Dr. Lori Mize has been invited to present at the 2023 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting. This is a reprise of her 2022 presentation that packed the conference room and resulted in a Podcast and invitations to speak at other schools. The presentation , “SPT to DPT”, helps students navigate the transition from being a student to a clinical professional.  The APTA Combined Sections Meeting will be held in San Diego, California on February 22-25, 2023.

CSM 2023

February 22-25, 2023 – San Diego, California

Congrats to Drs. Lowe, Flowers, Fletcher and Yates for their recent publication in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education entitled The Effects of Experiential Learning on Perceived Clinical Reasoning and Self-efficacy of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. Lowe, Leah PT, PhD, PCS; Flowers, Meredith PT, PhD, PCS; Fletcher, James PT, PhD; Yates, Charlotte PT, PhD, PCS. Journal of Physical Therapy Education: June 2022 – Volume 36 – Issue 2 – p 122-127.

We are putting out a call for any and all thespians among our UCA PT alumni.

In response to student feedback, we have modified an existing course in year 2 of our curriculum (Complex Patient Management in PT) and we could use your help! In addition to the didactic portion of the course, students will be challenged with simulated patient experiences in order to prepare them for their final Clinical Practica in year 3. We have implemented similar experiences in our Adult Neuro course this past spring, and the response of both students and volunteer clinicians was overwhelmingly positive. We are seeking more volunteers to aid in this endeavor to continue strengthening our program.

This is where you come in.
• Volunteers are needed who can take on the role of a patient or caregiver.
• As PT’s, you have been through the practical exams during PT school and may have worked with students as clinical instructors. You are uniquely qualified to anticipate student responses and challenge them to problem solve on their feet.
• Cases will be provided with the simulated Dx and general progression of the case. Simply show up and have fun with it.
• Cases range from a patient who is non-verbal, post COVID in the ICU to a patient in LTAC with an amputation, post brain tumor resection, and a home health patient who is depressed, with UTI, and hypotensive. Simulated caregiver roles are also needed.
• Simulations are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday afternoons this summer (see dates below). Come for one hour or several hours depending on your availability.
• No grading is required but any feedback you can provide to students is welcome and encouraged.
• We want to encourage our graduates to invest in their alma mater and we will have a small token of appreciation for those who participate as volunteers. We are grateful and fortunate to have such dedicated Alumni to help us make these opportunities possible.

TUESDAY/THURSDAY Simulations 11:30am-5pm
June 21st & 23rd
July 5th & 7th
July 19th & 21st
July 26th & 28th
Final Practical: August 9th at 11:30am-5pm and August 10th at 9:30am-4:30pm

Contact Dr. Lara Davis, ldavis39@uca.edu, or Dr. Margaret McGee, mmcgee@uca.edu, for details.

Congratulations to UCA Physical Therapy faculty, Dr. Leah Lowe and Dr. Charlotte Yates, who have been accepted to present educational sessions at the 17th Annual Physical Therapy Education Leadership Conference to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this fall on November 28-30.

Session title: Experiential Learning in Pediatric DPT Education: Implementation, Issues, and Innovation
Authors: Leah Lowe and Charlotte Yates.

Session title: Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice Strategies: Enhancing Excellence and Innovation in Physical Therapy Education
Authors: Myla Quiben, Amy Crocker, Cheryle Babin, Leslie Zarrinkhameh, Denise Bender, Kimberly Beran, and Leah Lowe.

Dr. Allen and Dr. Davis recently lead an educational session for the Community Stroke Support Group at the Inter-professional Teaching Clinic at UCA on June 8.   Allen and Davis, both neurologic clinical specialists, led participants through activities related to mindfulness and flexibility to incorporate in their daily routines.

UCA DPT students and faculty volunteered for the first annual para track meet event held in Arkansas on June 6, 2022.   Para- athletes from Texas, Missouri, and other surrounding areas came to UCA for the Meet In The Middle, put on by Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association. DPT students worked the morning field events and the afternoon track events.  What a great day and exciting learning opportunity for UCA DPT!

Around 20 DPT students and two faculty members volunteered for the event.  Pictured to the right are Dr. Maresh and Dr. Lowe with Sarah Malakoff, Amanda Okolo, Shelby Little, Kaitlyn Passmore, and Cross Reames each of the DPT Class of 2024, along with Hannah Aviles and Dylan Alexander of the DPT Class of 2023.  Pictured below are Hannah Aviles, Cole Wright, Erin Woodward, and Sidney Hunt.  Hannah, Erin and Sidney are in the DPT Class of 2023 and Cole is in the DPT Class of 2024.  Volunteers helped with the track and field events including discus throw, long jump, javelin throw, shot put, 100, 200, 400, and 800 meter dash and 800 meter run.  Participants ages 10-19 competed in age groups including U11, U14, U17 and U20.

 

The inaugural Meet in the Middle para track meet was held at the UCA track and field complex. This event is a collaboration between Move United Chapters, Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association based in Dallas Fort Worth and the Disabled Athletes Sports Association in St Louis. It gets its name because of the unique location between these two organizations almost exactly equal distance from each location. The Meet in the Middle will be part of the Move United Competition Series.  Sponsors included Pediatrics Plus and MacDonald Timing.  Results are posted at SWAA – 2022 Meet in the Middle (swaasports.org)

“Nineteen UCA DPT students taking the Advanced Pediatric elective experienced a real treat today! Dr. Suzann Campbell joined the class to speak with them about assessing infants using the Test of Infant Motor Performance. We are so thankful to Dr. Campbell for sharing with our students and colleagues at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.” said Dr. Leah Lowe on May 18, 2022 about the special guest.

Nineteen DPT students from the second-year class of 2023 are enrolled in the Advanced Pediatrics course being taught this week during the May Intersession and enjoyed a guest speaker, Dr. Campbell among other opportunities.  Suzann K. Campbell, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is Professor Emerita and former Head, Department of Physical Therapy, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joined as a virtual speaker during a series of presentations arranged by course instructors, Dr. Yates and Dr. Lowe. Students in the elective heard a series of presentations regarding “Special Topics in Pediatric Acute Care Physical Therapy” while at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock on May 18.  Dr. Campbell is the author of the pediatric text used in the Neurological Rehab in Pediatrics course that all students in the DPT program complete during their second Fall semester. The advanced elective entitled, Advanced Evaluation and Intervention in Pediatric Physical Therapy, is taught by Dr. Yates and Dr. Lowe, who are each board-certified in pediatric physical therapy. Students enrolled in the elective receive enhanced knowledge and skill acquisition to address the needs of diverse pediatric populations. The course includes experiences in pediatrics such as NICU, community outpatient settings, elite athletes and other specialty areas.  The course is an outstanding opportunity for UCA DPT students.

UCA Pediatric Physical Therapy has been recognized as a national program of excellence in pediatric physical therapy education. UCA was named as a a program of excellence in “National Study of Excellence in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education: Design, Methods, and Results” published in Physical Therapy, 2021.

Dr. Lori Mize has just returned from South Korea where she was part of a group of faculty members of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy.  Dr. Mize and three colleagues taught a course for Obstetrical Fundamentals and Pelvic Health PT (the first of its kind in the country) including didactic material taught via webinars followed by 3 days of in-person lab experiences.   In addition, the group visited two physical therapy clinics in downtown Seoul and a postpartum center to discuss the importance of and methods to incorporate pelvic health and obstetrical physical therapy into their practices. Following the course, Dr. Mize and her colleagues met with the Seoul Physical Therapy Association and the Women’s Health subgroup of the Korean Physical Therapy Association to discuss continued partnership with South Korea PTs to elevate pelvic health practice through advocacy and PT education.

Dr. Mize is a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy and alumnus of the 2004 Doctor of Physical Therapy Class at UCA.  She is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Women’s Health Physical Therapy.  As a faculty member for the APTA’s Academy of Pelvic Health (APHPT), Dr. Mize serves on the Academy’s International Education Committee, which seeks to increase pelvic health physical therapy education and advocacy for patients and the profession around the globe.

UCA PT…Impacting Arkansas and Beyond

 

Ali Guthrie, PT, DPT has been recently accepted into the Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.  Dr. Guthrie is an alumnus of the UCA DPT Class of 2020.  Before attending the DPT program at the University of Central Arkansas, Dr. Guthrie graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Theatre and is originally from Fayetteville.  Since graduating PT school in 2020, she has been working in acute care at three different hospitals in the Northwest Arkansas area. With a passion for treating medically complex patients in the ICU/CCU/COVID ICU, she enjoys the interdisciplinary approach to treating patients that acute care offers. In Feb 2021, Ali completed her Yoga teacher certification and is able to keep up “outpatient skills” fresh through yoga, teaching weekly group classes, private sessions, and workshops (focusing on low back pain) at a local studio.  Dr. Guthrie states, “I have decided to pursue a residency program to advance my skill set in the acute setting and eventually bring my specialty back to the NWA area. I am so excited for the opportunity to practice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital a Level 1 trauma center and the #1 hospital in Illinois”.  Congratulations to Dr. Guthrie on this accomplishment and upcoming journey to further her training.  Pursuing this residency will afford her the opportunity to advance her skills, to provide excellent care for her future patients and ultimately advance the profession.

The UCA College of Health and Behavioral Sciences hosted the 2022 Student Research Symposium on April 21 in the Farris Center.  DPT students from the Class of 2023 presented their research, sharing their work with their peers across the college.  Programs in the College include Athletic Training, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Exercise and Sport Science, Health Sciences, Military Science and Leadership, Nursing, Nutrition and Family Sciences, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Psychology & Counseling.