November is a time of reflection and thanksgiving. As I pause and reflect, I am thankful for two healthy full term children, one which was just born earlier this year. I realize that not everyone can say that. November is also prematurity awareness month. There are ½ million babies born in the United States premature, 15 million worldwide. In the United States, the premature birth rate has increased by 36% over the past 25 years according to the March of Dimes website. Premature Birth is defined as a birth prior to 37 weeks and often times premature babies require specialized care in the NICU by therapists. I encourage anyone interested in this area to view this great introductory course by Alicia Fernandez-Fernandez, PT, DPT, PhD: Physical Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
I am also thankful for where our physical therapy profession is heading. Direct access allows us to be a more integral player in the health care arena. Although I know it is far from complete, or the way we would all like it to be in some states, I am grateful for the hard work that has been done to begin the process. PhysicalTherapy.com is pleased to help practicing therapists improve their medical screening tools. Starting in November, there will be a three-part live webinar series on medical screening across the lifespan. Join us November 12 (pediatric), November 14 (adult) or December 3 (geriatrics). Learn more!
Finally, at PhysicalTherapy.com, we are all thankful for our members. It is our mission to provide physical therapy professionals high-quality continuing education so that they may better serve the patients in their care. Please join our conversations by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook. We value your input!
Your colleague in physical therapy,
Calista Kelly, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT
