This year over 3,400 women in British Columbia (BC) will be diagnosed with breast cancer. For the vast majority of cases, treatment starts with surgery. In the past 5 years, a team of frontline physiotherapists, plastic surgeons, researchers and leaders from Providence Health Care, Fraser Health and UBC Department of Physical Therapy have been collaborating on ways to optimize the pre-operative and post-operative care of women receiving surgery for breast cancer. The overarching goal of this work is to reduce the impact of common post-surgical arm impairments (e.g. reduced function, pain and development of lymphedema) on women’s lives. .

This work is focussed on identifying efficient ways to recognize women who are the most likely to experience arm impairments and then target treatment resources to those women. Our initial work has explored models of ‘prospective surveillance’ – serially monitoring women for arm issues at set time points over the first year following surgery and directing those who are identified with persistent arm issues to physiotherapy services. This approach has been well received by the patients, who generally are keen to be proactive in addressing arm issues and report that the surveillance approach is not overly burdensome. While range of motion and strength were key indicators of arm issues from the perspective of the research team, overall function, as assessed by a self-report questionnaire, was reported by the patients to be the most meaningful measure. The main results from this study will be presented at the upcoming American Physical Therapy Association Annual Meeting and a cost analysis of this approach will be presented at the Annual Canadian Physiotherapy Association Congress.

A key next step for the research team is to better understand what physiotherapy services are currently available for women receiving surgery for breast cancer in BC. Our team is preparing a survey that will be sent to all the public practice physiotherapy leaders in the province. This survey will ask about the number of physiotherapists with a case load that includes oncology patients, as well as specific questions about the current service delivery model if surgery for breast cancer is provided at the clinical site. We are also working on determining valid and reliable ways for women to self-monitor their arm function after surgery. If successful, the next step will be to test whether this self-monitoring approach can be synchronized with existing PT services in order provide even better delivery of and outcomes from physiotherapy services, by allowing more time for physiotherapists to provided treatment for arm morbidity.

This project is one of many currently underway that illuminate impressive collaborations between researchers, front-line clinicians and practice leaders to ultimately enhance patient care.

For more information about this project please contact: Dr. Kristin Campbell at kristin.campbell@ubc.ca

For more information: http://cepl.rehab.med.ubc.ca/

Team:

PTs: Fatima Inglis, Chiara Singh, Kelly Kavanagh, Jill Kipnis, Chelsey Funk, Belinda Wagner and Keum Choi

Providence Health Care Breast Centre (PHCBC) staff at Mount St. Joseph Hospital: Imelda Villeneuve and the clinic staff

Surgeons and Physicians: Dr. Urve Kuusk, Dr. Nancy Van Laeken, Dr. Carol Dingee, Dr. Elaine McKevitt, Dr. Winkle Kwan and Dr. Jinsi Pao

British Columbia Cancer Agency: Dr. Dean Regier

UBC: Dr. Kristin Campbell, Alison Hoens, Stanley Hung, Bolette Rafn and Sarah Sayyari

Jonathan Coelho and I are creating a toolkit to identify the barriers associated with student uptake in private practice. Currently, there are too few placements offered to accommodate students. We are designing a survey to gain information from clinicians about their concerns associated with accepting students. As a physiotherapist working in a busy private practice, I see the need for more clinician/student interaction. Taking on students might seem daunting, however, clinicians may not be aware of the process itself or the many benefits.

I’ve experienced the benefits of teaching and mentorship first-hand, initially as a Queen’s student during my clinical placements, then as a new graduate undertaking my manual therapy levels, where I spent hundreds of hours with clinicians and teachers, and later as a mentor and instructor. The interactions and experiences I had with these clinicians determined my professional path, and gave me the opportunity to decide if private practice was right for me. They also played a major role in the development of my skill-set throughout my education.

As an instructor, the knowledge that students bring, their energy and keen attitudes, are inspiring. Mentoring is an easy way to stay current- exposing clinics to the latest evidence based research through students can make their clinics more desirable, and therefore, more marketable.

My mentors and students proved to be the most important and influential parts of my learning. Our toolkit will hopefully lead to solutions that can eliminate the barriers associated with taking on students, stream-line the uptake process into a simple, accessible format, and provide students exposure to private practice during the time in their schooling when they need it the most.

By: Renata Szado, FCAMPT, MScPT, GunnIMS
Dunbar Physio

Have you ever wondered …

1. How you can demonstrate that your treatment of a patient with a TKA or THA was effective?
2. Which are the best outcome measures to track a patient’s progress?
3. Whether it is OK to change any part of a standardized test (e.g. can the patient use a gait aid during the Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test)?
4. How to effectively write discharge letters reporting the results of your treatment to a physician?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, than you will be thrilled to know that the:

Total Joint Arthroplasty Outcome Measures Toolkit (TJAOM) online learning modules are now available!

The TJAOM online learning modules provide the key points (with videos) about 12 patient-reported and performance-based outcome measures recommended for patients with total joint arthroplasty.

In order to access these modules please follow this link (http://goo.gl/forms/paj0MBZbZx) and fill in the requested details.  An account that provides unlimited free access will be created for you within seven (7) days.

We hope you enjoy these modules as much as we enjoyed making them.

Thank you, from all the TJAOM project team members.

Note: The TJAOM Toolkit is a Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker* facilitated project that involved the collaboration of over 30 BC physical therapists and multiple health authorities.  The online modules supplement other free resources (A diagram illustrating which outcome measures to use at each phase of care, one page summaries, and templates of discharge letters reporting the results) available within the Knowledge Broker webpages

Are you interested in getting involved in physiotherapy research?

Not sure what options exist or who to contact?

The first step is to register with the BC PT Research Collaboration Registry which can be found on UBC Department of Physical Therapy Website within the Knowledge Broker webpages

The purpose of this registry is to provide a mechanism for researchers, administrators and clinicians to link with each other for research and practice issues within specific areas of practice. The registration process is undertaken online – simple and fast.

This registry has been accessed over 150 times this past year and over 300 times since its inception in 2010. It has catalyzed the development of teams for academic research projects, identified potential partners for UBC Masters of Physical Therapy student research projects and stimulated special interest groups and community of practices within specific areas of practice.

Please use this resource as a means to link with colleagues to pursue shared interests. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Alison Hoens, at Alison.hoens@ubc.ca.   In order to track the activities that the registry catalyzes, do let her know about any outcomes related to its use.

The role of a knowledge broker is complex, challenging, and sometimes hard to describe.  

In the March issue of the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, Stephanie Glegg, a Knowledge Broker/Facilitator with Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, and Alison Hoens, a Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker at UBC, have published a special interest article aiming to describe the context for knowledge brokering in health care, and simplify it into a useful model.

First, they provide a concise overview of five major knowledge translation theories (KTA Process, PARiHS, Fernandez and Gould’s Model, Diffusion of Innovation, and K* Spectrum), and outline how these theories depict the ideal role(s) of knowledge brokering.

Then, drawing from this literature, they propose a model which describes five key “role domains” that people or organizations can assume in knowledge brokering activities.

Citation: Glegg, S. M., & Hoens, A. (2016). The Role Domains of Knowledge Brokering. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, 00, 1. http://doi.org/10.1097/NPT.0000000000000122

Glegg and Hoens (2016) don’t claim to present a full picture of all knowledge brokering activities. Instead, their model is a springboard for discussion. For example, they argue these “role domains” could provide a common language to use as a foundation when discussing “the determinants and processes associated with knowledge brokering, and when evaluating the mechanisms of action and outcomes of them” (p. 8).

To see a video clip describing the article go to https://youtu.be/udp8JNu_tL4

Welcome to Sandra Wintner in the role of Classroom and IT Support Technician who started with the Department in December.

Sandra moved from Austria in 1997 and started working here as a web and media designer. She then trained and worked at a venerable www.front.bc.ca as an audio-visual technician and technical director. Since then, she has worked for the SFU Cultural Unit & Department of Communications, the Vancouver & Surrey Art Galleries, Chan Center  Coastal Jazz and Blues Society among others. In 2005 she also became a certified as a fisheries observer for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The work with scientists, conservation officers and fishermen involved otolith sampling, installing surveillance equipment on vessels and issuing vast amounts of paperwork. Sandra is happy to now use her problem solving skills to support students, faculty and staff in the Department of Physiotherapy.

Besides working she enjoys outdoor activities with her 2 adopted cattle dogs.

Farewells and thanks

Thank you and goodbye to Amy Villablanca and welcome back to Sheila Williamson.  Amy filled the role of Student Services Officer while Sheila was on parental leave taking care of her new daughter.

Good bye and good luck to Carissa Dyck, MPT Program Administrative Manager. Carissa is leaving the Department for a new opportunity at the University of Victoria as Associate Director, Domestic, Executive Programs in the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. Carissa has been with the Department since 2009 assisting with various aspects of the Master of Physical Therapy program and the Internationally Educated Physiotherapists Exam Preparation Program.  Cailen Ogley will be taking on this role, Cailen has been with the Department in the role of MPT Assistant.

In June we will bid a fond farewell to Administrative Manager, Clare O’Connor.  Clare has helped lead the Department since 2012. She has provided excellent leadership during a period of significant change for the Department.  We wish her well in her next life adventures.

Orientation week was a memorable start to our Masters of Physiotherapy journey. On top of a whirlwind of informational seminars, the MPT2 class did an admirable job at welcoming us to Friedman High. Events included a potluck, Wreck Beach bonfire, and an Amazing Race!

It didn’t take long until the semester was in full swing. Long days of lectures followed by late nights studying meant that our class got to know each other very quickly. Each of us has been thankful for the support and camaraderie that our colleagues have provided. We never miss the opportunity to bring a little humour to the school week. Organized themes such as Plaid Day and Twin Day have brought lots of laughter. Freaky Friday, during which students came dressed as one of their classmates, was particularly hysterical, much to the confusion of our professors.

The MPT1 class recognizes the importance of carrying the torch as the most active health care professionals in British Columbia. It’s not uncommon to see a group of MPT1s sprinting up the Wreck Beach stairs in between class, for what has been dubbed “Trail Tuesdays”, or even sweating it out together at the HotBox Yoga Studio on campus. On any given Friday, students can be found at the Hive Climbing Gym, playing a friendly game of soccer out on the UBC fields, gathering for a game of pick up hockey, or hitting the Whistler slopes.

The group has a knack for combining fun activities with our fundraising efforts, as we understand the importance of giving back to the community. The MPT Physio Phresh Team could be found donning pink bras for the CIBC Run for the Cure on October 4th, which raised funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. On February 24th, we happily celebrated National Cupcake Day with homemade baked goods, raising funds for the SPCA and Humane Societies. The UBC Run for Rural Medicine took place on March 19th, where all proceeds supported Hope Air, a charity that provides free flights for Canadians requiring transport to urban medical care centres.

As the semester comes to a close, students excitedly await for practical placements to begin in April. Locations range from as close as UBC Hospital to as far as Fort St. John. We are all looking forward to the opportunity to apply our clinical skills while working alongside our skilled physiotherapy preceptors.

By: Sarah Paterson, BScKIN
UBC Masters of Physical Therapy, Candidate 2017
MPT1 Class Representative, Physical Therapy Student Society

Laura Bulk is a PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She holds an undergraduate degree in anti-oppressive social work practice from the University of Victoria, and a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from UBC.

I am not the only person to have struggled deciding what to include in an entry to this newsletter (see Carmen Sima’s entry in last Fall’s edition) – there are so many exciting things to share about practice, life, and study in this community. I hope that what I’ve decided upon will be of interest to you. Preparing this submission lead me to wonder:

What unites Rehab Science scholars?

Disclaimer: this is not the official definition/statement of purpose for the department. Rather, this is a collection of thoughts and ideas from both myself and other trainees doing work in the department.

Why has this discipline brought together PT’s, OT’s, kinesiologists, cognitive behavioural therapists, and clinicians/scholars from such a variety of backgrounds? What unites us under this banner? I posed this question to my colleagues, and here are a couple responses I received.

One student says it is using research to help people improve their health, functioning, and quality of life.

Another muses perhaps we are united by a common concern: rehabilitation. We are all concerned with helping people following an injury – whether to the heart, bone, head, or muscle. We are interested in understanding the injury itself, peoples’ responses to injury, or circumstances surrounding how people injure themselves.

According to UBC’s website, rehabilitation science aims to promote physical, mental, and social well-being among people of all levels of ability.

What do I think it is? Why am I doing my PhD in Rehab Science? Well, let’s go back a bit further to look at how I landed here in the first place.

Why Am I Here? (doing my PhD in Rehab Science)

As a teenager, I described my long-term goal: to come alongside people with disabilities, helping them gain the skills and confidence needed to flourish, and to help shift the negative and ableist assumptions I too often encountered. I found a great fit in Occupational Therapy and began a 7-year journey to becoming an OT. After getting my undergraduate degree in anti-oppressive social work practice at the University of Victoria, I entered the Master of Occupational Therapy program here at UBC. And finally, in 2014 I reached my goal of becoming an OT.

So why am I still here?

Throughout my personal and professional experiences, I have witnessed individuals go through rehabilitation/recovery, going on a journey to become self-empowered, and then go out into environments where social and policy barriers prevent them from flourishing. My work as an OT gives me the great privilege of coming alongside individuals on their journeys, and allows me to work at shifting some of the stigma around disability. I deeply value my work as an OT. But I believe that my work as a scholar will provide additional opportunities and training so I am better able to contribute to change in social and policy arenas. As clinicians and scholars we have the power to create change, and what I am learning as a PhD student will help equip me to be a more effective advocate and change agent.

Diversity

Another statement I heard from all my colleagues is: Rehab Science is diverse. I may serve as a good example – I am currently involved in projects spanning four areas.

The Inclusive Campus Project (P.I. Dr. Tal Jarus), an interprofessional collaboration exploring the inclusion (and exclusion) of people with disabilities within health professions. What are the barriers and facilitators to inclusion in health professions? What can we, as educators, scholars, and clinicians do to enable people to flourish within our professions (thereby causing our professions to flourish as well)?

The second is a project with Dr. Laura Nimmon exploring the role of relationships in end of life care. How do relationships contribute to quality of life and human flourishing at the end of life?

The third is a project with Michael Lee, exploring teaching practices that promote student mental health and wellbeing. How can teaching practices be used to promote learning and flourishing among students?

Finally, my own research, Being Blind in a Sighted World is a partnership between myself, a photojournalist, and an advisory committee to create a multimedia project exploring international experiences and challenging (mis)perceptions of blindness. Another aspect of my research is a participatory project with Blind people in the Vancouver community (more details to be determined after my comprehensive exams!). Suffice to say, I am interested in exploring: what is preventing Blind people from flourishing and how can these barriers be demolished?

PS – if you are interested in any of these projects, I would be thrilled to be in touch, so please contact me! You can also follow me on Twitter @LauraYvonneBulk.

Indeed, there are diverse opportunities within Rehab Sciences! So what do I think unites Rehab Science scholars? I think that within our diverse areas of interest, we are united by a common goal: to promote human flourishing. We want to be equipped to engage in positive change through

• the advancement of evidence-based practice,
• the development of innovative interventions,
• the exposure of harmful social processes,
• the exploration of human experience and diversity,
• and on, and on…

Not only are we as scholars and clinicians diverse in our areas of interest, we are also eager to explore the diversity within our communities and promote practices and processes that will allow all people to flourish. Thus, I am using two words to describe Rehab Science: Flourishing and Diversity.

I am honoured to be among some amazing colleagues, and look forward to collaborating with and learning from them throughout my time here at UBC. I am going to close-off with a little plug. We, the Rehabilitation Sciences Executive Committee (RSEC), are planning a few initiatives to enhance connection among this community of scholars and provide opportunities for all of you to learn more about the work being done here – so stay tuned!

Anne Pistawka, May 2015 MRSc graduate, and Health Educator, Physiotherapist at the Central Okanagan Association for Cardiac Health (C.O.A.C.H.), Kelowna, British Columbia.

Returning to academic study almost 25 years after receiving my UBC BSc (PT) was daunting at first but with my children making their way to University, the time seemed right.  The UBC Masters of Rehabilitation Science (MRSc) online program appealed to me because it allowed me to start with the Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation then carry on to a Master’s — it was a perfect fit for me.  It has been an enlightening journey. Each step of the way provided the foundation necessary for me to successfully plan and execute my research study. The instructors and course objectives facilitated deeper thinking about how the subject matter of each course relates and applies to my practice setting.  I feel that this integration of knowledge into practice is one the program’s greatest strengths.
Going through the research process step by step gave me confidence in how to approach future problems in my practice. Exploring practice problems was previously an overwhelming task of where to start, what to focus on, how to begin, and what to do. I now feel more confident managing this process by defining practice problems, developing a research question, searching the literature, determining theoretical framework and methodologies, considering ethics and developing a thorough plan.  I learned that research takes comprehensive and painstaking planning, a good dose of patience, trust that the process will lead to a meaningful end, determination to get there and open mindedness to acknowledge my biases. Thorough work done at the beginning pays off in the end, allowing a project to unfold more seamlessly and completely – clearly a case of paying it forward.
A qualitative approach was the most appropriate to address my research question.  Before my project, I had little knowledge of the process of qualitative inquiry, its interpretive nature, the systematic way the data is processed, or why this approach would be chosen.  I learned so much about the process through the RHSC 583 – Qualitative Inquiry course. I have a newfound and deep respect for the researchers who undertake qualitative research.
Ultimately, I have come away with a deeper respect for the voices of those I seek to help.   At the beginning of this journey, I remember realizing that I had a long way to go to be truly client-centered in my approach to practice. I have learned to be a deeper listener, reinforcing some of the things that I learned years ago in a Motivational Interviewing workshop. I have learned to become less prescriptive in my practice and more responsive to the needs and values of those who seek education and support for better cardiovascular risk factor management.
As I reflect back over the past couple of years on my MRSc journey, I realize how it has already helped me in my practice. I have written two grants for our cardiac rehabilitation program. Both have been successful in securing funding for the program.  The first was an Interior Health Authority grant for a new “Enhanced self-management program for better cardiovascular health” which increased services to include one on one counseling for clients with dietician, pharmacist and/or social worker. This program has been running for over a year now and client feedback has been positive. The second grant was from a local community foundation and we were successful in funding a new ECG machine.  It has been satisfying to see the success that we have had with these grants and I know that it has much to do with improvement in my writing and reasoning skills from my courses. My work in RHSC 581 – Writing to Enhance Practice also led to a publication in a local health magazine.
I have been astounded at the depth of learning and sharing that online programs can offer. The dialogue, collaboration and sharing with other learners from many health disciplines which was stimulated by the various learning activities during the coursework was unexpected and appreciated. The thoughts, insights, and knowledge shared by all I have interacted with fill me with deep respect for their contributions. The instructors have facilitated and supported learning in a most respectful, encouraging way. I have nothing but positive things to say about the process now. It has been a wonderful journey and made that way by all of the terrific people I have encountered along the way.

‘Change your Thinking, Change your View, Change Practice’ through the MRSc

Joseph Anthony, Clinical Associate Professor and Virtual Patient Project PT Lead

I have long been interested in healthcare, in education, and in technology. How exciting to be at a point in history where there is a confluence of these three! While this might seem to be the case in the early years of the twenty-first century, a little reflection will show that there has long been a confluence of healthcare, education and technology. Think of the excitement that must have been born amongst healthcare educators (and others) as they observed the development of the moveable type printing press in the 1040s in the East and the 1450s in the West. I think the exciting thing for me is the change in technology – how advances in technology enable us to do now what we could not previously do. This is not unlike the changes in education enabled by the printing press! I am certain that such a change resulted in anxiety then, just as there is now rightly, uncertainty regarding the educational value of some modern technologies. I think time and experience will sort the wheat from the chaff here, and I believe that by thoughtfully embracing the “affordances of technology” we will be able to enhance learning.

Not very long after moving to Vancouver, I was asked to help out in the Physical Therapy program at UBC. We were in the old School of Rehabilitation Sciences, located on the third floor of the Koerner Pavilion at the time, and I was asked by Alison Hoens to be her teaching assistant for the theory and practice of the application of electrophysical agents. I have always been grateful to Alison for this opportunity! For the past 20 years I have retained my interest and involvement in that course, initially as TA and for the past decade or so as principle instructor. I write twenty years, but in fact, for the period mid-1997 – early-2000 there was a short break in this activity as I was invited to join the Kuwait-Dalhousie project – an initiative of the Kuwait Ministry of Health and Dalhousie University which involved taking a team of forty-two Canadian rehabilitation professionals to Kuwait to work with local healthcare professionals and thereby enhance the rehabilitation services throughout Kuwait. In addition to teaching on campus, I have mentored many students in clinical placement, both in Canada and Australia, where I worked prior to moving to Vancouver.

My excitement around the changes in technology in education centre on the innovations gathered under the label “blended learning” – a composite way of teaching and learning where some material is encountered and mastered on-line, and the learner is engaged with the remainder in face-to-face activities. This approach demonstrates improved learning outcomes. In my current role as Health Professions Education Coordinator in the Faculty of Medicine, I work with faculty members to innovate in, and evaluate, the use of technology in education. Passing on knowledge to coming generations might be thought a critical function of a civilized society, and serves to enrich and ennoble both the givers and the receivers.

The more personal bits…

My own formal education has included completing a PhD in Experimental Medicine at UBC. My work was in the area of cell signalling, since as a result of my teaching, I had long been interested in the cellular response to electrophysical agents.

I trained in Physical Therapy in Australia at the University of Queensland, and worked for a short time in Brisbane. I moved to Canada a little more than 21 years ago, working clinically at Shaughnessy Hospital and then St Paul’s hospital / Mt St Joseph’s.

One more thing I would share is the dual-hemispheric skill I regularly practice – singing with Chor Leoni, Vancouver’s internationally known, award-winning male voice choir. I joined Diane Loomer and the guys over 20 years ago, and have had a wonderful time making music in ensemble throughout these years. We’ve certainly had some memorable times together, and I believe we’ve brought joy into peoples’ lives and that really is another important part of what life is about, I think.

News from the MPT1 Class
By: Pricilla Wong, MPT1Class Representative

With exams right around the corner, every MPT1 student seems to be a bit more frazzled, tired, and consuming way too many cups of coffee. A feeling that we all know too well that has been termed PTSD – Physical Therapy Stress Disorder. Lucky for us, we’ve learned the optimal physical therapy prescription for it. We replace those shortened muscles from long study sessions and bell ringer nightmares with new memories such as sports, philanthropy, and spending some quality time together. We’ve earned a few championships under our belt: ultimate, volleyball, and basketball (mixed team of MPT1s and MPT2s). A group of MPT1s raised a whopping amount of $2,618 for Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for life. In the midst of midterms, another group of MPT1s participated in the Bagel Chase (benefiting local charities) and ran over 100 km in 7 days. Some notable personal achievements were accomplished;  Aaron Dobie and Jayme Gordon  completed the Olympic Triathlon at UBC Triathlon Duathlon and Callie Camp  completed the Sprint. Even though we spend so many hours in class every week, we are definitely keeping ourselves motivated and refreshed by supporting each other.

Relay for Life: A good looking bunch of “physio ninjas”

Ultimate Champions: Ultimate champions in the classroom and on the field

The most satisfying part of this whole process is being able to reflect on everything that we’ve learned in such a short amount of time. It’s definitely a far cry from the beginning of September when I was missing Dr. Ali’s lecture because I was lost when he said ipsilateral bend. Physical therapy really is a unique faculty. It is not just a profession that helps other people but also has such an immense benefit and influence over our own lives. Our first placements will be coming up at the end of April and hopefully it will be a similarly overwhelming, yet incredible experience.

News from the MPT2 Class
By: Cynthia Lau, MPT2 Class Representative

After returning from back-to-back placements spanning from November to February, the MPT2 class is back in action at Friedman for our final full semester of classes. In addition to our regularly scheduled courses, many students are seeking opportunities to expand the scope of our theoretical knowledge and practical skills by attending a variety of courses and workshops, such as acupuncture, soft tissue release techniques, and the Mulligan Concept.

Outside the classroom, students are also contributing to several different initiatives within the community, such as the Canadian Blood Services blood drive and the UBC Run for Rural Medicine, as well as the upcoming Vancouver Sun Run and “Walk Your A.S. Off,” a community organization that raises awareness of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The next few months will certainly be busy ones, with our final exams just around the corner in May and our final two clinical placements of the program in the summer time. Many ambitious students have also opted to write the national exam in July while the remainder will be writing in September. Needless to say, finding strategies to prepare for the many things that lie ahead may seem like a daunting task, but it is also a very exciting time as we continue to discover new skills and the many different paths down which our MPT degree can lead us.

MPT2 students on placement at Samuha Samarthya
[L-R]: Madison Morrison, Josina Rhebergen, Krysta Wark, Sara Kloosterboer

For our January 2015 2B placement Krysta Wark, Madison Morrison, Sara Kloosterboer and myself, Josina Rhebergen headed across the ocean to India for a Global Health placement. Every night after another day full of surprises and adventures on placement at Samuha Samarthya, we recounted our personal highs and lows. We sat on our rooftop long after the sun set and debriefed on the best parts of the day and the ones that posed the biggest challenges. There was only one rule – there couldn’t be more lows than highs. Animated stories of village children’s reactions to our home visits and surprise 40 year old clients in the early intervention centre often had us laughing to the point of tears.

At the end of the placement our preceptor, Phil Sheppard, challenged us to try and come up with our top “high” and worst “low” of the placement. We thought about the variety of conditions we learned about, the amazing Indian food, and the warm hospitality before we finally settled on the top high which was the consistent adaptability and motivation of those living with disability in India that we witnessed. It was incredible to see what their high levels of motivation and resiliency allowed them to achieve. They found ways to adapt to whatever their disability was and thrived when provided with a physical therapy intervention. The low that we all struggled with was how many barriers these clients had working against them. They still had to face challenges such as strong social stigmas surrounding disability, cycles of poverty and elusive government funding. It gave us a lot of respect for the work that Samuha Samarthya does as advocates for their clients. How does this have anything to do with practicing in Canada? We not only learned to advocate for physiotherapy as an intervention, but also how important our role as motivators, educators and advocates is to helping our clients achieve the best possible outcome.

MPT2 students at Ortho Club learning how to perform load transfer testing

Ortho Club
By: Brandon Arbour, Ortho Club Representative

Ortho Club is a student run initiative that provides students from the MPT2 class the option to attend presentations with clinical physiotherapists. Presenters and students have both provided very positive feedback. Students seem to really enjoy how a focus is put on gaining exposure to different post-graduate practical skills as well as giving students multiple perspectives on what to expect after graduation. This year there has been about 65 students register for Ortho Club and we consistently have had 60 students at every presentation.

Some topics covered so far this year have included: assessment and treatment around the pelvis, lumbar assessment and treatment techniques in clinical practice, cervical assessment and treatment techniques in clinical practice, as well as load transfer testing. Other topics that we have coming up include vestibular rehab techniques as well as exercise retraining techniques for the core. We are right in the middle of all of the presentations for this semester and still going strong!

West Coast Interprofessional Clinical Knowledge Evidence Disseminator

We have begun filming our Virtual Cases which will help teach students the steps of evidence-informed health care (EIHC).  Five modules make up this web-based, interactive, simulated learning initiative which will educate students in the five steps of evidence based practice:

1.      Translation of uncertainty to an answerable question
2.      Systematic retrieval of best evidence available
3.      Critical appraisal of evidence for validity, clinical relevance and applicability
4.      Application of results in practice
5.      Evaluation of performance

Evidence-informed health care is a minimum requirement for graduates of health professional programs and will help practitioners implement evidence-based treatments and maintain a critical attitude in their own practice and to emerging evidence.

This project will help address the research-to-practice “gap” as it relates to EIHC. It takes approximately fifteen years to get research into recommended policy and only 40% is implemented into practice (Antman et al, 1992). It is known that only 30-50% of patients receive recommended care, 30-40% do not get treatments of proven effectiveness, and 20-30% receive acute care that is not needed or that is potentially harmful (Schuster et al, 1998; Grol, 2001).

After testing the modules, and incorporating feedback and improvements, the modules will be made available to all UBC health professional students and practicing clinicians. It is expected that the EIHC modules will be used for both face-to-face learning and as part of a flexible learning approach. For example, the virtual cases can augment didactic material received in face-to-face learning sessions. Students can be given the opportunity to work through the modules before attending classes, and thus build on their knowledge and encourage more detailed discussions during class.

A major advantage of these modules will be their accessibility through e-learning platforms. This easy access will be particularly advantageous to students on placement or practicing in rural and remote regions as they can be accessed via the web at the most convenient time for an individual’s learning needs (i.e. just in time learning). Virtual cases allow for revision of material in preparation for examinations and/or clinical practice.

It is hard to believe that the Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker position was launched over five years ago. Looking back to May of 2009 it was impossible to predict what the position would look like let alone what the outcomes would be five years later.

327 people have participated in PT KB facilitated projects and activities

21 evidence-informed resources have been completed, disseminated and viewed ~100,000 times locally, nationally and internationally.  And,

•  SAFEMOB, Achilles Tendinopathy Toolkit, Lateral Epicondyle Toolkit are on the international website Physiopedia  and are in the top 25% of all material accessed on over 2000 pages of content by 40,000 unique views/month from PTs in over 200 countries. (The Total Joint Arthroplasty and Outcome Measures Toolkit has just been added).
• A physician continuing education blog (This Changed My Practice) rated the contribution regarding the Lateral Epicondyle Toolkit as one of the five top articles of the year
• Our colleagues from other disciplines value these resources –Nurses have contacted the KB from different jurisdictions in Canada and are using SAFEMOB;  Physicians, through the postings on the British Journal of Sports Medicine and The UBC Continuing Practice Physician blog “ This Changed My Practice”
• The BC Medial Journal expressed value in the Tendinopathy Toolkits and have accessed the decision-tree on how to refer arthritis patients to physiotherapy over 900 times;  and Pharmacists use the decision-tree on when to recommend patients with arthritis see a physiotherapist.

There is ~$2.1 million of grant funding of projects in which the PT KB was involved.

Fifteen projects have been undertaken – 11 that were PT KB initiated.

A total of 20 publications, 4 in press, 2 submitted and 3 in process, with numerous clinician first time co-authorships. This includes an invited editorial on the PT KB position (The Knowledge Broker’s ‘Fit’ in the World of Knowledge Translation”). Moreover, last year’s article “A survey of Physiotherapists’ experience using outcome measures in total hip and knee arthroplasty” was selected as the article of the month by Physiotherapy Canada and the manuscript “Exercise prescription for hospitalized people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and comorbidities: a synthesis of systematic reviews” was viewed over 23,720 times.

601 unique PABC members have attended at least one of the PT KB webinars – many of which partnered with UBC Department of Physical Therapy academic or clinical faculty. There has been over 6,630 views of the recordings, and 65-95% of survey respondeesreported not only an intent to use the information to change practice but could identify specific ways to do so.

There have been 42 presentations locally, provincially, nationally and internationally related to the PT KB role and projects.

Several new partnerships have been forged e.g. The Physical Activity Line of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Impact BC Patient Voices.

‘Clearly, it takes a village to achieve these accomplishments. I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation and respect to the 327 partners who have contributed their talents, wisdom and passion to the projects and the thousands who have so willingly participated in the webinars, read the documents, used the resources and supported the position in innumerable ways. I am looking forward to the next 5 years – who knows what we can accomplish together next’,- Alison Hoens, Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker