Mechanical Care Forum by Jason Ward

December 20, 2023 Episode 399 - The MDT Diploma Programme: The Clinical Placement - Texas, USA

In episode 399 of the Mechanical Care Forum, we’re continuing with Season 13, spotlighting the Austin, Texas USA clinical placement site. Emily and I discuss our experience with Chris Chase, our clinical instructor for this 9-week placement. We discuss Chris’ history with the program, the site itself, what’s unique about this placement site from other sites, some objectives both Emily and me had upon commencing this time, the challenges both being away from our homes and jobs, the individuality of the clinical placement for each candidate who comes through from Chris’ perspective, and plenty more!

Show Notes

(by Jayla Hall)

(3:40)

Meet Clinical Instructor Chris Chase

Graduating in 1999 from St. Louis University, Chris earned his Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy. Chris became credentialed in the McKenzie Method in 2002; and he completed his diploma training in 2009. Chris soon joined the mentoring aspect of the MDT Diploma Programme, officially mentoring as an assistant diploma educator (2010) then appointed to Teaching Faculty with the McKenzie Institute USA (2012). Chris is now a Senior Instructor.

(5:50)

Structure of the Clinical Residency in Austin, TX

The clinical residency is a hospital-based clinic. It entails a total of 360 clinical hours, and this time is divided into sessions of manual therapy practice, tutorial themes and topics of the Diploma Manual, and, primarily, direct patient care (e.g., clinical reasoning, performing evaluations, performing follow-up visits, and discharging patients) under the supervision of clinical instructors Chris Chase or Kim Green. Roughly 60-70% of patient care is spinal; and the remainder is extremity.

Quote:

“[We focus on] using the McKenzie Method at not only the credentialing level, but at the highest diploma level. You can’t [attain this] from just reading the books or attending the classes. You have to have somebody over your shoulder watching you make decisions [as the instructor] performs clinical mentoring/tutoring [with the diploma student] in a collaborative environment.” –Chris

Preparation for the Final Exam

Chris and Kim prepare diploma candidates for four verbal subparts of the final examination (lumbar spine, cervicothoracic spine, managing extremity patients, and research and other topics), creating most of their tutorials in the same fashion as the diploma exam.

(17:08)

Individualization of the Clinical Residency to the Diploma Candidate(s)

Quotes:

“Week one is [the diploma students] becoming comfortable with [the clinical instructors] and [vice versa]. By the second to third week is where you really start to see some personality develop, and [the instructors] start to [consider] individualization.” –Chris

Chris explains his observations of candidates’ deficiencies and strengths:

“The real challenge becomes not just the academic but more the personality issues. Some [students] come in as naturally great communicators. It is actually much easier if they have knowledge gaps [rather] than somebody who has great knowledge but their communication is not a natural skill.” –Chris

Emily’s Patient Cases (21:48);

Combined Movements in Clinical Intervention (27:35);

Biopsychosocial (BPS )Aspects (30:21)

(23:55)

Chris Expands Upon MDT Assessment, Classification, and Treatment

Quotes:

“If you have a strong sense of ‘I have my classification based on my initial history and baselines,’ then it’s okay to begin treatment; but know that you’re still always on that first visit critically analyzing ‘are the responses making sense?’ and ‘am I getting a response that I’m comfortable with [to continue progressive forces]?” –Chris

“A lot of people in the Mckenzie Institute [USA] think that we, [clinicians], don’t really want to use hands-on very much… I don’t actually use my hands to manage many patients, but I use them a lot in the evaluative process…for overpressure to learn. [Hands are] another tool to assess our patients when I don’t have a clear answer.” –Chris

“Ultimately, if you have a good knowledge base, then you can start to progress with management. If you have questions that need to be answered, choose the movement or testing strategy that’s going to answer the critical questions.”

“Don’t make any assumptions; pick what you’re going to learn from.” –Chris

(35:25)

The Ideal Diploma Candidate

Chris lists candidates’ most common reasons for pursuing and undergoing the MDT Diploma Programme:

To be appointed to Teaching Faculty
To improve their research of the McKenzie Method
To be a better clinician for their patients, and a better mentor to their colleagues

The candidates who typically do well in the program, Chris asserts, are those who declare:

“I want my patients to get better–as good as the people I’ve seen on these courses.”

(38:42)

Final Thoughts

Quote:

“I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I’m hoping that I have now filled the gaps [in my knowledge and skills].” –Emily

We would like to thank Episode 399’s sponsor, The McKenzie Institute International. The McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy is globally recognized as a leading treatment for back, neck and extremities disorders. The McKenzie Institute International offers the diploma program to those professionals who have achieved prior certification in the method.

If you’re interested in learning more, go to The McKenzie Institute International.

We hope to deliver this content to the committed professional who wants to improve his/her care and we hope to do it in a way that is easily accessible, the world over, in today's technological age.

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