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Sometimes we encounter really uncomfortable conversation topics in oncology physical therapy: pee, poop, sex, stomas, death…  It may be tempting to avoid these, but that’s actually the worst thing we can do as OncoPTs.

So what are we supposed to do instead?  Lean into them.  Have the conversations.  Open the door for openness & honesty with your patients.

Because if you’re not having these conversations with your patients, they’re probably not happening at all.

In her words, Dr. Liz O'Riordan is a breast surgeon who got breast cancer - & it changed her whole approach to patient care, including actually having the hard, difficult, uncomfortable conversations with her patients.  

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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One of the biggest questions we encounter when pursuing our dream career is HOW?  How do I get patients to know about me & what I do?  How do I get practitioners to refer their patients to me?  How am I going to make this work?  

While a lot of us get tripped up on the hows, this episode is a great example of someone who turned the hows into nows.  

Rosy Bojorquez is a PT who took her passion for oncology physical therapy & created a booming movement for local cancer survivors.  In this episode, Rosy shares how she started her private practice, how patients find her these days, & how she morphed from student to teacher & implementer in just a few short months.

Join the conversation!

Grab our free Quick Guide to Treating Patients with Cancer. Again, it’s not if, it’s when you will encounter a person with cancer. 

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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I’m excited to share with you a recording of a recent guest speaking opportunity I had with the Duke University DPT Oncology SIG (special interest group) meeting. These students were amazing and it was so cool to get to talk with future oncoPTs about what they want to do, what the field looks like, and then reflect on what's changed over the last couple of years.

In this Q&A session, we talk about board certification, if a residency is worth it, starting out in oncoPT as a new grad, & resources to survive the first couple years of your career. 

One last thing to remember: There's so much more to being happy and successful and loving the job that you do than the specific situation in which you work.

Grab our free Quick Guide to Treating Patients with Cancer. Again, it’s not if, it’s when you will encounter a person with cancer.

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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It’s officially summer, which means it’s time again for one of my favorite things: Camp Watchme!

Camp Watchme is the pediatric lymphedema summer camp here in the US, & I’m so excited to be going back this year.

To celebrate my favorite summer camp ever, I'm interviewing Dr. Tori Crook on the podcast.  She’s a first time CLT volunteer at camp & she’s giving her perspective on going into Camp with no pediatric lymphedema experience (just like I did last year!).

In our interview, we chat about how she became an OncoPT, how she started treating lymphedema, & how I literally volun-told her she was coming to camp this year.  

Tori’s story really emphasizes how our career paths are rarely linear & being open to different opportunities as they present.

I’m so glad Tori has become such a dear friend & I can’t for you to meet her in this episode!

Check out the Pediatric Lymphedema Alliance cont-ed courses!

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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Physical therapist, clinic owner, & philanthropist Gaby Miller joins Elise for a candid & vulnerable conversation about the ups & downs of cancer rehab, losing patients, clinic ownership, pivoting when a dream doesn't pan out exactly as planned, & the importance of taking care of yourself.  Because if we don't take care of ourself, we can't take care of our patients & community.

“We have got to take care of ourselves, protect our time, protect our sanity, protect our health, protect our wellness to be able to actually serve the people that we want to serve.”

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https://www.instagram.com/the_cancer_physio/

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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"You're young & healthy."

This was a quote that I heard time & time again with my young patients. If they're so young & healthy, then why do they have cancer?

As frustrating as that may be for us to hear, imagine hearing that as a patient.

For Shauna O'Brien of the Too Young For This Shit Podcast, this is her reality. 

Shauna was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 & underwent surgery, chemotherapy, & radiation therapy in a whirlwind year.  At the end of that year, in her words, "you get thrown to the wolves."

In our interview, we talk about the fact that it’s important to hear the patient’s side of things - their point of view & the different aspects of life that cancer affects: physically, emotionally, mentally, relationships, socially, etc., and the positive effects of physical therapy.

Support TheOncoPT Podcast on Patreon.

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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Compression bras are a mainstay of post-breast surgery care.  But there's a lot of nuances that every OncoPT should know about. For example, sports bras are NOT the same as compression bras - that's a rookie mistake I made again & again.

Rocky Storm of PrairieWear is on the podcast today to discuss what makes a great compression bra, how patients benefit from their use, & what the physical therapist can do for the patient with truncal (& upper extremity) swelling.

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common symptoms after a cancer diagnosis. Patients experience reduced ability to carry out daily activities and often experience loss of motivation. As soon as patients are diagnosed with cancer, we should be screening patients for side effects, including cancer-related fatigue. We must then continue monitoring for symptoms throughout treatment & well after treatment finishes.

In last week's episode, we covered what is cancer-related fatigue, so if you haven't checked that out yet, do that first. In today's episode, we dive into what can PTs do for the person experiencing cancer-related fatigue.

 

TheOncoPT Patreon: https://patreon.com/theoncopt

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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Side effects are sometimes glossed over as buzzwords, and we tend to ignore that fact. As a result, we may actually be harming our patients and underestimating the effects on their independence and mobility.

Cancer related fatigue is probably the most common impairment cancer survivors experience. An estimated 80% of survivors suffer from cancer-related fatigue!

As defined by the NCCN, cancer-related fatigue is a "distressing, persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional, and cognitive tiredness or exhaustion related to cancer treatment that is not proportional to activity and interferes with usual function."

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

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While PTs get worked up about the oncology specialist exam, they actually tend to forget the biggest hurdle to taking the exam: submitting their application.

In this workshop replay, I covered the basics of the ABPTS application & took students through several exercises that helped them identify the best patient for them to write a case report on.

Here's what I recommend for this episode: grab a pen, a piece of paper, or your favorite word processor and take notes. I will be walking you through some exercises that will help you prepare for this exam.  Actually do these - because they majorly help.

Ready to take the next step on your case report?  Join the Case Report Writing Workshop!

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

⏰ LAST CALL: Christmas in July pricing on the Complete Oncology Specialist Package ends at midnight, July 31st. Includes the Bootcamp, Case Report Writing Workshop, and the MOSC course free at launch — this bonus won't be offered again.

📝 Not ready for the full package? Start with the Practice Exam Bundle — 3 full-length exams, 150 original case-based questions, zero repeats, full rationale key. $249 for all three volumes: https://TheOncoPT.com/practiceexambundle

Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram.
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