PTSMC Developing Our Next Leaders
A Focus on Development
In this ever-changing field, PTSMC values the advancement of knowledge and skills to ensure patients receive the best and most current care available. Both in-house education programs and financial support for employees to seek external educational opportunities are afforded to PTSMC clinical staff. PTSMC has supported several staff in achieving advanced degrees and certifications.
Commitment to Clinical Excellence
Our clinicians are committed to delivering exceptional quality care, and believe that clinical excellence is a commitment to life-long learning. Education, evidence, technology and techniques will continue to evolve. As an organization and as clinicians, PTSMC accepts and embraces this evolution through our Clinical Education and Mentorship Program.
Three Components of Clinical Excellence
The program is developed to ensure clinicians receive the appropriate training and assistance to grow personally and professionally as PTSMC employees. The New Clinician Program is mandatory for all physical therapists regardless of experience. The program is broken up into three components:
1. External Continuing Education
2. Internal Continuing Education
3. Clinical Mentorship
External Education Opportunities
Clinicians have the choice of 5 external continued education courses in the first 3 years of employment. Current options include: Evidence in Motion, Sacred Heart University, Paris, Maitland, Mulligan, McKenzie, IAOM and IOMT. Most of these are offered by bringing external courses to PTSMC. Additional options are available with prior approval.
Internal Education Opportunities
In addition to external coursework, PTSMC clinicians attend 9 internally taught courses over a 2 year period.
Coursework includes:
- Clinical Reasoning and the PTSMC Patient Experience
- Cervicothoracic
- Lumbar
- Upper Extremity
- Lower Extremity
- Medical Screening and Red Flags
- Examination and Treatment of Concussion
- Return to Sport and Functional Testing for the
- Upper and Lower Extremities
- PT For Life: Living the Dream
Clinical Mentorship
Clinical mentorship is the backbone of all physical therapy residency and fellowship programs. It helps clinicians with their clinical reasoning process, improved clinical pattern recognition and allows clinicians to become more efficient and effective faster than clinicians who have not received this training.
All new PTSMC clinicians receive mentorship support by one of our expert Certified Orthopedic Specialists (OCS) trained physical therapists. Mentorship is 5 hours monthly for up to 12 months or as long as needed, and one hour biweekly to review clinical cases. One-on-one meetings are scheduled each quarter with the Director of Clinical Excellence, Danielle Dunn, to review mentorship and clinician development.
Leadership Management Development Group (LMDP)
PTSMC believes in growing from within; particularly in leadership opportunities. We commit time and resources to interested and qualified employees to train in and develop leadership skills and business acumen. Our LMDP is a turn-key program for physical therapists to launch into partnership and ownership. Not only does LMDP provide the opportunity for physical therapists to grow, it also provides a launch pad for staff to grow into leadership positions within PTSMC.