Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 days, you’ve heard all the hype around American swimmer Katie Ledecky (check my IG post where I predicted her performance BACK IN APRIL).
All of this type is totally earned & warranted. But I’ve been even more impressed with her performance out of the pool – let me explain:
Katie Ledecky was selected as one of the US Olympic Swim Team captains for Paris 2024. And while I’m sure she has official duties as captain, she has really taken it to the next level, with younger swimmers on the team noting how much of a mentor she is.
Even while Katie is busy smashing records in the pool, she still takes the time to mentor & support other swimmers. Because she knows that this is THE WAY to cultivate a culture of encouragement, support, & excellence. AKA GOLD MEDAL WINNING TEAMS.
So what does this have to do with cancer rehab? Lots actually, especially if we want all patients with cancer to receive the highest quality of cancer rehab.
Silos stall progress in cancer rehab.
Practicing in a silo can significantly harm patients and lead to fragmented care. This undermines the effectiveness of treatment.
When OncoPTs operate in isolation, you miss out on valuable insights, support, and collaborative opportunities that can enhance your patient outcomes. This lack of interdisciplinary communication and teamwork can result in disjointed care plans, overlooked symptoms, and a failure to address the holistic needs of patients.
Fractured teams, where collaboration and information-sharing are minimal, contribute to inconsistencies in patient care, delays in treatment, and increased stress for both patients and you.
Ultimately, fostering a collaborative and integrated approach within cancer rehab is crucial to delivering comprehensive, high-quality care that supports the best possible outcomes for your patients.
Collaboration fuels innovation & progress.
By encouraging experienced OncoPTs to actively mentor our newer colleagues, we can foster an environment of continuous learning and professional development.
This mentorship should involve sharing clinical knowledge, recent research findings, and practical experiences, thereby enhancing the collective expertise within the field. Implementing regular knowledge-sharing sessions, workshops, and collaborative projects can ensure that best practices are disseminated widely, leading to improved patient care.
By building a culture where experienced OncoPTs guide and support their peers, cancer rehab teams can become more cohesive, innovative, and effective in their mission to provide exceptional care for their patients.
Collaboration provides much-needed support & encouragement
Through collaboration, you can uplift fellow OncoPTs by offering emotional and motivational support, especially during challenging cases.
This support can be manifested through regular team meetings, peer check-ins, and acknowledgment of each other’s successes, fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. Celebrating small and large achievements alike can build confidence and morale within the team.
By cultivating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported, you can work together more harmoniously, ultimately delivering better care to your patients.
Leading by example sets the tone for ALL of cancer rehab.
If there’s one thing Katie Ledecky excels at, it’s leading by example. Cancer rehab can & must do this too.
By consistently showing a strong commitment to patient care, adhering to ethical standards, and striving for continuous improvement, OncoPTs set a high standard for others to follow. This leadership approach fosters a culture of excellence, where team members are motivated to emulate these behaviors.
When more experienced PTs model dedication and professionalism, you create an environment that encourages all OncoPTs to invest in their own development and the well-being of their patients. This ripple effect can lead to improved patient outcomes, higher team morale, and a more cohesive, effective cancer rehab community.
Empowering Others
Cancer rehab can thrive by adopting the principle of empowering others, much like Katie Ledecky empowers younger swimmers to take initiative and proactively pursue their development.
This empowerment fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility for personal and professional growth. By promoting a culture where PTs are encouraged to expand their knowledge and skills, the entire team benefits from diverse perspectives and innovative approaches to patient care.
Empowered OncoPTs are more likely to contribute to advancements in the field, mentor others, and lead initiatives that enhance the quality of care provided. This approach not only elevates individual practitioners but also strengthens the collective capability and resilience of the cancer rehab community, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and a more dynamic, supportive professional environment.
Collaboration is KEY for excellence in cancer rehab.
In sum, Katie Ledecky is GOAT.
But also in sum:
By fostering a culture of knowledge sharing, providing encouragement and support, leading by example, offering constructive feedback, empowering colleagues, and creating opportunities for growth, physical therapists can build a more cohesive and effective oncology rehab community.
These practices not only elevate individual OncoPTs but also strengthen the collective expertise and resilience of the cancer rehab field. So let’s get to work!
Save Your Seat at The Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024
The Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024 is almost here, & there is still time to save your seat at the must-attend cancer rehab event of the year!
After last year’s smashing success, we are bringing all the cancer rehab goodness back for a special 2-day virtual conference, happening November 8 & 9, 2024.
This year, we have even more incredible speakers, including our KEYNOTE SPEAKERS, Dr. Susan Maltser & Dr. Nicole Stout, who literally wrote the book on cancer rehab.
Your ticket to The Cancer Rehab Community Conference includes access to each of our amazing sessions, Q&As with the speakers, & the conference session recordings (Yes you heard that right: you get access to the conference recordings for an entire year, which means if you can’t make it live, you’ll still get to experience the conference on your own schedule)!
Save your seat today at The Cancer Rehab Community Conference by visiting TheOncoPT.com/conference. But HURRY! Because prices go up September 6.
Grab your ticket at TheOncoPT.com/conference today, & we’ll see YOU at The Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024!
Join The Cancer Rehab Community
Have you joined our free online community yet? Join here ➡️TheOncoPT.com/community
Once you do, make sure to comment on our latest post here.
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Watch this week’s episode of TheOncoPT Podcast on our YouTube channel!
Transcript
Elise – @TheOncoPT (00:19)
Hey, Onco PT and welcome to this episode of the Onco PT podcast. I’ve been a little radio silent lately and I have to be honest, for the past two weeks or so, I’ve been basically glued to all of my screens watching the Olympics. If you are a fellow Olympic junkie, first of all, please let me know, message me on Instagram and let me know because I am obsessed. And I have to say my favorite part of the Olympics is probably in this first half, if you will.
But to be fair, I’ve been watching all the sports. I’ve been watching rugby, soccer, volleyball, equestrian. I didn’t know I was an equestrian fan until now. Rowing, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, all the sports I’ve been on. I’ve basically been watching them. You get the idea. But my most favorite thing to watch is swimming. Now you probably know from this podcast that I’m a former swimmer myself.
I’m in high school, let’s be clear. I was never anything fantastic, but I enjoy swimming and I especially enjoy watching swimming as someone who went through the sport as as a youngster, as a youth. And then I coached when I was in high school and college and then getting to still see some of the great Olympians that I grew up watching actually still competing is really wild to me. That’s not really something that we tend to see a lot, especially at the elite athletic level.
But we’ve seen a lot of that in this Olympics. For example, Simone Biles, I don’t even know what number Olympics this is for her, but she’s been at the game for a long, long time. Same thing with Katie Ledecky. Now, if you remember way back, I think in April or May, I made a post that was essentially the caption. So on Instagram, I’m picturing it in my head right now. It’s purple and it says sink or swim. And it’s something to the effect
why Katie Ledecky is a role model for us as cancer rehab clinicians. Even if you’re not a swimming fan, let me explain here. Unless you have been living under a rock, especially in the last two weeks, you have probably heard at least some of the hype around American swimmer Katie Ledecky. Long story short, Katie Ledecky is one of the goats of Olympics of swimming, period.
especially in her particular events. So she is a long distance swimmer. And I think that is so cool because that is something I do not have the patience for whatsoever. But to appreciate just how dominant she is, if you have been on social media at all, or if you ever go on the internet and look up pictures of Katie Ledecky, one of the most iconic pictures of her is that she looks like she’s swimming by herself in the pool.
And it’s not because she’s swimming by herself. It’s actually because she is so far ahead of everyone else that she is completely out of frame from every other swimmer. And in some cases, she’s actually racing to lap swimmers on these events, which is so crazy. So anyways, as you can tell, I’m a major Katie Ledecky fan. This is not, this episode is not going to be just a love letter to Katie Ledecky, although I could definitely do that if I wanted.
But one of the things that has been so cool to watch is not just Katie Ledecky in the pool, but also seeing and hearing about Katie Ledecky out of the pool. So at this Olympics, Katie Ledecky was selected as one of the American swim team captains for Paris 2024. And I’m sure she has some kind of official duties as captain. I don’t know what those are, but one of the things that has come up multiple times is just how
amazing Katie is not just as a you official leader and captain of the US swim team but also how much of a mentor she is for younger swimmers who are on the team. And to really put this in perspective Katie Ledecky was 15 12 years ago when she made her first Olympic team and now at 27 she is one of the more senior Olympians on the team especially on the swim team here.
And that’s really notable for many, many different reasons. One, it’s really unusual for a swimmer this old, like quote old, 27 is not old, okay? But it’s really unusual for someone like Katie Ledecky, who’s 27, to still be performing at this level of swimming because most swimmers actually peak usually like early to mid 20s. So this is a big deal. So not only is she this amazing athlete who is breaking all these records, who has all these Olympic medals, amazing.
but she is not stopping there. She is also reaching the hand back to grab the hand, to grab hold of those younger swimmers and bring them alongside of her. And that has been my favorite part or one of my favorite parts about watching the Olympics this year, because I think it gives me a little more perspective on what I’ve grown to love so much about cancer rehab. And one of my favorite parts about cancer rehab, it’s the people.
And it’s not just the patients, but man, I do love those patients. But the people that I’ve gotten to know and who have done that exact thing for me, like I’m the little swimmer who’s floundering at the back of the line. And to have so many people reach that hand back and pull me up alongside them, I don’t know that I would have experienced that anywhere else in physical therapy, truly.
because I haven’t seen it anywhere else in physical therapy. Does it happen? I’m sure. But that has been one of my absolute favorite parts of being an Oncopete and staying an Oncopete and working with other Oncopetes. Even though I technically work by myself in my private practice in what I do here, I’m still able to benefit from those relationships and that mentoring and that encouragement and support that I have received from other Oncopetes.
And I think that I know, I don’t think, I know that has made so much of a difference for me and what I have been able to learn and understand at this point in my career and has also laid out the path for me to know where I need to be going, what I need to be doing as I move forward and continue as an oncology physical therapist, treating patients in the grind, day in and day out, working with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. And I think this, this example that Katie
and on the Olympic team is setting is such a beautiful picture example demonstration of how we should also be implementing that within cancer rehab. So again, to zoom out, Katie Ledecky, one of the greatest swimmers of all time, period. Busy smashing records in the pool is busy adding to her medal collection and is doing all these things that alone make her an amazing
But then on top of that, is still making the time and so taking the time and making the effort to mentor and support other swimmers along every step of the way, right? From, you know, in the daily practices that she is, you know, participating in herself, she’s actually doing the training alongside the other athletes, but also after the races and when she’s cheering on other teammates. And the reason she does this,
is that she knows this is the way to cultivate a culture of encouragement and support and excellence, AKA gold medal winning teams, which Katie Ledecky has done quite a bit of both as a solo swimmer, but also on relays and as a team member of Team USA. And the whole reason that this has to do with cancer rehab, aside from again, like this is the example, like what a great tangible example. Also, I just love the Olympics.
But this is how we really move cancer rehab into the future, like continue moving it forward. We have seen such tremendous progress in cancer rehab as a field over the past few years, but one of the things that we’re also starting to see is a little bit of stagnation. And what I mean by this is that we had so much momentum for so long around cancer rehab, and we’re still seeing that, okay? We’re still seeing that.
But as we’re bringing cancer rehab to the masses, it’s kind of fizzling out. We’re seeing that there are oncopetes who have excitement and passion around this, and that’s not necessarily translating to the availability and accessibility of high quality cancer rehab for patients in their own communities who are diagnosed with cancer. And so the reason that this is just something that I felt so passionately to talk about today on the podcast,
is that I think we have lessons to learn from the Olympics. And I don’t know about you, but the excitement that I get and the passion I feel for the Olympics, I hope that comes across in the inner, in the episode we’re doing today. No one Olympian, whether that’s Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Sha ‘Carri Richardson, any, anybody, right? Nobody got there to the highest level of their sport.
alone. It took a team to get them to the point where they could even qualify for the Olympics, but it also took that much more to get them to the Olympics, to where they could perform as a member of a team. Yes, these are all individual athletes, but each of these athletes also participate as part of a team.
This translates over to cancer rehab, if you really think about it. So walk with me on this journey here. When I was first starting as a physical therapist, practicing with oncology patients, I was the only physical therapist on site. I was the only rehab person on site inside of this facility that I was a part of treating oncology patients. And it was lonely. It was really hard. And I feel
I don’t feel like I know I really struggled for those two years to kind of figure out what the heck I was doing. Was what I was implementing with my patients, was it working? Was this best practice evidence? How did I get the information to inform me if this was best practice or if this wasn’t? And a lot of it, the onus was really on me to go out and find this information. And it was hard work. It was…
hiring. was exhausting. It took a lot of effort to not only show up for the patients I was seeing, you know, day to day throughout my work day, but then in order to get any kind of feedback on, I doing what’s right? Is what I’m doing working? Is this really in my best interest to implement this with this patient? I had to then go out and seek that elsewhere on my own. And it made for some really long days with really, really early mornings, working through lunch break.
and then not leaving the clinic for like hours it felt like after my workday was done. It sucked, frankly. And I wouldn’t wish that on anybody else. But unfortunately, my experience is not unique with an oncobt within cancer rehab. And that is a problem. Because you know that practicing in a silo significantly harms patients and leads to fragmented care. Now I’m not saying that if you are
a solo onco PT working in your own, you know, working in your own practice or on your own as part of some other, you know, practice, what have you, that you’re hurting patients. Please don’t take it that way. But that kind of fragmented care where you’re working by yourself, kind of doing your own thing, that doesn’t lead to best outcomes. That doesn’t allow you the perspective and the insight that others can offer.
in that, whether that’s through a very structured mentorship or whether you’re even just having conversations with like a colleague or a cancer rehab bestie. Hey, this is what I’m doing with this patient. What would you do in these set of circumstances? How would you address X, Y, Z with your patient knowing that this is what I’m experiencing? That kind of community is what’s so, so powerful if we are really going to be effective practitioners.
So when we operate, when you operate in a silo on your own, separated, whether that’s physically or otherwise, geographically, from other cancer rehab professionals, you’re not getting that insight, that support, and frankly, the collaborative opportunities that come with being a part of a team. And again, maybe you don’t have the opportunity to be a part of a team on site who is also doing the same thing as you.
but we can still benefit from seeking out and finding and establishing and building and relying on that cancer rehab community that is so, so important if we’re really going to elevate the standard of what cancer rehab should be for our patients. So when we practice alone, this ultimately contributes to fractured approaches.
And this leads to where we’re not collaborating, we’re not sharing information. That’s a whole thing I’m gonna get into shortly. And this unfortunately can all lead, all kind of layer on top of each other to inconsistencies in our patient’s care. It can mean delays in treatment for our patients. And unfortunately, which a lot of times you’ve probably already experienced, increased stress and frustration, not only for your patients who are dealing with this, but also for you. And friend,
Please hear me out. you’ve kind of, you know, if you’re multitasking, come back to me here. It’s so, so important you hear this. We have got to make sure that you’re taking care of you. You have to take care of you first. You cannot pour from an empty pitcher, teacup, know, teapot, whatever, whatever the metaphor is for you here. You cannot give of yourself if you are running on fumes. This is how we get into
burnout. And the last thing I want for you is for you to get burned out and then leave this amazing profession if it’s not what you want to do. If you decide that, I need to move on, totally cool. I respect you. I respect your decision. But the last thing I want is for you to be excited and passionate about working with this patient population. And ultimately you have to leave to save yourself.
That’s horrible. And I’ve been there and I don’t want that for anybody else. So that is why it is so, so, so important that we foster this collaboration, this community within cancer rehab, because it doesn’t just affect you and your day to day, it affects your patients and it affects your career long -term and it affects all of us in cancer rehab. Because we have to rely on each other if we are going
really catapult cancer rehab into the 21st century and beyond, I hope for many, many centuries. If we’re going to do that, we have to start collaborating like we mean it. Collaboration, first up, fuels innovation and progress. By having these conversations and interactions with other oncopetes, right, whether they are
Ahead of you, they’re more experienced, or even if they’re maybe not as far along as you, maybe they’re just starting out. Regardless, there is innovation and progress to be fostered and built upon by fostering this environment of continuous learning and professional development. This is where we are sharing our clinical pearls, our wisdom that we have learned through the process of, again, day in and day out working with oncology patients.
We’re sharing recent research findings, right? I bet that you have an article you’re sitting on right now that I don’t have a darn clue is out there and I could really benefit from that. Same, same, right? It goes both ways here. You also have different experiences than I do, right? I have a lot of experience working with patients after breast reconstruction. Like I love working with that patient population. I have a ton of experience with that. You know what I don’t have a lot of experience with lately is working
colorectal cancer survivors, especially when it comes to long -term survivorship. It’s just not something I have a whole lot of experience with. I haven’t treated that patient population in a few years, but I bet you do. Or again, insert other patient population, other diagnosis, other impairments that I don’t have that experience with and I could learn from you. No matter if you’ve been practicing for 30 years in cancer rehab or if you started last week, there’s something
that we have to learn from each other here. Again, it is a two -way street, it goes both ways. And so by building this culture where experienced OncoPTs can guide and support our less experienced peers, cancer rehab becomes a more cohesive, innovative, progressive, frankly, effective train. don’t even know, like, I feel like a steam train here.
It’s only by collaborating with each other that we are really going to make the changes that are going to improve cancer rehab as a whole. We have to do this together. We cannot do this alone. Collaboration also provides you with much needed support and encouragement. Let’s face it. How often have you come home from the hospital or the clinic or wherever you’re seeing your patients and you are just drained?
frequently. And that’s not a reflection on you and your inability to cope with things. This is hard work. Okay, PT is hard. Working with other humans can be really difficult sometimes. And then we stack on top of that the emotional labor that comes with caring for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. It’s heavy. It’s heavy and it’s okay to feel like it’s heavy. You don’t have to be this, everything’s fine all the time. Sometimes it’s heavy.
Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s difficult, sometimes it’s challenging. And it is okay to lean on others for that support. It’s more than okay. We should be doing that. We should be leaning on each other to make sure that we are able to keep going. Now this could look like a bunch of different things, right? Whether these are really like structured, team building exercises that you’re doing. Maybe you’re scheduling check -ins with your friends, with your colleagues at your local
I don’t know, burger place or wherever, you know, like once a month or what have you, or even just showing up and acknowledging with a little text or a little message to your friend or colleague, hey, I see you, you’re doing great, because that is going to return tenfold to you. When you are able to show up and support your colleagues and your friends and your acquaintances in cancer rehab, your cancer rehab besties, that is going to come back to you. I have seen that time and time again.
in cancer rehab, is why I love Onco PT so much because we show up for each other. I know without a doubt that there are 10 people that I have encountered through Onco PT who I could pick up the phone and say, Hey, I am really struggling with this right now. I really need your help. And they would absolutely drop everything. Or at least at the end of the day, call me and make sure that, know, like, Hey, what’s going on? What do you need from me? And I would do that for them as well. And again,
I’m sure that happens in other areas within physical therapy, but oncopathy is just a different level of that. And so when we are actively cultivating a culture and environment where each oncopathy feels valued and supported, we’re going to work together more harmoniously. And this is ultimately going to lead to, again, better care for our patients.
When you feel like you have that support, you can then show up and support your patients. And that’s what we need to be
If there is one thing that Katie Ledecky excels at, it is leading by example. And I don’t just mean that in the literal sense of her swimming and lapping other swimmers in her long distance events, which is still so crazy to me. She’s doing that, but she’s also showing up as a leader, not just for the swimmers on her team, but also for the swimmers who are someday going to be on the Olympic team.
who are young swimmers who are looking up to her right now and seeing what she can do, what she is doing and what she is going to continue doing in whatever she ends up doing for the rest of her life.
That is setting an example for every swimmer who comes behind her and knows if I’m going to show up as a great swimmer or in our case, as a great oncopete, I know that this is an example. This is a visible, tangible demonstration of that for me, where I can take and build upon that. Cancer rehab has to take this. We can and we must lead by example two.
By consistently showing our strong commitment, your strong commitment to quality patient care, harping emphasizing on the quality patient care here, adhering to ethical standards and striving for continuously improving ourselves, OncoPTs set a high standard for others to follow.
And this leadership approach fosters a culture of excellence where team members, maybe, know, again, this is in the literal sense of people that you work with, your colleagues, your coworkers, but also again, the royal we of cancer rehab as a field, as a profession, we’re then motivated to emulate those behaviors. And if you’re maybe in a position where you’re like, you know, I don’t really have that. I don’t really have someone who I can look to.
to find that leading example that I want to emulate, that I want to implement in my own life, there are places to go and find them. Again, I’ve mentioned this previously, but one of my favorite things about Onco PT is how much people have been willing to pour into me if I just ask. And so one of the great places is, again, like social media, whether that’s Instagram, LinkedIn.
YouTube, there’s obviously some fantastic OncoPT’s on there. Shout out Alex Hill, Kelly Sturm. That’s Onco Pelvic PT and Cancer Rehab PT, if you were wondering. Great examples out there of leaders within OncoPT who are taking the Olympic torch. We’re going to keep with our Olympic metaphor here. Who are taking that Olympic torch and charging forward with it. And so this doesn’t just affect you immediately.
but you are someday going to be a leader in Onco PT that others look up to and want to emulate and want to mimic and mirror in their own lives, in their own practice, with their own patience. You don’t have to have a leader right now in front of you that you can say, that’s it. That’s exactly what I want to be doing. You may need to step up and be that leader for yourself.
And a great way to get support for that is through the power of collaboration. And I think this is one of the final things that I really appreciate and enjoy about this collaboration and this very, you know, again, very visible upfront example that Katie Ledecky is right now in the Olympic team is also by empowering others. So cancer rehab as a whole, we thrive on
this concept of empowering others or equipping others with the skills they need to transcend, to become the best version of themselves, to become better than what they were yesterday. That’s all of what we do with our patients, right? We are trying to get them to where they have the tools to be just a little bit better tomorrow than they were today. Maybe that means functionally, right? Maybe they’re stronger, more flexible, they have better balance. Maybe that means better quality of life.
Maybe that means a little more independent. Maybe that means I feel a little safer when I am transferring from my wheelchair to the toilet. Any, everything that we do as Onco PT is all about this. And we have an obligation to implement that also within our profession with each other. And when we take ownership of this, when we truly step into
as on copetes and assume that responsibility. This promotes an environment, a community, a culture, an entire profession of on copetes who are encouraged to expand our knowledge and skills, who can learn from diverse perspectives and innovative approaches to patient care. Because one of the things that I say on here frequently is that when your patients get better, all of our patients get
And so by learning from others, by collaborating and by gaining this insight and perspective and getting the feedback, the support, the motivation from other oncopeteers, from other cancer rehab professionals in this space, we are then able to improve ourselves and what we are doing and then what we are doing with our patient who’s in front of us today.
and then all of our patients that we see that day, all of their patients we see that week, that month, that year and beyond. It starts with this sense of collaboration and community. One of the things that I think has been so detrimental to cancer rehab, okay, here’s a little soapbox for me. I have previously worked in an institution that is like, hey, we do cancer rehab, like all these good things, whatever, but they held their
information and their quote knowledge so close to their chest that it unfortunately promoted actually a community or a culture of competition within the organization. Not just, hey, we are competing with these outside entities. It was even competition within the organization itself. And that was very visibly harming patients in the long run.
because there was not a sense of I can go to this other clinician or this other person within the company and get this help. That is not at all what we want to be doing in cancer rehab. Now, as a small business owner myself, I understand that we gotta stay afloat, we gotta pay our bills. We want, of course, to be the sought after specialist in our area. But just as a reminder, friend, there are more than enough patients with cancer to go around.
I don’t care what state you’re in. I don’t care what city you’re in. I don’t care what hospital system or clinic system or whatever you are affiliated with. There are so many people out there who are affected by cancer and getting diagnosed every single day. We will probably not in my lifetime see, we will not have a match between the number of patients
and the amount of physical therapists needed to treat the amount of patients who are diagnosed with cancer. I don’t think it’s going to happen. I would love for it to happen. I’m optimistic that we will get there. I don’t think that I am going to see that in my lifetime, which means for you and me, there’s more than enough to go around. And this sense of ruthless competition of I’m going to hold all of my information to myself.
I’m not going to help you over here with your patients. I’m not going to provide any perspective here. That means that there are patients over there who are not getting the help that they need. And that is not at all what we are about here at Oncopetie, in Oncopetie, period. That hurts patients. That hurts communities.
and that hurts all of cancer rehab. There is no room for that here.
we can achieve, you can achieve all of the big hairy audacious goals that you have for cancer rehab and for your patients through collaboration. And if you’re not totally sold on that yet, if you’re like, nah, you know, I’m not, Elise, I don’t really think that’s right. Hear me out, friend. If you’re not quite yet convinced on the power of community,
I would really encourage you to save your spot at our upcoming Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024. Because one of the coolest things that came out of last year’s conference is that we had people, first of all, all across the globe. It was so crazy. It was so cool. It was so crazy. We had global participants who were attending this conference. And what I would like, what I could see, so I’m pointing to my camera right now. If you’re watching this on video,
YouTube, excuse me, you can see what I’m doing. But I had in on my computer here, I had half of my screen was like the speaker or the slides of whoever was speaking at that moment. But then over on this side had the chat, had the chat going so I could see, you know, if like there were any problems, if people are having tech issues, for example, I accidentally closed out of the conference at one point, that was annoying, but we got back together.
So anyways, I’m doing all of this so can monitor what’s going on. And so as the speakers were presenting, I was just keeping an eye on the chat and the chat was going off, y ‘all. It was exploding. And it was so cool to see people that I know because I meet a lot of people virtually through the Onco PT starting to connect and make those connections and like, hey, I’m in this area. I’m in that area too. We should totally meet
And the amount of that happening was so beautiful. And it was just like a proud auntie moment for me. I was so excited. And the growth that has happened from those initial interactions, from that small community that we just started to build last year at last year’s conference, it’s going to continue to expand exponentially over the coming years. And gosh, that fires me
because that means that cancer rehab is not just available in the big cities at the big academic institutions for patients who are lucky enough to get there, but is also going to be available for, you know, real life example, excuse me, my granny who lives in rural Iowa or, know, like the rest of my family who live in rural, you know, Midwest or wherever that is for you. We have the potential. You have the power to make it.
to where every patient can access the highest quality, excellent cancer rehab after they experience a cancer diagnosis. And gosh, that makes me so excited. And it also lets me know that we have a lot of work to do. So you can save your seat now at the Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024 if you go to the oncopT .com slash conference. I would suggest that you hurry and do
ASAP today because prices are going up very soon after this episode releases. I don’t want you to miss out on that. So please make sure that you do that. And I cannot wait to see you there. We have such an amazing panel of dynamic speakers. We also have two keynote speakers that you’ve probably heard of at some point in cancer rehab. First up, Dr. Susan Maltzer, whose name you have heard, if you have ever heard me talk about my favorite article.
a focused review of safety considerations in cancer rehab by Malzahar et al. 2017. This is that Malzahar y ‘all. And we have a dynamic presentation by Malzahar that is coming up. And we also have Dr. Nicole Stout, who is kind of like the godmother of cancer rehab of OncopT. And she perhaps is one of the biggest influences and has been the Katie Ledecky for me. She reached the hand
grabbed mine and pulled me up. And that’s what I loved so much. I, like I said, I have benefited so much from that. And we as a cancer rehab community want to continue emphasizing that and making that happen within, you know, this next generation and beyond of Oncopetease. So again, save your seat for the Cancer Rehab Community Conference 2024 at the Oncopete .com slash community.
And when you register for the conference, you also get immediate access to our free online community, the Cancer Rehab Community, which I highly encourage you get on there and check out what’s going on in this community, y ‘all, because it’s really exciting. We’ve got some really exciting stuff coming up, including a very special office hours with Dr. Adam Matichak that you don’t want to miss, but you can only access that if you’re a member of the community.
To join that, you can go to theoncopt .com slash community. That’s to join just the community. And if you also want to do that in the conference, go to theoncopt .com slash conference. In sum, Katie Ledecky is the goat. You already knew that, but also in sum, when we foster a culture of knowledge sharing, of encouragement and support and motivation, when we lead by example, when we offer
constructive feedback and empower and equip our colleagues to better show up for their own patients in their own communities. This is how we curate a more cohesive and effective cancer rehab field that ultimately benefits all patients diagnosed with cancer. And that’s what you should be seeking, my friend.
So not only do these practices elevate you individually as an onco PT, but also our entire community, our entire profession. And this is what we need if we are going to take cancer rehab and move it. I mean, just launch it forward, which is what we need to do at this very crucial crossroads of where we’re at in cancer rehab right now. Don’t forget to save your spot at the cancer rehab community conference. And I have one more call to action for you. This is what I want you to
right now after listening to this podcast. At the time of this release, within the cancer rehab community, there is a post and I want you to go to that post and it gives you one option. So there’s two options. You’re going to pick the one that fits you best. If you are newer to cancer rehab, okay, whatever that looks like for you, whatever that definition is for you, I want you to ask a question in the comments.
And if you’re more experienced in cancer rehab, if you’ve been around the block once or twice when it comes to treating oncology patients, I want you to then answer one of those questions in the comments posed by a newer oncopT. Let’s start curating this community today together. Let’s start working towards working together and building that collaboration that is so, so necessary if you and I are going to work.
and catapult cancer rehab into the next century. Thank you so much for joining me for today’s episode. Don’t forget to join the Cancer Rehab Community Conference. You can find that at theoncopt .com slash community. Don’t forget to do your action step, comment on that post with either your question or your answer, and I will see you in the next episode of the Onco PT podcast. And 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.