“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through, and it will be someone else’s survival guide.”
– Brené Brown
Your case report is exactly that—a survival guide for future OncoPTs.
When you share your clinical reasoning, decision-making, and outcomes, you’re not just fulfilling an application requirement. You’re shaping how oncology physical therapy is practiced in the future.
In this episode of TheOncoPT Podcast, we’re diving deep into what makes a strong case report for the ABPTS Oncology Specialty Exam, how to start writing it (without getting stuck), and why your voice and experience truly matter in advancing our field.
Why YOUR Case Report Matters
The ABPTS isn’t just asking for a case report to make things harder for you—it’s there for a reason.
Writing your case report forces you to critically analyze your patient care, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in oncology PT.
It also helps you refine how you communicate clinical decisions, which is a vital skill for mentorship, leadership, and advocacy.
Breaking Down the Case Report Writing Process
One of the biggest mistakes PTs make is trying to write the case report in order. Don’t do this!
Instead, start with the narrative of your case. Tell the story first—who was your patient, what challenges did they face, and how did you approach treatment?
Once you have that, go back and build out the introduction, methods, discussion, and conclusion.
This approach makes the process feel more natural and helps prevent writer’s block.
Check out the 2025 ABPTS Candidate Guide for more info on required sections of your case report.
Making the Case Report Easier with the Right Support
You don’t have to struggle through this alone! I’ve created a free workshop, The 3 Step Framework for a Finished Case Report, to help you tackle this process efficiently.
In this workshop, I walk you through exactly how to structure your case report, what key elements to include, and how to make sure it meets ABPTS expectations.
And if you’re ready for even more in-depth guidance, my Case Report Writing Workshop is designed to take you from a blank page to a polished, submission-ready case report with personalized feedback and support.
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Waiting too long to start → The deadline always comes faster than you think. Get something down on paper now, even if it’s rough.
Overcomplicating the case selection → You don’t need the most groundbreaking case—choose one that demonstrates solid clinical reasoning.
Not getting feedback early → Have a mentor or peer review your draft before submission. Fresh eyes catch things you might miss.
Not listening to these helpful episodes of TheOncoPT Podcast → So listen to them now!
- From Good to Great: How to Stand Out & Make an Impact in OncoPT
- Applying for the Oncology Specialty Certification Exam? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Not joining TheOncoPT Specialization Community → Join now for free at TheOncoPT.com/specialization.
So now what?
Your case report is more than just a formality—it’s a legacy you’re leaving for the next generation of OncoPTs.
If you haven’t started yet, now is the time. And I’m here to support you every step of the way.
Sign up for The 3 Step Framework for a Finished Case Report workshop—it’s completely free and will give you a clear roadmap to success.
You got this, OncoPT!
Want to watch the episode instead?
Watch this week’s episode of TheOncoPT Podcast on our YouTube channel!
Transcript
Elise Cantu (00:19)
Hey, Onco PT and welcome to this episode of the Onco PT podcast. We are continuing with our episode series, with our arc today. And today’s episode is really a survival guide for future Onco PT’s, aka you, my dear friend, on how to survive your case report. Now.
You’ve heard me in the first episode, which was episode 336 of this arc talking about why this came into my brain and why I thought it was so relevant and why it’s so timely to talk about this. But this particular episode, all about the case report has actually been brewing for maybe eight to 10 months at this point. Now, full disclosure, I have not read this book that I’m about to show you, but I had a patient
who gave me this book, it’s called The Story You Need to Tell, Writing to Heal from Trauma, Illness, or Loss by Sandra Maranella. Now this particular patient of mine, I’ve actually known for a long time, like maybe, my gosh, over a decade now, which is really cool. So I’ve known this patient of mine in a personal capacity, and it wasn’t until, not that long ago, year, actually two years ago.
that I came to know this person in a very professional capacity when they were diagnosed with cancer. And I do not like when my personal and my professional life meet in this capacity because frankly, I don’t like it when cancer strikes this close to home. I’m sure you don’t either, but it was a really fantastic learning experience. This person is doing amazing today.
And this person is also very into writing and journaling and would come to my, you know, come to sessions and would talk about this, that, and the other, and would talk about the different writing workshops that they were doing. And it was, it was always really interesting to hear about. And it’s kind of funny because I don’t think of myself as being a writer because I’m like, I’m a physical therapist, but I actually do a lot of writing, including I wrote a case report and this past year,
As I’ve mentioned previously, I did the first round of my maintenance of specialty certification process. And in doing so, you have to do a mini case report. It’s a case reflection. So much less bulky than the case report. And it was so interesting because this patient of mine was a perfect case to cover in my case reflection. And as my patient is talking me through, like,
writing and whatnot, it was just like, all these things are colliding in a really, really cool way. And she always talks about the story you need to tell. And she would tell me, she says, Elise you have a story you need to tell. I was like, I don’t know about that. So anyways, that has kind of been simmering in the back of my brain for a long time. And then this past weekend at Cowtown Oncology Nursing Symposium with my good friend, Dr. Tori Crook,
We were in the audience when someone was talking about their own journey through cancer and talking about how, why they share their experience. So this is a different person, okay, I do not know this person, but they brought up this quote by Brene Brown, which is, one day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide. And literally as this person read out this quote from on stage,
Tori turns to me and gives me this look. I was like, man, this was some information that I needed to hear and I needed to be told and I needed to be called out on. And it’s really a repeat of what my patient was telling me last year. But this quote really hit home for me. And it also helps when Tori is boring into your soul with her eyes on like, I should really pay attention to this.
And it really made me think about case reports and my case report and the case report that I know you have inside of you because your case report is exactly that. It is a survival guide for future OncoPTs and for us in the field who have yet to work with this particular patient population or who have yet to work effectively with this patient population.
When you share your clinical decision-making, your reasoning, and your outcomes through your case report, you’re not just fulfilling the application requirement for your ABPTS oncology specialty certification exam application, okay? That’s part of it. But you are shaping how oncology physical therapy is practiced.
Let that sink in. When you share
how you worked with this patient, what worked, what didn’t work, what you would change and how you would change things in the future and what you recommend to other physical therapists for this particular patient case, you are actively shaping how we practice in our field. And that doesn’t just affect me, that doesn’t just affect the colleagues that you sit next to in the break room, that affects our patients in our community.
and elevates the standard, the expectation of cancer rehab and how we care for patients diagnosed with cancer in our own community every single day. The work you put in today is actively shaping another clinician’s journey and helping them navigate their own complex patient cases and is helping them not struggle with the same things that you
did. I recently went to, actually earlier this week, I’m going to like all these things lately. This is part of my 2025. I’m trying to like get out and do more things. I went to this women’s history luncheon in our community and it was a panel of women and then a moderator and they were talking all about the process of mentorship and sponsorship. Now mentorship, I have a relatively good understanding of like, okay, I understand there’s a mentor and a mentee and et cetera.
but I didn’t understand the concept of sponsorship in this capacity because in my brain, sponsorship is, oh, you give me money to put your name on something, right? Like I’m sponsoring an event or we have sponsors for the cancer rehab community conference. But in this context, sponsorship means something very different. Sponsorship is I as who I am.
right in whatever capacity and whatever role that I play. I am bringing, I’m grabbing the hand of someone behind me or below me and bringing them up alongside me. I am bringing someone’s name and pushing it forward. am bringing it into conversations where I know that they could be an asset. They could make things better.
and I’m also bringing them up to elevate them because I know that if we’re going to make connections, if we are going to make things better in our world, I’m not going to do it alone. I need to bring people up beside me and alongside me. And I have benefited from this. I have talked many times on the podcast how so many people…
in oncology have done this for me, have grabbed my hand and pulled me up alongside them and said, you’re coming with me, we’ve got work to do. And it all collided in my brain after this luncheon of, my God, that’s what the case report is. Again, yes, it’s part of the application requirement that you have to do in order to sit for the exam. It is so much bigger than that. And that really culminated for me this week. And again,
to my patient who I know is not listening to this podcast episode. Thank you for starting this work. Thank you for starting this process in my brain a year ago because I wasn’t ready to hear it. I wasn’t ready to listen to it. I didn’t know how to make that work into my own practice. And now you’re making it work, my friend. So we are going to tackle today in today’s episode, the biggest piece of the application. And that is the case report. If you have been feeling stuck,
If you are feeling overwhelmed, if you’re feeling unsure about this requirement of, I’m not a writer. I don’t think I have what it takes to actually do a case report. I haven’t written anything since I graduated PT school. How many years ago? I’ve got you friend. By the end of this episode, you are going to see your case report, not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to create that survival guide for another OncoPT.
And to make sure you get yours finished, I’m going to tell you exactly how you can streamline that writing process. Plus, I’m going to also talk about a free workshop I have that is designed to help you complete your case report efficiently. Now, why the case report matters. Again, we’ve talked a little bit about this. We’re going to continue talking about it. It’s not just that APBTS hates you. Okay, that’s not what this is about. Okay, they don’t hate you. They don’t make you write a case report to make things harder for you.
It is there for a very specific reason. Writing your case report forces you to critically analyze your patient care, to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and to ultimately contribute to a growing body of knowledge within oncology physical therapy. Now, you may know that other specialty areas that ABPTS has exams for don’t require an, excuse me, a case report. They definitely don’t require an oncology case report. And there’s, I’m sure, a few different reasons for this.
There are other fields that are more established. It’s a little more standard of what is expected to be a specialist in for, say for example, orthopedic physical therapy. Like we know what should be done in orthopedics. We know general like best practice, like as a field. It’s a little more standardized. With oncology, it’s a little less standardized. And I don’t know that’s like there’s good and bad to that.
But because there is so much nuance and frankly fluctuation, I think within oncology, this is partially why I believe that the case report is so beneficial because it shows the nuance in practice and the fact that our patients are medically challenging and medically dynamic. They can turn on a dime as far as like what they look like. God, I’m remembering a specific patient case who he was doing really well.
the day before and the next day he came in, he looked terrible. So anyways, great example of just how nuanced and how unique this patient population is that we work with. And again, that’s, I believe, why we have the case report. Because there is so much nuance. There is so much that’s not cut and dry. And this case report is your opportunity to help you show, I am an emerging expert. I am.
a specialist in this area and I am ready to take this next step to elevate the expectation of cancer rehab excellence in my community. Your case report is also going to help you refine how you communicate your clinical decisions. And like, yes, you know, this is part of the case report. This is also going to be, this really lays the foundation for when you are actually starting to study and prepare for the exam. Now, quick pause on that. We will talk about in a future episode.
how to prepare for the exam effectively, but remember this moment, remember this point. When you are preparing for the exam, even after your application is done and it’s time to go time on the exam preparation, the exam is case-based, like 90 to 95%, case-based, meaning that on every question, you are going to have a case patient with information like a real patient that would come to you. And you need to be able to
discern what is appropriate, what is important for me to know out of this information that I’m getting, and ultimately what do I do with it as the expert specialist on Co-PT who this patient is coming to see, for example. And this case report requirement that you have to do as part of your application is that first step. It lays the foundation, which you are then going to jump off of for everything you do when preparing for the exam.
And again, not only is this a vital skill for the actual exam prep that you’re going to be doing, but also for mentorship, for leadership and advocacy. Because remember, the specialty certification, as we talked about in the first episode of this arc, it’s not the end point. Like, yes, it is a goal. It is an achievement that we are working towards and we are going to celebrate the crap out of once you get there. But it is a stepping stone in your journey.
as an Onco PT and what that means for you in your community with your patients. And so if we are going to take this and use this as a launching pad for you to change cancer rehab for the better, we do this through the continued work of mentorship, sponsorship, like I just talked about, leadership and advocacy. Now, let’s break down, now that we’ve talked about the big why and why I’m so excited about case reports, let’s actually talk about the case report process, okay?
You’re excited
and they all lived happily ever after. The end.
When people write books, they don’t do that. They don’t start with once upon a time and end with the end. Like they don’t write that in order. And neither should you try to do that in your case report. Absolutely do not do that. This is, I tried to do this, it was terrible. This was the worst way that I possibly could have written my case report because it meant that while I knew generally like where I wanted to start, where I wanted to end,
The middle was a mumbo jumbo mess. It was terrible. So instead what you should do is you should start with the narrative of your case. Now, what I mean by this, I want you to go to the ABPTS website, go to the candidate guide, and within the oncology section, they talk about the different mandatory sections of your case report. And there’s a big chunk in there that is the narrative of the case, AKA what you did with the patient, the examination, the…
evaluation and diagnosis, the prognosis, the plan of care, the interventions, the follow-ups and outcomes. Like what you did with that person, this is where I want you to start. Okay? This is the meat and potatoes, the bulk of the story that you’re trying to tell this patient case, right? Who is your patient? What challenges did they face? How did you approach treatment? How did it go? Sometimes it went well, sometimes it didn’t go well. I had both in my case report.
Then once you do that, once you have built the narrative of case, then you’re going to go back and build out your introduction, your discussion, your conclusion, the other important things, but that are kind of on the outside, like on the outskirts of the very important gooey chocolatey center of the case narrative. This approach is much more natural to what we do as physical therapists, right?
We approach a patient, we get their information, we understand what they’re experiencing, and then ultimately we create a plan, we enact the plan, and then we reevaluate how did the plan go, we make adjustments, and we keep going from there, okay? That’s natural to us. We do this all day, every day. But it’s that other stuff, the introduction, the writing, excuse me, introduction and discussion, that writing is maybe a little more foreign to you. That’s okay. So we start with what we know and then we build upon that.
finishing with more of the introduction, the discussion, et cetera. So again, this is going to help that process feel a little more natural to you as a physical therapist, and then to also help prevent the major writer’s block that often stops many OncoPTs from actually finishing their case report. Now, we can also make writing your case report easier with help. This is not something I want you to do to start and be like, I have to do this all on my own and I’m…
I’m gonna figure it out, darn it, because that’s, I have to prove something to myself. Friend, friend, if that’s how we practiced in Onco PT, our patients would never get better. So we’re not gonna do that when we’re writing our case report, right? You do not have to struggle through this alone. I don’t want you to. In fact, I absolutely don’t want you to do that. That’s the worst thing. And this is why I’ve created the free workshop, the three-step framework for a finished case report to help you tackle this process efficiently.
So in this workshop, I walk you through exactly how to structure a case report, what are the key elements to include in your case report, and how to make sure that your case report meets AB PTS expectations. so first of all, if you want to register for that, is free. Remember, you can go to TheOncoPT.com/framework to register now. And if you are then ready to take the next steps, or if you’re already there and you’re like, at least I’m ready to just knock this case report out, like let’s go.
If you are ready for even more in-depth guidance, my signature program, Case Report Writing Workshop, is designed to take you from a blank page to a polished submission-ready case report with personalized feedback and support during this. So make sure to check those out. You can find that at TheOncoPT.com/workshop , or you can also type out like Case Report Writing Workshop.
And that will be where you can find all the information, including CEU information, on Case Report writing workshop. Now, many PTs encounter pitfalls throughout the writing process, right? Nobody’s writing process is perfectly smooth. We don’t expect that, right? We expect there to be some roadblocks along the way of any great journey. This is no different. So some common mistakes, common…
barriers that OncoPTs encounter when writing their case report is Waiting too long to start now in the previous episode We talked about knowing the application deadlines and how important that is and why we recommend here at the on copete That you strive to always submit for that beginning summer deadline. So go back and listen to that episode if you haven’t already But here’s also the truth The deadline comes faster than you think
It will absolutely sneak up on you. It will be here tomorrow before you know it. I know that I’m recording this in mid-March right now. You’re probably listening to this towards the end of March. It is going to be here so much faster than you realize. You need to start getting stuff down on paper now, even if it’s rough. Okay, I don’t need it to be perfect. I need you to get thoughts out of your head and onto paper now, because that is the only way we are going to take your case report from a blank page.
to a submission ready case report. It is so easy to get stuck with just staring at a blinking cursor, staring back at you, taunting you. Get it out, get it out of your brain and onto paper. I’m going to tell you a quote that I heard from a rapper and musical artist called Queen Herbie. You may have heard me talk about this before. If you have children in the car, if you have sensitive ears,
Please pause this episode because I’m going to use some four-letter words here. As Queen Herbie says, shit is the best fertilizer. And as someone whose family farms, right, and is involved in farming, this means so much more to me. But it’s so accurate, right? If you want to grow, if you want to advance, if you want to get things done, you have to start with shit. What this means for your case report.
is that you need to get the beginning thoughts, the half baked things out of your brain and onto paper if we are ever going to flush them out into polished, perfected phrases and sentences that really communicate your expertise. So start with the shit, okay? Get the shit out of your brain and then we can work on it. Don’t try to perfect it in your brain. Get the shit out onto paper and then move forward. Okay, I think I’m done with the word shit for now.
Now, number two, number two pitfall here is overcomplicating the case selection. It’s really tempting to get stuck here by thinking that you have to select the most groundbreaking case, the most unique, the craziest, the most outlandish patient case, excuse me, that you can think of that you ever encountered for your case report. Don’t do this.
Instead, what you should do is choose the patient case that is going to demonstrate solid clinical reasoning that demonstrates that you are a specialist within Onco PT. I will walk, I do, like I not will, I walk you through this process also in my free workshop, the three step framework for a finished case report. So if you want more guidance on that, definitely check out that free workshop. Again, that’s at
TheOncoPT.com/framework And then the last pitfall here is not getting feedback early. This is absolutely something that most PTs will wait until the very, very end, as in like the day before they submit their application to get. You need to have multiple sets of eyes on your case report. I really encourage people that they need to have some other oncopt.
read through their case report before they submit to provide really valuable feedback. You’re so into your writing, you’re going to miss stuff, right? That’s a guarantee, period. I don’t care how good of a writer you are. We need others to identify and point out our blind spots if we’re going to make things better. That’s why you have rear view mirrors, right? You can’t just drive looking forward. You have to have other perspectives too. So not only that, but I think it’s also helpful to have someone who is maybe
adjacent to or outside of OncopT also provide your feedback here because again, they can identify gaps that maybe you don’t think of because you are so specialized, you’re so knowledgeable about OncopT and working with these patients, you may have missed some really vital connections or bridges between different parts of your case or part between different themes. This process needs to happen.
early enough so that you have enough time to integrate that feedback into your case report to ultimately perfect it before you submit it. You need time to mull things over. Your reviewers need time to mull things over and they can’t if you are breathing down their neck saying, hey, my application is due in seven hours. Can you get that case report to me? So have plenty of time. Give your reviewers plenty of time to peer review your drafts.
before submission. You are going to want that feedback. Make sure they have enough time to do that well for your case report. Now, some closing thoughts here and your marching orders, if you will. Your case report is more than just a formality on your application. It is not just a, ABPTS hates you and they want you to do more work. That is not what this is about. Your case report is a legacy that you are
leaving for the next generation of Encopites. And that should make you really excited.
That should inspire you. That should light you up, my friend. Remember, your case report is a survival guide for the next generation of OncoPTs. If you haven’t started your case report yet, don’t worry. Now is the time. Now is the time to decide and to commit to this process. And I am here to support you every step of the way. Register now for my free workshop, the three step framework for a finished case report.
It is completely free. And more importantly, it is going to give you a clear roadmap to success, to effectively submitting your case report by the deadline. If you found this episode helpful, if you found any of the last three episodes helpful, I would really appreciate it if you would share it with a friend, a colleague, or an OncopT bestie who is also working through their own oncology specialization journey.
Together we can build a stronger future for our patients in each of our communities. And that’s what we’re really after here. Don’t forget to subscribe so you get all of the latest and greatest episodes of the Onco PT podcast. I will have some more episodes coming out later this year on how to prepare for the exam, but first we have to get through the actual application window. Okay, so don’t worry, those are coming. We have to get through the application at him and your case report first. If you have questions.
about the application process, about the case report. I would really encourage you to join our free community, the OncoPT Specialization Community. This is our online community where we talk about all things specialization from application all the way through the exam. You are going to love it. You can join now at theoncopt.com slash specialization. Have to spell it out the whole world. Whole word, excuse me.
Until next time, this is Elise with the Onco PT. And remember, you are exactly the physical therapist that your patients with cancer need. So let’s get to work.