TheOncoPT Podcast

Send us Fan Mail While cancer can affect a person at any age, AYA cancer survivors experience unique challenges.  And these challenges can affect them for potentially the rest of their life, beyond direct treatment side effects.   Physical therapist & cancer survivor, Scott Capozza, understands this experience firsthand. While Scott initially did not want the “label” of cancer survivor, he has...

Send us Fan Mail After over a decade of advocacy, lobbying, educating, and more, the Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA) was finally signed into law. However, this doesn't mean that we can sit back and relax. I invited Sarah Bramblette from the Lymphedema Advocacy Group to share what this bill means for us and our patients, and what we must do moving forward to close the care gap for all patients...

Send us Fan Mail Presenting at a conference can be a really exciting way to be more involved in your profession and to potentially Advance your career. however, the thought of putting together a presentation, compiling all that material, standing up on stage, and answering audience questions can be a little scary overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be. Meredith Stutz and Naomi Klingbeil rece...

Send us Fan Mail Okay, so not leaving cancer rehab altogether.  But you should totally take a break from exclusively rehab conferences, & here's why: As rehab professionals, we often attend conferences related to our specific field.  But that’s usually where it stops.  Most rehab pros will never attend a non-rehab conference. But you’re actually missing out on a TON of helpful rehab info…...

Send us Fan Mail OncoPTs can serve in any setting to help patients diagnosed with cancer, including…the emergency department? Yep, especially the emergency department. Dr. Rebekah Griffith is a highly experienced physical therapist specializing in emergency medicine. She’s been working in the emergency department (ED) for almost a decade, where she has played a vital role in the early management a...

Send us Fan Mail More patients than ever understand what physical therapy is.  However, this isn’t exactly the win we need right now.  Insurance reimbursement is dropping year after year.  PTs are leaving the profession more than ever, despite the “oversaturation” of PT school & new grads (which is totally false, by the way).   Cancer survivors are falling through the cracks, still told they s...

Send us Fan Mail We probably all know a little bit about the Prospective Surveillance Model (PSM), but have you ever thought about PSM for pediatrics? Dr. Nashwa Khalil & Dr. Lynn Tanner, two pediatric oncologic PTs, discuss how cancer rehab helps pediatric patients, how Prospective Surveillance Model works in the pediatric setting, & some of the barriers they encountered when putting the...

Send us Fan Mail Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re talking all about SEX on the podcast! And who better to discuss sex & intimacy after cancer treatment, than Drs. Alexandra Hill & Ijeoma Nwankpa?   Alex & Ijeoma are both board certified clinical specialists in women’s health physical therapy & have teamed up to present an incredible APTA-CSM session called Sexual Survivorshi...

Send us Fan Mail When I first started practicing as an OncoPT, I couldn’t wait to become an expert with all the answers. Today, I realize that we don’t need all the answers to start helping our patients TODAY. What we should be doing instead is filling the gaps in our knowledge.  One of the best ways to do this is by preparing to become a specialist. In this Q&A session, I did with APTA Oncolo...

Send us Fan Mail APTA-CSM is just around the corner, & it’s easily one of the most exciting PT conferences you’ll ever go to.   However, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by all the excitement, & before you know it, the conference is over & you don’t remember a thing.   Here’s how to make the most of your CSM experience without wasting your time & money: Listen now! If you want a...

Send us Fan Mail The first few years of being an OncoPT are challenging & full of growth opportunities.   Translation: hard lessons & lots of mistakes.   Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in just trying to survive, we miss these really important lessons we’re learning along the way. After *almost* 5 years of practice, we’re recounting the top 5 lessons every new OncoPT MUST learn. Have you l...

Send us Fan Mail I don’t know about you, but 2022 seems like a bit of a blur, now that it’s finally over.  Last year was a big year for growth & learning, with plenty of lessons I’m taking with me into the new year. In today’s podcast episode, I’m sharing my 2022 recap, the lessons I’m taking to heart, & how I’m working to be the best OncoPT version of myself I can.   I believe that by ref...

Send us Fan Mail Cancer & its treatments cause tremendous side effects that patients deal with both acutely & in the long-run.   Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) is perhaps one of the most brutal treatments a person can undergo.  As Dr. Palazzo puts it, it’s like taking patients to the brink of death & bringing them back - intense, right? The amazing news is: these patients ca...

Send us Fan Mail Hands-down: this is probably the most USEFUL podcast episode you’ll listen to before 2023. We’re bringing back THE Dr. Susan Maltser, DO.  She wrote the BIBLE OF BASICS when it comes to being safe with people who have or who have had cancer.  We cover safety & red flags, plus how to not let fear (I see you, bone mets) stop us from being the best physical therapist possible for...

Send us Fan Mail We’re wrapping up 2022 with some of our favorite episodes from the past year.   So you want to work in OncoPT...but don't know how (or where) to start?  This episode is just for you! Welcome to this week's Ask Me Anything, with Dr. Karen Rivera Yepiz.  She had a lot of AMAZING questions about finding a job, additional certifications, & so much more.  I know every new...

Send us Fan Mail We’re wrapping up 2022 with some of our favorite episodes from the past year.   In today’s wrap-up episode, Dr. Kalie Heftka, PT of Dr. Reams Concierge PT joins me to talk about opening her own cash-based oncology & lymphedema practice. People don't talk about the early stages of opening a private practice or the challenges of building a business from scratch. We're...

Send us Fan Mail Gone are the days when PTs take a job & work there for 25 years.   There is a tremendous amount of opportunity for physical therapists, especially newer therapists, to build a career you love.  BUT, you have to be abundantly clear on what you want & what’s important to you. In today’s episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Tori Crook, PT on common job red flags to...

Send us Fan Mail Starting your first physical therapy job is so exciting, especially after all the hard you put into your education. So what happens when the job you were so excited about turns out to be NOT AT ALL what you expected? Well, I brought my dear friend Dr. Tori Crook, PT to talk about her experience starting, loving, hating, & leaving her dream job in under 1 year. This vulnerable...

Send us Fan Mail Break out the champagne: we’re celebrating 4 years of TheOncoPT! We cannot believe that we are 4 years into this amazing journey with each & every one of you.  To commemorate this monumental milestone, I’m pouring myself a glass of bubbly & answering your questions on the podcast today. To join The Cancer Rehab Community (FOR FREE), visit https://TheOncoPT.com/community If...

Send us Fan Mail The ABPTS Oncology Specialist Certification Exam is just around the corner.  Time to buckle down on your preparation! But that resource list can be really confusing & overwhelming.  How do you start studying & focus on what’s actually important? By listening to this podcast episode! Today’s episode is a recorded Q&A session I did with oncology residents Dr. Athena Manz...

Send us Fan Mail Preparing for oncology specialty certification is one of the best ways to become an expert OncoPT. However, most physical therapists get derailed before they even register for their exam.  So they stop preparing. And this means patients don’t get your expert-level care.  So they don’t get better. We think this is just plain wrong.   Listen now for our 3 tips for more effective pre...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone is really excited about immunotherapy…but not so much about the side effects. If you want a structured way to get started on your ABPTS oncology case report, I'm hosting a LIVE writing sprint later this month where we'll work through this together . You can find the details here: https://TheOncoPT.com/sprint Follow TheOncoPT on Instagram. Follow TheOncoPT on Lin...

Send us Fan Mail CAR T-Cell Therapy has exploded onto the cancer treatment scene. But most PTs are unfamiliar with how CAR T-Cell Therapy affects our patients.  With more patients undergoing CAR T-Cell Therapy every year, we must be prepared for WHEN ( not if ) we treat one of these patients. Dr. Adam Matichak breaks down CAR T-Cell Therapy into easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement nuggets in tod...

Send us Fan Mail Immunotherapy has exploded onto the scene of cancer treatments.  In fact, we’re anticipating that most patients with cancer will be treated with immunotherapy at some point in our careers. But what is it exactly?  And how does it work? In this mini-episode, you’ll learn what is immunotherapy, how it works, & where to learn more about this rapidly growing area of oncology. List...

Send us Fan Mail It's been 10 years since the Prospective Surveillance Model (PSM) was first published.  This model saves our patients money, can prevent functional decline, & has changed our entire paradigm of how we treat people with cancer. So why is it still so rare to see it implemented? Buckle up, OncoPT, because there’s a lot to cover today.  But it’s soooooo needed. In this episod...