Dr. Vince Gutierrez, PT, cert. MDTLeave a Comment on Why we do what we do

Why we do what we do

I’ve been writing blogs now for about a year.  Soon will be the 100th blog post.  I don’t make anything for this.  I don’t get any recognition for this.  Big picture, there is no incentive for me to do this blog. So why do it?

I owe it to the profession that has given me the capabilities to treat patients, make a living, and pay my bills.  My job is not that hard.  I don’t have to dig ditches (what my dad did for a living working in water and sewer), I don’t have to drive a forklift (which is what I did prior to going into PT school), I don’t have to teach kids in high school (which is what I initially intended to do).  This job of a Doctor of PT is not that bad.

Looking at it realistically, writing this blog actually makes me a worse clinician.  I spend a lot of time reading.  Instead of spending 30-40 minutes typing a blog weekly, I could be reading to enhance my own knowledge of the profession.  I could be reading to improve my skills.  I could be spending extra time with my family.  There are a lot of things that I could be doing instead of writing the blog.  This isn’t a rant, but why do I do it?

I have students that come through me as a clinical instructor.  It is my responsibility to pass off the knowledge that I obtained over my years in the profession.  It is my responsibility to coach up others around me and those in the profession that may not have the want to actually do the research themselves.  There is a saying on a t-shirt that I read in a Crossfit arena that says something to the effect: the only knowledge wasted is the knowledge not shared.  This really hit home for me.  I spent a lot of time acquiring knowledge through reading books, research articles, spending time in the gym, watching youtube videos and so on and so forth.  I have a lot of hours put into increasing my knowledge and now that I think of it…it would all be for a waste if I don’t attempt to share it.

I owe a big thank you to Dr. Ben Fung for inspiring this blog.  I owe a thank you toDr. Mickey Shah  for his years of mentorship through my growing process.

 

If any of you have a topic that you would like to see covered on this blog in the future, please send me the topic and I will do the work of reading and writing about the research.

Thanks for reading.

Published by Dr. Vince Gutierrez, PT, cert. MDT

After having dedicated 8 years to growing my knowledge regarding the profession of physical therapy, it seems only fitting that I join the social media world in order to spread a little of the knowledge that I have gained over the years. This by no means is meant to act in place of a one-one medical consultation, but only to supplement your baseline knowledge in which to choose a practitioner for your problem. Having completed a Master of Physical Therapy degree, the MDT (Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy) certification and currently finishing a post-graduate doctorate degree, I have spent the previous 12 years in some sort of post-baccalalaureate study. Hopefully the reader finds the information insightful and uses the information in order to make more informed healthcare decisions. MISSION STATEMENT: My personal mission statement is as follows: As a professional, I will provide a thorough assessment of your clinical presentation and symptoms in order to determine both the provocative and relieving positions and movements. The assessment process and ensuing treatment will be based on current and relevant evidence. Furthermore, I will educate the patients regarding their symptoms and their likelihood of improving with either skilled therapy, an independent exercise program, spontaneous recovery or if the patient should be referred to a separate specialist to possibly provide a more rapid resolution of symptoms. Respecting the patient’s limited resources is important and I will provide an accurate overview of the prognosis within 7 visits, again based on current research. My goal is to empower the patient in order to take charge of both the symptomatic resolution and return to full function with as little dependence on the therapist as possible. Personally, I strive to be an example for family and friends. My goal is to demonstrate that success is not a byproduct of situations, but a series of choices and actions. I will mentor those, in any way possible, that are having difficulty with the choices and actions for success. I will continue to honor my family’s “blue-collar” roots by working to excel at my chosen career and life situations. I choose to be a leader of example, and not words, all the while reducing negativity in my life. I began working towards the professional aspect of the mission statement while still in physical therapy school. By choosing an internship that emphasized patient care and empowering the patient, instead of the internship that was either closest to home or where I knew that I would have the easiest road to graduation, I took the first step towards learning how to utilize the evidence to teach patients how to reduce their symptoms. I continued this process by completing Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy courses A-D and passing the credentialing exam. I will continue to pursue my clinical education through CEU’s on MDT and my goal is to obtain the status of Diplomat of MDT. Returning back to school for the t-DPT was a major decision for me, as resources (i.e. time and money) are limited. My choice was between saving money for the Dip MDT course (about 15,000 dollars) and continuing on with the Fellowship of American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) (about 5,000 dollars), as these courses are paired through the MDT curriculum or returning to school to work towards a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. I initially planned on saving for the Dip MDT and FAAOMPT, but life changes forced me to re-evaluate my situation. The decision then changed to return for the tDPT, as my employer paid for a portion of the DPT program. My goal for applying to and finishing the Dip MDT and FAAOMPT is 10 years. This is how long I anticipate that it will take to finish paying student loans and save for both programs, based on the current rate of payment. I don’t know if I will ever accomplish what I set forth in the mission statement, but I do know that it will be a forever struggle to maintain this standard that I set for myself.

Categories non-professionals, Physical therapy, PTs, Written BlogsTags

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