wallace Pelvic Floor Function, Dysfunction & Treatment I Course. This three day course was fascinating and assisted in making me more prepared for my last clinical affiliation in pelvic floor dysfunction. I am enjoying working with this patient population and feel that there may be ways for me to merge my interest in this body region and the neurologic population.

Course Plan

• Fall
  1. PHYT 875: Advanced Orthopedic Assessment (3 hrs)
  2. PHYT 870: Integrated Clinical Experience (ICE) (2 hr)
• Spring
  1. PHYT 896: Interprofessional Service Learning with Vulnerable Populations (1 hr)

Academic Product Examples

Capstone

• I had the opportunity to develop an educational supplement for the PHYT 785 – Neuro Assessment II course. The voicethread lecture focuses on the prevalence of shoulder overuse injuries in individuals with spinal cord injury, the impact it has on function and independence, and the role of the sitting pivot transfer and shoulder exercise programs in preventing and decreasing shoulder pain. The voicethread also contains embedded videos of a patient performing sitting pivot transfers and shoulder exercises with a physical therapist providing instruction, cues, and technique compensations that PTs should be aware of. Access my capstone site here:

Final Course Paper

• In the Fall, I composed a paper discussing the relevant anatomy, mechanical properties, associated injuries and recommended management of the biceps pulley. Friedline Weber_Biceps Pulley_Final Paper

Health Promotion Program Proposal

• In the Fall, I developed a program proposal for a health promotion program targeting the postpartum population. This program discusses the need for such a program, evidence supporting the influence of exercise (yoga, pilates, aerobic, pelvic floor muscle training) for postpartum women while considering social determinants and ecological models of health behaviors. Friedline Weber_Mommy Matters, Too

Clinical Affiliation In-service

• During my inpatient rehab rotation, I presented to PT’s and OT’s talking about the evidence regarding use of the Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) bicycle for individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury or brain injury. Friedline Weber_FES Cycle

Reflective Statement

Previously being a Tar Heel, it was a no brainer that UNC was my top choice when I decided to pursue a degree in physical therapy. At the start of the DPT program, I said I was honored and humbled to be a Tar Heel again and be a part of such a well-recognized, established program. Today, I couldn’t agree more with this statement. UNC has provided me with numerous opportunities and adventures including performing an interdisciplinary service learning trip to Tyrrell County, NC, completing my final clinical affiliation in a specialty area, completing ICE experiences with faculty working with patients with neurological and orthopedic impairments, volunteering at SHAC, attending additional manual therapy learning sessions with orthopedic residents, and playing goalball to support Bridge to Sports. These opportunities paired with the knowledgeable and invested faculty have allowed me to become a skilled practitioner who can clinically reason through problems, which I am eternally grateful for. I also can’t forget my wonderful classmates. We have been through what feels like a three year whirlwind and I can’t image going through this experience with anyone else. The friendships and bonds we have formed will forever be cherished. Finally, my husband. He supported and encouraged my initial decision to pursue physical therapy and has been nothing but a rock star throughout these three years!  I am excited to see where the profession of physical therapy takes me over the next several years as I continue to explore which setting and patient population are the best fit.

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