After obtaining my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, I sought post-graduate clinical training and board certification in orthopaedic physical therapy. While originally thinking I was going to get into sports medicine, I started to get a bit bored with knees and shoulders (if I must be honest). During my training, I also found that the patients I had the most difficulty with were my patients with spinal disorders. Those with spinal issues tended to be the patients in our orthopaedic clinic that no one “wanted to deal with” and who often had the worst outcomes. Furthermore, it seemed that much of the treatments provided to these patients lacked quality evidence base and there were many gaps in the literature concerning optimal management in spine care. Due to this challenge, I underwent clinical fellowship training to improve my diagnosis and care for these patients and later became more involved in spine research. Today, I operate as a clinician-scientist and would not have in any other way. Poor outcomes and lack of evidence base drew me in, and I can only hope to be a part of the answer to improve these issues and optimize spine care.

I think what initially drew me to NASS was the interdisciplinary nature of the organization. At the time, I was looking for a group that was focused on comprehensive spine care that included surgical and non-surgical clinicians rather than your typical organization that was in a silo of its own discipline. Once I learned about NASS and all it had to offer, I was excited to get involved. My first involvement was in the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee as I felt this would have a large impact on the field of spine care. Over the years, I began to see how important interdisciplinary teamwork would to not only better the society, but also to make lasting changes in advocacy, research, education and clinical care. It is for this reason I got involved in the Interdisciplinary Section on Spine, Early Career Advisory Council, and SpinePAC, as well as participated in multiple work groups and taskforces.

I believe there are many skills which are important for a spine professional to develop in order to provide quality care for their patients. A thorough history taking involves active listening and genuine curiosity to understand the patient’s issue and build therapeutic alliance. A thorough physical examination involves good handling skills as well as up to date knowledge on the most relevant tests and procedures. A thorough differential diagnosis list involves thinking outside of the box and keeping the whole person in mind (and not just the spine). It is also important to develop a good network and interdisciplinary team as your tools may not always be the best to “fix’ the patient’s problem. Knowing how you can help and not help the patient is important so you can get the patient to the right person and treatment at the right time. Lastly, I think it is important to stay humble and continue your desire to learn. While not often thought of as a skill, admitting you do not know everything is often the best way to ensure that you will keep learning and improving in your craft which hopefully will translate to better patient care and outcomes.