I Love Neuro

Multidisciplinary neuro clinics in private practice are a rarity! It's much more common to see ortho clinics and hospital based neuro clinics, so when we learn about inspiring and awesome places like The Recovery Project in Michigan we want to know more! On today’s show we spoke with Meghan Malley, PT, DPT, the Program Director at The Recovery Project. Their clinic is dedicated to knowledge translation, incorporating the latest research into practice, innovation, and providing the highest quality of care. Hence many of the clinicians are or have been part of NeuroSpark! We had the opportunity to talk to Meghan about the structure of The Recovery Project and how it’s been able to expand to 3 clinics and be so successful as a neuro private practice for 20 years. They offer skilled therapies and wellness and also speciality programs like group classes and intensives for individuals post-stroke and with functional neurologic disorders. We talk to Meghan about her career as a neurologic physical therapist, what her role entails, and what she thinks have been the key attributes that have made The Recovery Project successful for 20 years. Enjoy!

The Recovery Project

The IG handle is @recoveryproject  

FB: The Recovery Project, LLC

Evidence to Excellence Podcast - Hosted by Polly Swingle, co-owner of The Recovery Project

Mary and Charles A Parkhill Foundation: https://parkhillfoundation.com

Don’t shy away from promising something to your neuro clients just because you are in healthcare or healthcare adjacent! You may feel funny about it because you feel the need to be straightforward. You may think you can't guarantee an outcome, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a promise with what you offer people. On today’s show we discuss the power of the promise, what it is, and how to formulate yours. You’ll hear examples of promises, how to do them and how not to do them, as well as how they will help guide your practice. If you nail this concept we promise you will have more clarity and direction in where you go with your business and attract more clients who are your ideal people!

Email [email protected] if you’d like an invitation to join the Slack group NeuroBiz Besties! Please tell us a bit about yourself and your business so we have some context and make sure it’s a good fit 

On today’s show Erin interviews a third year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student, Alexandra Kozich about the launch of her new business, Exercise, Rehab, and Wellness for Individuals with Degenerative Diseases (ERWIDD). Alex aims to improve access to health and wellness information to all individuals with degenerative conditions through her new online platform and exercise programs. She’s balancing her duties as a third year DPT student while building this business and has learned a lot in the process. Alex shares what prompted her to create this business and her ‘why.’ She also shares some of the really helpful, low cost or free resources that have helped her with her legal and logistical needs. This episode is helpful and inspiring for anyone starting out in business, student or professional! 

Find Alex and learn more about her and her offers here:

Website: erwidd.com

Linktree: linktr.ee/erwidd

Instagram: @erwiddinsta

Email [email protected] if you’d like an invitation to join the Slack group NeuroBiz Besties! Please tell us a bit about yourself and your business so we have some context and make sure it’s a good fit 

Erin and Claire have had their board certification in neurologic physical therapy since 2010 and 2009, respectively, and have had some questions (and stress) about the recertification process all along the way. It turns out our friends have too! We’ve received a number of questions from all of you looking for answers and help. On today’s show you will get the help you’re looking for regarding your NCS recertification! Dr. Arielle Resnick, PT, DPT, NCS (yes, we know we’re not supposed to write the initials) is here to answer all of your questions in an easy conservational format. You no longer need to stress because we’ll be addressing all of these questions and more:

• Why aren’t we allowed to put NCS after our name anymore and who decided that? What should we write instead? 

• What will the format be for retaking the test at the 10 year mark?

• Why does it take so long to hear back about the recertification status?

• What are the categories you must meet in MOSC recertification and what qualifies under the different categories? (hint: Lots of things count that you might not think)

• Does a written case study really capture an individual as a clinical specialist and why was that the decision to include?

• The Professional Presentation criteria (Category 3 - Professional Presentations, Professional Writing or Research Activities) is difficult for many busy therapists to complete. Are there any other options or suggestions you have for completing it?

• Do you have to do the MOSC every 3 years? Does your NCS expire if you don’t?

• What is the timeline from portfolio (year 9 requirement) submission to the exam?

• What should you do if you’re unsure you’re hitting the criteria in the 3-year cycle?

Helpful Links:

MOSC Requirements 

MOSC Exam Content Outline and Reference List

Information on the MOSC Recertification Exam

Follow Arielle on IG @neuro_rehab_knowledge

Functional Movement Disorders can be challenging to treat and recover from despite how common they are. The research is growing yet still doesn’t always give enough answers given how variable and complex the presentations can be. On today’s show Board Certified Neurologic Specialist and Schmidt Movement Disorders Fellowship graduate Dr. Ali Elder, PT, DPT, NCS gives you the breakdown on FMD - at least as much as we can cover in under an hour!  

She’s going to help you understand:

• What they are and what they aren’t

• How they occur and the diagnostic criteria 

• What the person’s nervous system is trying to say

• How the approach is similar to treating chronic pain

• How both the sensory and motor systems are involved

• How to prioritize your treatment approach

• How to be creative in your approach

• What NOT to do or say when working with someone with FMD

Be sure to share this one with your colleagues!

Find reputable resources for you and your patients here: https://neurosymptoms.org/en/

NOI Group’s Recognise App: https://www.noigroup.com/product/recogniseapp/

Where to find Ali:

@physicalinsights

www.physicalinsights.com

Our biz coach Emily Duval Ledger joins the show today to talk about business loans. When is it the right time to take out a loan for your business? What are the right reasons to take one out and what are the wrong ones? Should you ever take one out? Let’s help you work through the thought process in case this is something you’re considering! Today we talk through Claire’s experience of using loans for Rogue through the pandemic and how the money was used, why it made sense, and her plan for it. We’ll also discuss the things to look out for and reasons NOT to take out a loan. If you do take what out, make sure you have a good business plan for paying it back. What does that look like? We’ll go into that as well!

If you do have a business or are thinking about one, please reach out to us! We have an amazing free community on Slack with other neuro business owners from around the country ready to help answer your questions and brainstorm with you on all neuro biz topics. We’d love to have you in the group because that is how we all learn how to create sustainable businesses and cheer each other on! Email us at [email protected] to get an invitation link to join our Biz Besties group.

Dr. Jennifer Lazaro, PT, DPT, NCS is back on the show today! She is an instructor inside NeuroSpark and the mentor who leads Office Hours for our members. She has a special interest in treating people with autonomic, postural, breathing dysfunction, which are really challenging aspects of care to address. We invited her to come on the show to explain what to look for and what to do!

In the show we discuss this and more:

• What are the basics of the parasympathetic nervous system and what does it look like to be dysregulated

• What is dysautonomia

• Common conditions that include autonomic dysfunction: POTS, Covid, post-concussion and brain injury, PD, MS are a few

• What are the ways to assess the autonomic nervous system and build it into your functional goals and outcome measures 

• What are treatment ideas for someone with dysautonomia

• Should Erin do cold therapy?

Helpful resource:

Exercise and Non-Pharmalogical Treatment of POTS by Qi Fu and Benjamin D Levine Auton Neurosci 2018

On today’s show we had a discussion on a common business book that Claire, Erin and Emily have recently read called Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. If you’re like most of us, you didn’t get into business to make loads of money. You have a service-driven business and care first and foremost about helping people recover and live better lives with neurologic conditions. You may even have a bad taste in your mouth about the idea of “profit” or “making money.” (If so you probably are also having a few issues with holding onto your money because our beliefs drive our behaviors.) We want to help open up the discussion about money and what it means to have a sustainable business. What does it mean to be a “bad business owner” and how do you run things in a way that is according to your values and also healthy, sustainable and fun? Listen into our discussion whether you’ve read the book or not! We’ll dive into our opinions on the general concepts laid out as well as common feelings we neuro business owners experience. Join us in our first #neurobizbookclub discussion on the I Love Neuro podcast!

You can learn more about Profit First here: https://mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first/

On today’s show we continued our conversation with neuro OT, Briana Elson. She is an AOTA fellowship trained neurologic occupational therapist from Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, FL who is also Board Certified in Physical Rehabilitation (BCPR) through AOTA and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) through Brain Injury Association of America. 

In today’s show you’ll learn how intensive therapy is applied from an occupational therapist’s perspective. We discuss constraint induced movement therapy, measuring heart rate, circuit training, and making iADL training intensive. You’ll hear the ways to measure intensity and scales we love to use as well as hear lots of examples of treatment ideas. We also discuss what co-treats look like with PT and OT for intense therapy and so much more!

Find the Rating of Perceived Stability here! RPS bonus

Find Briana @yourOTmentor on Instagram

https://yourotmentor.com for further information

LinkedIn Briana Elson

On today’s show we had a great conversation with neuro OT, Briana Elson. She is an AOTA fellowship trained neurologic occupational therapist from Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, FL who is also Board Certified in Physical Rehabilitation (BCPR) through AOTA and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) through Brain Injury Association of America. She is here to provide her insights on neuro rehabilitation from an occupational therapist’s perspective. We hear her career path, options and insights on occupational therapy education and mentorship, and treatment topics like functional cognition and intensity treatment in occupational therapy. Collaboration in neuro is critical to patient success and Briana brings a lot of great knowledge and tips for working better with your counterparts. 

Find Briana @yourOTmentor on Instagram

https://yourotmentor.com for further information

LinkedIn Briana Elson