TheOncoPT Podcast

Breaking into oncology physical therapy can seem daunting, especially if you haven't worked with these patients previously. Even just getting a PT job can feel like it takes forever, especially if you don't know where to look. In today's episode, I break down my 6 tips for how to get into oncology physical therapy if you don't have a job yet.

Once patients are done with cancer rehabilitation services, they need to keep exercising. We know this. What we may not know is how to make this actually happen. Maple Tree Cancer Alliance is bridging this gap for patients by providing community exercise programs to promote overall fitness & wellness during & after active treatments. Founder Karen Wonders, Ph.D. stopped by the podcast to discuss how you can ensure your patients aren't falling through the cracks once they are done with your services.

As one of my patients put it, sometimes nipples are just hood ornaments. Other times, nipples & areolas are a huge part of self-confidence & body image after breast reconstruction surgery. Our patients have varying feelings about their body, but Mara DeFilippis of TataTattoos is using her experience to help women feel more confident, womanly, & sexy with her temporary areola tattoos.

In the diverse world of OncoPT, there are clinicians, researchers, advocates, & consultants, among many others who make our world go round. Today I interview Jillian Schmitt, PT, MPT, the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Business Operations for Survivorship Solutions (to listen to my interview with her fellow co-founder Kristin Carroll, click here). We discuss how she's turned her passion for oncology into systematically advancing cancer rehabilitation across the healthcare system - listen in!

Summer camp is almost a rite of passage growing up. For kids who have lymphedema, it can be difficult to participate or feel included in typical summer camp activities...until now! Betty Westbrook, PTA, CLT, created the first (EVER) lymphedema summer camp for kids in the United States & is on today's episode to discuss what Camp Watchme is, her inspiration behind this amazing experience for kids, & how you can get ready for Camp Watchme 2020!

While we're "physical" therapists, sometimes we also work with emotional issues that our patients share with us. One such issue is physical changes & the related shifts in body image & self-confidence following surgery for breast cancer. Today, Dana Donofree, founder of AnaOno, is here to discuss her journey, inspiration, & how her products are helping these women feel better, physically & emotionally, after breast cancer surgery.

What’s the one thing you can do today to ensure referring providers keep sending patients your way? What’s the single best way to market your services to potential patients?

It’s easy - really. And you don’t even have to put that much work into it. Sounds too good to be true? Well this time, it’s actually not.

Patient testimonials are powerful. You need to start using them. Already using them? You need to use them more.

A reality of working in oncology is bad news, including progression, dying, & death. Less than 2 months after I started practicing, I had my first experience with bad news like this, & I handled it horribly. No exaggeration. Ultimately, the patient didn't return to physical therapy, I believe largely because of how poorly I handled this bad news. So learn from my mistakes! Difficult conversations aren't easy, but these 3 tips can make them go more smoothly.

With so many patients living with cancer today, it's important to know how to treat them, before treatment, during treatment, & well after they conclude treatment - & it isn't just enough to know what the buzz words of oncology are. Kristin Carroll, PT, of Survivorship Solutions, LLC is our special guest today, discussing the creation of competency standards for OncoPTs & why they are critical for our patients.

One episode simply wasn't enough to contain all the goodness we learned from Corissa's interview, so we're back with part 2 on CAR-T cell therapy!

1:56 Side effects of CAR-T continued: infection...

4:00 Timeline of CAR-T cell therapy

16:23 What do OncoPTs need to know about CAR-T cell therapy patients