I just finished reviewing old school notes in preparation for an in-service I will be giving for the therapists I work with, and it was very reminiscent going through the power-point slides, reading over the comments I wrote in by the slides, and remembering how important school had been for the last 3 years.  As I finish this final blog, my hope is that I have been able to convey what an amazing experience physical therapy school can be (both with the ups and downs), and that for me, going to Regis helped strengthen that experience.

For those considering applying to Regis, I guarantee that you can’t find a former student at Regis who felt going there was a terrible experience.  As I have spoken with different PTs, I have realized that all programs have their pros and cons, and I hope over the last year and a half of writing these blogs, you can get a better idea if Regis is the right place for you, because it was right for me.  I won’t re-hash things I have already mentioned, but in summary, Regis was the right fit for me because:

1)      I liked the diversity of my class:  we were from different parts of the country (primarily west and mid-west parts) with different educational and personal backgrounds

2)      I liked how personal the teachers were:  calling teachers by their first names and being able to have conversations about things other than school made it more real; plus being assigned to one of them as your faculty mentors was very helpful for me

3)      I liked the service learning and leadership opportunities: this is something very unique to Regis and it attracts people who are interested in those things

4)      Denver is a pretty cool city with lots to do:  enough said

With that in mind, I wish anyone who is reading this the best of luck with their decisions.  I still remember Spring 2008 and deciding to go to Regis.  I was extremely outside my family and my comfort zone, but it was a great experience.  Now, it’s time to start another phase of our lives.  My wife, Ashley, will be delivering a baby girl sometime in April.  We’re all excited, especially Spencer.  Work is going great; I’m learning new things every day.

I would like to thank Regis and especially Alison Campbell (from admissions) for giving me the opportunity of writing this blog. I’m telling you, as you start to take a look at Regis, you’ll soon learn that Alison is one of the greatest assets the program has; she was a big part of the reason why I gave Regis a closer look initially.  Her constant willingness to answer questions and her friendly demeanor made my transition to Regis so much smoother.  So, if you’re really serious about Regis, just let Alison know; she’s great at letting you know everything you need to.

In short, it was fun to be able to reflect and give my 5 cents about one of the greatest experiences of my life.  Best of luck to you if you so choose Regis.  Thank you.

Here's Ashley at 21 weeks. Due date: April 13th. As of now, we have "Elizabeth Joy" picked out for the name.

Ashley and I went to Tran Siberian Orchestra last night here in CO Springs. Yes, it was loud, and yes, it was awesome.

Here was an attempt at a self-portrait for our Christmas card. You gotta love Spencer's cowboy boots.

Through good ole’ facebook, a former classmate extended an invitation to all those in the Denver area to come to her house for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Shortly thereafter (in facebook time, of course), several other classmates confirmed they would be going. Just reading the different comments of my classmates got me thinking. It has now been a little over 6 months since graduation, and the most thing I still miss is the time I spent with the 53 other DPT students in my class. After spending so much time together the past few years, I am grateful to have facebook to know what they are all up to, but I still miss being with them.

I remember giving a particular tour around campus to a prospective student. One of his main concerns was that of having such a large class size. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, most DPT programs around the country are between 30-45 students, whereas our class was 54 and the class of 2012 had even more. For me, I really enjoyed the diversity and size of our class. It never seemed to effect my education, and it was fun having group projects with different people and being able to learn from the different points of view.

I still keep in contact with a dozen or so of my closer classmates. It’s fun to hear how they are liking (or disliking) their first jobs, where they hope to go, and how we’re all starting to settle into the life of a Physical Therapist (including starting to pay student loans. . . ugh). Although PT school was tough, having a group of friends that were going through the same things as I made it more bearable, especially on those really long days. Good times.

Here we are hiking last weekend up the Barre Trail in CO Springs. If you continue on this trail, you eventually hit Pikes Peak. It's so nice being out of school and going for hikes and adventures and not have to be thinking/worrying about an upcoming project or exam.

Magic Hands or the School of Pain?

                It has been a little over 24 hours since I performed an initial evaluation on a woman with bilateral TKAs.  In my mind, I was very gentle and conservative in the treatment methods and so I thought I’d give her a call to see how great she was probably feeling after I used my magic hands to assist with her recovery.  I was a little shocked, then, to hear how little she slept because of the pain, how she somewhat regretted coming (after all, home health PT wasn’t that bad), and how she was considering never coming back.  Well there goes the confidence I had been building since graduating back in May; a big stack of cards tumbling to the ground.  I collected my thoughts and did every type of encouragement and support I could muster to get her back for one more try.  Don’t give up on me, I said.  I want to help get you better.

                Later that day, I mentioned the above conversation with the front desk gal, to which she smiled and said, “Well yeah.  A lot of the patients that leave this clinic seem to be hurting more than when they arrived.  I tell them that the physical therapists are trying to restore some motion. . . and sometimes it can hurt for a little bit.  In those situations, when asked what university theses PTs went to, I tell them the ‘school of pain.’  There’s a reason why I don’t let you guys touch me when I’m hurting.”

                Well that made me feel better.  Thanks a lot.  That night, I kept running through my head all the stuff I learned at Regis, about how to help patients cope with pain, about not pushing past their limits, about how to help patients progress.  I have made patients hurt temporarily, but I suppose I had it in my mind that my magic hands could do no wrong.  Also, it’s funny how during internships, you’ve got your clinical instructor to “blame” stuff on, but now there’s no one to blame but yourself. . . .  and the weather, of course J

                The good thing is, the lady with the bilateral TKAs has come back.  We’ve modified her treatment regime and she is doing much better with pain.  It’s so easy for me to base my performance and skill as a PT on just 1 patient, but I have to keep reminding myself of the countless patients who feel significantly better after receiving our services and they are able to return to activities that they otherwise would not be doing had they not come in.  I love at the beginning of each evaluation, asking patients what they hope to get from physical therapy.  I love setting goals with a patient and then helping them achieve them.

                The ultimate test will be when the front desk gal will trust me into treating her sometime.. . . We’ll see if that ever happens.

I coached Spencer's soccer team this fall. 4-5 year olds, co-ed. Tons of fun. I think Spencer had more fun catching rain-drops than chasing the ball, but it was a great experience.

Up and to the right of this picture is Pike's Peak. We have a beautiful view of the mountains. We love this area of Colorado Springs in Old Colorado City.

I contacted a former Regis classmate and friend, Brian Briggs, to share his thoughts about the student government that the Regis DPT program has.  Brian, or “Briggles” as he is better known,was our class president, and I felt his insights might be helpful for any prospective student considering the leadership opportunities Regis has to offer.  Thanks Briggles.

Here's a picture of Briggles. He's currently doing the Sports Residency Program for OSU.

“One of the great advantages of being a physical therapy student at Regis is the vast array of opportunities to get involved
within the PT community both locally as well as nationally. If you take the time to research each of the Regis faculty, one of the most common factors you’ll see is there involvement within the Colorado American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) chapter as well as the APTA itself as whole.  This enthusiasm to be an active member of the APTA is encouraged for every PT student at Regis. For example, one great and easy way to become involved is by becoming a member of the class governance
system. 

I had the pleasure of being elected class president for the graduating class of 2011. I decided to run for class president because I wanted to have an active role in my education and as how my class participated within the DPT program.  I had no previous governance experience before becoming elected so it became a great opportunity for me to work on my leadership skills and see how an organization ought to run. For those not wanting the spotlight of class president there are several other opportunities to become involved through the electoral process as well as with several committees that can be established within each class (i.e. party planning committee, fundraising committee).

My experience of being apart the student governmental body has made my leadership qualities much more defined and
established as it has given me the confidence and desire to be more involved within the APTA in pursuing my interests.
Thus, it has afforded me the ability to connect with clinicians and researchers from across the globe in which these opportunities would have been much harder for me to come across if I didn’t have the exposure that I had at Regis. I highly encourage all students to be active participants within and among their class, as it will only benefit you in enriching your experience.”  

When Spencer isn't jumping on the tramp, going on bike rides, playing soccer or at school, he and Daisy like to play dress-up. . . . Or at least, Spencer likes to play dress-up.

 Later that morning, I had a new evaluation from a middle-aged woman with back pain.  As soon as we sat down in the treatment room to get her history, the flood-gates opened.  The pain has been taken a major toll on her quality of life.  We spent the majority of the treatment just talking about coping mechanisms and the nature of her diagnosis (when she received recent imaging, she wasn’t told anything more than the name, and she had been terrified since then).  Before she left, she gave me a hug and thanked me for my services.  I look forward to working with her.

 Right before lunch, I had another new evaluation for a lady with knee pain.  I had her warm up on a bike and was about to explain some foundation exercises when her eyes got wide and said, “I am feeling a migraine coming on.  I occasionally pass out for a while due to my blood pressure dropping.  If it happens, do not call 911.  They can’t do anything for me.”  Within a minute, her words came true.  I sat by her and took her blood pressure every few minutes.  She was able to sit up after about 15 minutes, and with some help of a mountain dew, I was able to help her out to her husband’s car.  Thank goodness she told me what to expect or perhaps I may have ended up on the ground with her.

 These are a few of dozens of stories I have experienced in the first 2 months of my career.  It has its ups and downs, but I am loving my career choice as a physical therapist.  I get satisfaction out of helping people get back to what they enjoy doing, and I am grateful for the education and training I received at Regis University, especially when it comes to helping others cope or deal with what’s going on.  During 3^rd semester, we had a class called Psychosocial Aspects of Healthcare (or something to that effect).  We were taught how we can be more sensitive to the needs (and not just physical needs) of the people we work with.  The training has been very helpful as I meet with patients every day.

Spencer picked out his own outfit (and accessories) for July 4th.  CO Springs was full of festivities that day.  We first got to meet “Abe Lincoln” at Rock Ledge Living History Farm (we live about a mile from it).  Then it was off to Woodland Park that night for the fireworks.  I had to work the next morning, so we didn’t stay up too late, though.

It has been so nice not having homework or upcoming tests.  Now our evenings are spent going on bike rides and spending time outside.  This bike attachment was for Spencer’s birthday.  He loves it.

Ashley and Spencer were such a support for me during the last 3 years of graduate school.  It was one big rollercoaster ride.  Spencer was such a good sport through it all.  Grandma got this for him and I put it together while they were visiting Utah.  He is always on it now.  No broken bones. . . . yet.

In the meantime, I was trying to find studying time for the national boards, which I took last Monday.  After 5 hours and 250 questions on a computer, my brain seemed to be oozing out of my ears.  However, the next morning at 6 am I found out that I passed.  What a relief.  After taking the exam, in retrospect, I was very pleased with my educational experiences at Regis.  I felt very prepared, and although I had a few panic moments during the test, I left the testing center feeling that I had done alright.  About 7 other classmates have taking the exam as well so far, and all of them have passed.  I think that says something about the program.

So now it’s official.  I am Cody Butler, PT, DPT.  I suppose real world starts now.  I work at Orthopedic Rehab Associates, an outpatient orthopedic clinic.  I am the floater position, so I go between the 3 clinics and cover for PTs who are sick or on vacation.  I like the diversity of it so far, and I really enjoy meeting and learning from different therapists, several of which are former Regis graduates. Most of all, however, I enjoy the rest from no more hard core studying.  Instead, I get to watch Spencer play t-ball this summer and go on bike rides over to Garden of the Gods and the countless parks in the area.

Here we are the Colorado Springs Zoo. You can actually pet these giraffes and give them crackers. Spencer wasn't too impressed with their 18 inch tongues.

Here is Spencer's birthday present, a cockatiel named Zoe. She has been lots of fun.

The other time-consumer was getting our “capstone presentations” ready.  This project was to be a culminating presentation of how we have matured and changed while being in graduate school at Regis University.  It took a lot more time than I expected, in part due to trying to find school documents/assignments and adding them to the presentation as examples of this growth.  It was a very rewarding experience to be able to see how much we have grown over the last 3 years and is something unique to Regis University.

Those presentations done, and after a “sad lecture by the financial aid department about how loan repayment occurs” (aka the 25 year plan), we finally graduated.  Friday night was just for the DPT program.  It was a really nice ceremony; we were all hooded by our faculty advisors.  Awards were given out for outstanding service-person, research night reward, and outstanding clinical student.  It was fun to be together.  Spencer, of course, was all dressed up and enjoyed the ceremony . . . . for the most part.

Here's before the hooding ceremony Friday evening. Spencer thought my graduation outfit looked funny.

Here we are after the hooding. This was as much Ashley and Spencer's accomplishment as it was mine.

Our research group received the "Outstanding Research Award." Our topic was: Student Analysis of Practice--Acute Care and Vital Sign Monitoring.

Saturday morning, all the graduate programs had their ceremony outside.  Although we were thankful it was bright and sunny, I regretted not having my sun glasses for the occasion.  Regardless, another memory to add to the experiences at Regis University.

All 54 of us after the hooding. It's crazy to think that I won't ever see some of them again. 3 years of being in classes and labs for hours on end brings a group really close.

Now, I’m back in my home-town of Price, UT.  I accepted a job in Colorado Springs, CO.  I start next Thursday, which means we have to pack up everything sometime this weekend and get everything out there.  We found a home to rent the other day, so now I’m just hanging out with family and trying to motivate myself to study for the national boards; I’ll be taking them on June 6^th.  Before then, though, we’ve got my birthday this week (I turn 27), Ashley’s birthday next week (she turns 28), and Spencer’s birthday right before I take the test (he turns 4, and we plan on getting him a bird and a tramp; he deserves it for all the things he has had to go through the last 3 years).  Another adventure begins.

Although graduation isn’t until May 6^th, we need to get back together in our research groups to get everything ready before presenting on “Research Night” in 2 weeks to the faculty, all 3 DPT classes, and people from the community.  We also have to present our “capstones,” which is short for a collection/culmination of our work at Regis that demonstrates to our faculty advisors that we have embraced the Regis mission of service learning, that we have grown in our leadership skills, and that we are appropriate to be called graduates of Regis University.

In addition to all this fun school stuff, I’ve spoken with classmates and many have been interviewing for jobs left and right.  Many have focused on jobs that offer residency programs.  They are fairly new but are popping up all over the country.  They are similar to medical residencies where one would get specialized training (pediatrics, manual therapy, women’s health, etc) as well as some class-work to refine one’s skills.  I’ve gotten 2 job offers up in Washington but I’m still waiting to hear from my the clinic where I did my 3^rd internship in my home-town.  I should know by next week where we will be living.  Who knows.

Other than that, I’m just trying to brace myself for the long trip back through Utah and eventually into Denver.  Spencer has his portable DVD player on his lap and Daisy May right by his side, so that helps.  We even got him a new movie, Tangled, so he can watch that as much as he wants since he has his earphones.  When you hear from me again, I will be graduated, know where I’ll be working, and preparing to take the national boards. 

On our last weekend in Portland, we went to Cannon Beach. . . . .and there was actually some sun. We were able to walk out and feel the cold water. Spencer loved it.

The fate of a 3 year old boy's dog. She didn't seem to mind, though.

It has been quite an experience up here in the NorthWest. Although it was always cloudy and frequently raining, we had a blast up here. This next month is going to be very interesting, from graduating to deciding on a job. Who knows where we'll be.

Being so close to the coast, we decided to take a short trip down Highway 101. All I can say is that the Oregon coast is amazing. It was great.

I just had to include this picture. His smile is perfect. He loved throwing rocks into the roaring ocean. How can a little boy's smile look so angelic and devilish at the same time? It's called being three years old.

While at school, I have been asking on several occasions about the strengths of Regis.  Now that we are out on clinicals and are using the “stuff” we have learned, I asked a few classmates to share their thoughts on the specific site they are at:  pediatric, neurological, and manual therapy.                      

Hannah

Here are Hannah’s thoughts about the “pediatric” side of physical therapy and our education at Regis.  She is currently on internship at Children’s Hospital in Denver, CO:

Coming into Regis, I had a strong inclination that I wanted to someday work in pediatric physical therapy. Before attending Miami University for undergrad, I spent some time volunteering at The Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati in their inpatient and outpatient physical therapy department. But I decided to keep an open mind to the many other areas of PT I would be exposed to and not keep myself in the kiddie corner if any other interest developed.

After surviving the first year of PT school, we got into the Neuro Management series, where an entire way of thinking about impairments and how to figure out their components was introduced to our class. I remember thinking how futile it seemed to break down every skill into these little bitty pieces and find ways to address whatever was going wrong. I think we all thought they were just out to give us loads of busy work and weren’t actually convinced we were learning anything all that beneficial. I suppose you could say that I “saw the light” after my second clinical affiliation, when I realized how nice it was to have the ability to dissect movement and perform a good task analysis of a patient’s gait, sit to stand, rolling pattern, and overall posture. I remember giving a case study presentation about a pediatric patient I worked with during my second rotation, and being asked whether I felt prepared to work with her through our curriculum thus far. And before I could even think about it, my knee jerk reaction was an affirmative. Though I had not taken Neuro Managment II or my pediatric elective yet, I felt as though I had a strong foundation in how to THINK about treating this population. Kids can be very complicated and not necessarily tell you or their parents everything that is going on or holding them back, which is where the invaluable tool of refined observation comes into play to guide your interventions and treatment strategies.

So here I am, about to graduate, and on my last affiliation at a satellite clinic of The Children’s Hospital of Denver. Yes, I learn an immense amount weekly, and am challenged by my clinical instructors to take the foundational knowledge provided by Regis to the next level with every treatment session. Yes, I still struggle to identify ALL that is going on with many of my patients, especially the children who have severe cerebral palsy and are compensated and recompensated 20 times over. And yes, I wear colorful socks everyday and attempt to avoid spit up and little sneezes at all costs. But what can I say…I think I like it!

Through it all, I believe the kiddo-oriented classmates and I have been generally very satisfied with the way in which the DPT faculty prepared us. We received a good foundation from the beginning of normal development, observing both videos and real life babies and children in lab. It was terrific to have equipment vendors and guest lecturers from various organizations come in to speak about content that a simple power-point cannot accurately convey. I know it was sometimes a bother to those who weren’t extremely interested in peds, but I enjoyed having a little bit of pediatric content in every class. If I hadn’t, there would be no way to absorb it all in one short elective course. Heidi (one of our professors) did a great job with the elective course, bringing in excellent guest lecturers, setting up worth while field trips, and bringing tons of little ones into our class to work on handling techniques and administering standardized assessments.

The only area in which I felt slightly uncomfortable with regard to Regis’ pediatric curriculum was related to specific intervention strategies to target impairments, with a pediatric flair! Which is understandable, given the limited number of toys, balls, and other kid friendly equipment available to the department, and the fact that every clinic is diverse, and these things are easily learned on the job once you know what you want to accomplish during a session. This flows into the lack of actual handling practice we received, which also comes with experience and specialized courses, which will take years for me to develop.

So if you enjoy swings, hide and seek, and tickle fights like I do, Regis is a great place for you to be. The faculty draws upon their vast clinical knowledge and passion for the field to really teach what is most useful to the new pediatric therapist grad. They present the most current/available research to empower their students to impact the lives of children and their families.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Hannah Nawaz
Regis DPT 2011
nawaz344@regis.edu

Krystle and her dog, Packer

Now, here are Krystle’s thoughts on the “neurological” side of physical therapy at Regis.  She is currently at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO, where they specialize in spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions:

When making the decision of whether or not to attend Regis University for physical therapy, one of my main deterrents was that I did not know the strength or weakness of the neurological section of the curriculum. Regis is well known for having a strong orthopedic component. The staff at Regis has done a great job at consolidating the tremendous amount of information needed to learn regarding complex neurological diseases or injuries.  I would comfortably say that the curriculum exposes you to common impairments related to common neurological diseases.

With that said, as a soon-to-be graduate, if I saw that I had a patient with Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy on my schedule, I wouldn’t be apprehensive about treating them. Reluctance in evaluation and treatment would be because of lack of interaction with patients of neurologic symptoms. One of the weaknesses of Regis neurological section is that you do not get a lot of information on intervention on patients with neurological impairments. Regis University does have a great clinical education team that can place you in clinical rotations that are more specific to your area of interest so that you are able to capture the information that you would like to during your time as a student. If you have a specific interest in spinal cord injuries (SCI) or traumatic brain injuries (TBI), I would highly recommend attending Regis. They have developed a relationship with Craig Hospital which is a model system for SCI and TBI.  Besides Colorado University, Regis is the only school to have a continuous relationship with Craig Hospital. New graduates that have interned at Craig have also accepted positions as PT staff. Other rotations that have been available include TEAR hospital in Texas.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each physical therapy program. As a soon-to-be graduate I feel comfortable with additional training that I am receiving in my rotations to treat a specific population such as spinal cord injuries after attending Regis University.

Dave at CSM (Combined Sections Meeting) in New Orleans.

Now, as most of you may have heard, Regis prides itself in the “manual” side of physical therapy.  I asked a classmate, Dave, to give his thoughts on the subject since this last rotation has been spent in a manual-based clinic.  Thanks, Dave.  Here is what he had to say:

Prior to coming to Regis University, I was aware of its strong reputation for being a leading school in manual therapy education.  The Musculoskeletal Management series of classes at Regis have always been my personal favorite and I feel they are the most applicable to those who plan on practicing in an outpatient setting.  The manual skills that I have learned at Regis have given me a great basic skill set with which to branch from and expand upon in my clinical rotations.  I think that there is room for improvement in the area of an applicable evaluation process that could be taught in each of these classes.  Basic evaluation techniques are taught but more could be done to teach efficiency, relevance of findings, and problem solving in an orthopedic setting.  More focus could be given to test-re-test process and the use of comparable signs to show progress or effectiveness of interventions.  That being said, the argument could be made that these skills should be refined and mastered in a clinical setting.  An important strength of the program is that procedure and technique with mobilization and manipulation are paramount. 

After completion of the Musculoskeletal Management series, in my opinion, I felt comfortable with my basic skill set to the point that I would be able to perform all the basic treatments including mobilization and manipulation and diagnostic testing to evaluate and rule in or out a musculoskeletal condition.  Another strength of the program is that knowledgeable and experienced staff are utilized in the lab to assure that students feel comfortable with these techniques and not only answer questions, but provide alternative methods for those who may need them.  Given the experiences that I have had at Regis both in the classroom and the clinic, I am confident that Regis provides some the best manual skill education available.