TheOncoPT Podcast

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Just submitted your ABPTS application & case report? CONGRATULATIONS!

If you're now wondering what the heck comes next, this episode is just for you.

In this episode, I walk through the full timeline between submitting your application and getting your exam results, so you're never left wondering what comes next.

We start with case report review: 

• What happens if your case report is accepted vs. sent back for revisions
• Why revisions are a one-time opportunity, not a back-&-forth process
• How unpredictable the response timeline can be (from 3 days to 12 weeks?!)

Next up, key dates you cannot miss:

• November 30th exam fee deadline
• Mid-December exam scheduling
• Mid-February to mid-March testing window
• We also talk about why checking your testing location matters more than people expect (some candidates have to travel out of state).

I also share my own exam-day story, including taking my exam during Texas's 2021 ice storm.

Lastly, we talk about exam day logistics (what to bring, what to leave at home) and the great wait for results (don't expect them before June 30 and why).

Next episode, we're shifting from application process to what will actually show up on the exam, so make sure you're subscribed!

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

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Before you hit submit on your case report, run through this checklist. Five minutes now can save you from a mistake that costs you the entire application cycle.

In this episode, I walk through the exact 4-item checklist to run before you submit:

1. Formatting & requirements — Pull up the actual ABPTS candidate guide and check your case report against it line by line. Word count, formatting, required sections, citation style. This is the most avoidable mistake I see, and one of the most common.
2. Clinical reasoning, not narration — For every major decision point, are you explaining why you did what you did (and how you evaluated it), or just narrating what you did? Raters are grading your reasoning, not your story.
3. Does it answer the actual prompt? — Go section by section against the grading rubric and check: are you answering what the prompt is actually asking, or what you assumed it was asking?
4. Final proofread — Read it out loud. It catches things silent reading never will.

If you get through this checklist and realize your case report still needs work before you submit, that's exactly what Case Report Writing Workshop is built for — a roadmap from blank page to submission-ready case report.

👉 Save your seat: TheOncoPT.com/workshop

🔔 Subscribe for a new video for oncology physical therapists every week.

#OncologyPhysicalTherapy #ABPTS #BoardCertifiedSpecialist #CaseReport #PhysicalTherapy #OncoPT

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

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Send us Fan Mail

If your oncology case report deadline is creeping up and you haven't started yet, take a breath — you're likely not as behind as it feels. 

In this episode, I walk through exactly what to do next, including the one decision that has to happen in the next 24 hours, and how to build a minimum viable outline instead of falling into the perfectionism trap.

We cover:

• Why choosing your case report topic is the one non-negotiable step for today, and what to do if you're still stuck on it
• How to outline your case presentation, introduction, and discussion sections without getting pulled into research too early
• Why perfectionism is the biggest obstacle on a shortened timeline — and why "done, not perfect" is the actual goal right now
• The counterintuitive reason you should get feedback earlier, not later, when you're on a tight timeline
• Your single action step for today

If you're feeling behind, this episode is built to help you get moving with a clear, realistic plan instead of panicking.

Resources mentioned:

• Free Case Report Idea Generator
• Case Report Writing Workshop
• Watch this episode on YouTube

New episodes for oncology physical therapists every Tuesday — subscribe so you don't miss one.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

A lot of oncology physical therapists sit down to start their ABPTS case report and immediately wonder: am I even prepared for this? 

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mico Pagkalinawan, an inpatient oncology PT (newly board certified!) who was in your very shoes last year, listening to this podcast, deciding if he was ready to take on specialization.

We cover:

• How Mico began in oncology, including the patients who made the biggest difference in his early career
• Mico's timeline, how he started "late," & why that ended up being completely fine
• The complex "unicorn" case he chose for his case report, & why he picked such a layered case
• Mico's writing tips, including the advice he'd give if he started all over again

This is part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2 — covering how he prepared for and passed the board exam — releases later this fall.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

🎄 Christmas in July: Get the Complete Oncology Specialist Package (Bootcamp + Case Report Writing Workshop + MOSC course) at our lowest price of the year — through July 31st. Join now and get the MOSC course free at launch: https://TheOncoPT.com/SPECIALIST

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
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Send us Fan Mail

If you're three weeks out from the ABPTS case report deadline and you're staring at a blank page wondering if it's even possible to finish in time...

The answer is yes, but only if you stop treating this like a project you chip away at and start treating it like what it actually is: a sprint with a finish line.

In this episode, I walk through the exact three-week operational plan I give my own clients when they're down to the wire on their oncology specialization case report.

We cover:

• Why writing your case report in order is the slowest possible way to do it
• Why building it in the order that's easiest to write (not easiest to read) will save you hours of stalled-out frustration.
• Week 1: zero in on your "case angle," build your skeleton
• Week 2: draft, draft, draft
• Week 3: polish, feedback, & the final submission checklist
• And your emergency triage plan if things go wrong

You already have the clinical expertise. This episode gives you the roadmap to get it into a submission-ready case report — on time.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

What does it actually take to go from "I think I want to specialize" to a full-blown board-certified oncology clinical specialist?

Class is in session, because Dr. Lisa Morgan, Montana's FIRST board certified specialist in oncologic physical therapy, is on the podcast to talk allll about it.


We talk about:

• What oncology PT practice looks like for Lisa — combo outpatient/acute care, patients driving hours to get in, and making the most of every visit
• How her path started with lymphedema training and grew into a full commitment to oncology specialization
• Her honest reaction to seeing "case report" on the application — and why picking a "unicorn" patient was actually her first mistake
• Why she had to basically rewrite a third of her case report after her first round of feedback — and what changed the second time around
• The concept she didn't even know had a name until she started studying — and how it became the foundation of her whole case report
• Her best advice for anyone about to start writing: keep it simple, and if it takes you a page to explain a concept, do you really understand it?
  
  

This is part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2, all about her exam prep and how she's expanding cancer rehab access in Montana, drops later this fall.

If you've been putting off specialization because you're not sure you have the time, the writing chops, or the "right" patient — this episode is for you.

🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss part 2.

#OncologyPhysicalTherapy #ABPTS #BoardCertifiedSpecialist #CaseReport #OncoPT #CancerRehab

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

🎄 Christmas in July: Get the Complete Oncology Specialist Package (Bootcamp + Case Report Writing Workshop + MOSC course) at our lowest price of the year — through July 31st. Join now and get the MOSC course free at launch: https://TheOncoPT.com/SPECIALIST

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

Choosing your case is the very first decision point in your entire case report writing process, and it's where a lot of candidates get stuck BEFORE they've written a single sentence. 

In this episode, I break down how to choose a patient case that actually works for your ABPTS oncology case report — and why the instinct to pick your rarest, most complex case is usually the wrong move.

We cover:

• Why ABPTS isn't looking for a medical mystery, and what "workable" actually means
• The "zebra case" trap: why the most interesting cases in the clinic are often the hardest to write well
• 3 real, anonymized examples of strong case reports built on common diagnoses — breast cancer-related lymphedema, head and neck cancer deconditioning, and metastatic bone disease with mobility decline
• A 5-question litmus test to run your case options through before you commit
• The simple rule: choose a case you can prove, not just one you can describe

If you're feeling stuck between a couple of case options, or unsure whether the case you're leaning toward is actually strong enough, this episode will help you get unstuck.

Resources mentioned:
Case Report Writing Workshop (open now)
Free Case Report Idea Generator
Watch this episode on YouTube

New episodes for oncology physical therapists every Tuesday — subscribe so you don't miss one.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

Fifteen years into practice, a mom of two, working full-time in acute care... and still decided this was the year to specialize. 

That's Dr. Alex Curtin's story.

In this special guest episode, I sit down with Alex, an acute care BMT + oncology PT who just became a board-certified clinical specialist in oncology physical therapy.

We talk about:

• How her path started not in oncology at all — and how she eventually became an OncoPT
• Why falling behind in research became her reason to specialize instead of a reason to hold back
• Her honest (and sooo real) first reaction to finding out she had to write a case report
• Why writing her case report basically doubled as studying for the exam, and the moment she realized it was also making her a better clinician right now
• The classic mistake she made trying to write her abstract first — and what actually got her unstuck
• What she wishes she'd known before she got started, and why getting "edits back" from ABPTS is a good sign, not a bad one

This is part 1 of a two-part conversation. Part 2, all about her exam prep, drops later this fall.

If you've been telling yourself you're "too far removed" from school, too busy, or not caught up enough on research to specialize — this episode is for you.

🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss part 2.

#OncologyPhysicalTherapy #ABPTS #BoardCertifiedSpecialist #CaseReport #OncoPT #AcuteCarePT

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

🎄 Christmas in July: Get the Complete Oncology Specialist Package (Bootcamp + Case Report Writing Workshop + MOSC course) at our lowest price of the year — through July 31st. Join now and get the MOSC course free at launch: https://TheOncoPT.com/SPECIALIST

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

Imagine spending weeks, or MONTHS on your ABPTS oncology case report...only to receive a rejection email. 

This happens more often than you'd think, and often for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of patient care behind the case.

In this episode, I break down the 3 biggest mistakes that cause brilliant case reports to be rejected, every single cycle.

We cover:

• Why choosing a "simple," uncomplicated patient case is actually a mistake, not a shortcut
• What ABPTS is really looking for: not a narrative, but an evidence-based argument for your clinical reasoning
• A simple "because" framework to make your specialist-level thinking obvious throughout your report
• The most common mechanical errors — missing sections, ignoring the template, sloppy references
• The single most common reason candidates get rejected: forgetting the care statement
• A simple, disciplined process for catching all of this before you submit

All three mistakes are completely avoidable — but only if you know to look for them BEFORE you hit submit, not after.

Resources mentioned:
Case Report Writing Workshop (open now)
Free Case Report Idea Generator
Watch this episode on YouTube

New episodes for oncology physical therapists every Tuesday — subscribe so you don't miss one.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

This week, I'm joined by Dr. Nickie Brooks, a board-certified oncology specialist treating oncology and pelvic floor patients outside Philadelphia. This is a full, extended conversation, and it's the first of two parts.

Nickie's path into oncology PT wasn't a straight line. She started in outpatient ortho, got burnt out within months, found her way into lymphedema and oncology largely without built-in mentorship, and at one point left her job to walk 500 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago before deciding what came next. Eventually, she landed at a hospital-based practice with a full oncology rehab team... and decided it was time to pursue her specialization.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it's actually like to specialize in oncology PT without a built-in support system nearby
• The moment she decided to commit to specialization, and what motivated her to follow through
• How she chose the patient case she ultimately wrote her case report on
• The hardest part of the case report writing process, and what changed once she got real support
• What she wishes she'd known about the ABPTS application portal before she started
• How she ended up submitting a case report that required zero edits... with results back in just 3 days

This conversation ends on a bit of a cliffhanger - Part 2 is coming later this fall, when it's time to talk exam prep. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.

Resources mentioned:

Case Report Writing Workshop: https://TheOncoPT.com/workshop
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyZDqo4_tC0

New episodes for oncology physical therapists every Tuesday - subscribe so you don't miss one.

🎓 FREE TRAINING: From Confused to Confident — a 4-step framework (SCAN) for decoding any question on your oncology specialist exam. Free at https://TheOncoPT.com/scan

📝 The Practice Exam Bundle is here year-round — no deadline on this one. 150 original case-based questions across 3 timed exams, with full rationales. $249 for all three.

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
Follow TheOncoPT on LinkedIn.