TheOncoPT Podcast

Send us Fan Mail On November 11, 2023, I hosted the first EVER Cancer Rehab Community Conference.  It’s still sinking in that I put together a whole conference with 11 mind-blowing speakers for over 100 registrants! After taking a few days to recover & process what happened at #TCRCC2023, it’s time to recap the experience, share our biggest takeaways, & how this movement is already impacti...

Send us Fan Mail As you know, collaboration is the name of the game in cancer rehab. While PT, OT, & speech therapy instantly come to mind, there’s actually quite a few more disciplines we’re not including in this collaboration.   Including oncology acupuncture ⬇️ Oncology acupuncture has been around for a while, & many of your patients already use acupuncture to help with various treatmen...

Send us Fan Mail Rehab is NOT well-integrated into advanced cancer care.  But these patients need rehab EVEN MORE than many patients with early-stage cancer. November is Hospice & Palliative Care Month, so this is the perfect time to talk about a patient population very near & dear to my heart.   Listen now! If you want a structured way to get started on your ABPTS oncology case report, I&...

Send us Fan Mail Health care is sick.   Obviously, we’re no strangers to illness.  But health care as an industry, as a profession, as a vocation is sick.   & will continue to get worse unless we implement real solutions. We’ve already seen other industries implement these solutions, & they’re working.  It’s time to make it happen for real in health care. Joe Sanok is a licensed profession...

Send us Fan Mail Two years ago, I attended a conference with a brand-new OncoPT, who was really excited for one session in particular. This session began with a speaker *LITERALLY* asking for feedback & ways to improve the section for members. But when my friend bravely raised her hand & vulnerably shared a challenge she was facing & asked for help, she was met with this response: &quo...

Send us Fan Mail Every once in a while, you're a part of a conversation that changes the entire trajectory of your career.  This is one of them. Many of your patients are mothers, some even new mothers.  So how does that affect your plan of care?   Turns out, potentially A LOT.  Pregnant & postpartum patients experience tremendous change to their bodies, which absolutely affects their mov...

Send us Fan Mail Every October, the pink wave of breast cancer awareness comes crashing in.   Yet, this pink wave glosses over the fact that breast cancer kills more than 43,000 women every year.   Meanwhile, metastatic breast cancer (the breast cancer that kills) receives so little attention, research focus, & funding.  And this changes little, year to year. Part of why metastatic breast canc...

Send us Fan Mail It’s official!  We are ONE MONTH away from The First-Ever Cancer Rehab Community Conference! We’ve been busy planning this event for months, & now I’m finally taking you behind the scenes on why The Cancer Rehab Community Conference is going to be the best conference experience you’ve ever had. Listen now for all the deets. AND SAVE YOUR SEAT TODAY at TheOncoPT.com/conference...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re like me, I thought I was finished with specialization stuff once I got my exam results. WRONG. Because that’s actually only the start . Maintaining your board certification is an ongoing process that demonstrates your commitment to continued learning & growth throughout your OncoPT career. Now that I’m actually going through my first round of MOSC requirements, I tur...

Send us Fan Mail Prostate cancer is one of the most common diagnoses you’ll probably see as an OncoPT...   So we’re long overdue for a prostate cancer deep dive. Today’s episode is the perfect recap on this all too common diagnosis, plus: 🔵Prostate cancer, by the numbers  🔵Treatment regimens for patients with prostate cancer 🔵How prostate cancer & its treatments affect your patients 🔵Commo...

Send us Fan Mail Palliative care is not the same as hospice.  Period. While common, this misconception is problematic & is keeping your patients from getting truly comprehensive care throughout their cancer care journey. In today’s conversation with Dr. Lori Boright, we dive into what palliative care really means within oncology, how prehab & palliative care are more closely related than y...

Send us Fan Mail September 30 is the final deadline for your ABPTS Oncology application.  On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m answering your burning questions about the application process, your case report, & what to do when you get writer’s block. Plus, stay tuned for exciting news about an upcoming webinar that will take your case report writing prowess to new heights. Don't miss ou...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine feeling less stressed & less frustrated with your practice, because you know how to tackle any diagnosis, any impairment, any complicated patient case that comes your way.   This isn’t a dream.  This can totally be reality.  Feeling confidently certain that you can address your patient’s impairments, no matter what diagnosis, what treatments, what complications they ma...

Send us Fan Mail September is a huge month for cancer awareness, including thyroid cancer. The good news is thyroid cancer is relatively uncommon, with a pretty decent survival rate. The bad news, it’s still cancer, & it may be on the rise. In this episode, we’re reviewing the basics of this lesser-known cancer, treatment options, & how your patients’ functional mobility & quality of l...

Send us Fan Mail Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is an often silent yet prevalent issue that casts a shadow over the lives of many cancer survivors.  Despite its high occurrence, PFD remains an undertreated facet of cancer rehabilitation, leaving patients to often silently suffer. Meet the OncoPT working to change this dismal reality: Dr. Alexandra Hill is a renowned expert in the field of oncology...

Send us Fan Mail There’s a time & a place for hard truths in cancer rehab. But “tough love” can sometimes cross the line into cruelty for our patients.   Cancer is taxing in every realm of a patient’s existence; the last thing they need is for their rehab professional to be cruel in the name of blunt honesty or “just telling it like it is.” As a cancer rehab physical therapist, it's essen...

Send us Fan Mail While cancer can affect anyone, the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) patient population can experience heightened distress & challenges compared to other age groups. However, these issues are frequently overlooked & underserved, leading to potentially lifelong challenges. Worse yet, these patients often discuss being “dropped off a cliff” once they finish treatment.  The...

Send us Fan Mail In cancer rehab, it may feel like we’re too “late” to participate in cancer prevention.  But this is totally false! Cancer rehab pros are actually in the PERFECT position to educate & encourage our patients on cancer prevention.   In today’s episode, we’re diving into what “prevention” in cancer is, how OncoPTs can help our patients in cancer prevention, & specific strateg...

Send us Fan Mail Over the past several decades, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in cancer survivorship, meaning more patients are living longer after their cancer diagnosis.  However, this increase is not seen equally across all patient groups.   For example, Black & African American patients continue to experience the highest rates of cancer mortality compared to other racial groups in the U...

Send us Fan Mail When I left my first ever OncoPT job, the only thing that kept me going was the amazing group of therapists who rallied around me & basically became my support group. As strong as you are, none of us are one-person shows.  It truly takes a village to make it in cancer rehab.   But if you’re not convinced about why YOU need a community in cancer rehab, queue this episode up ASA...

Send us Fan Mail It’s no secret that cancer is EXPENSIVE, which can make accessing care extremely challenging for some patients.  While various solutions are available today, one of my favorite organizations meeting these needs & expanding access to quality care is Moving Beyond Cancer Collective. Mari Galle, an oncology acupuncturist based in Austin, Texas, shared her journey and the inspirin...

Send us Fan Mail As a new OncoPT, it’s tempting to want to rush through the early days so you can hurry up & “become the expert.”  However, these early days are some of the most important days of your entire career! Let me explain: You can’t “hack” experience.  Gaining experience is a slow, purposeful process that requires intentional effort every day. For the ambitious OncoPT like you & m...

Send us Fan Mail If you ask any rehab professional what scares them the most about oncology patients, their answer 99.9% of the time will be bone metastases .   And this fear is keeping rehab professionals from actually helping their patients with cancer (even those without bone mets). The fact is patients with bone metastases benefit from rehab, from exercise, & from physical activity.  High-...

Send us Fan Mail The ABPTS 2024 application window is officially open, which means that you need to get your application submitted ASAP.  Seriously, the deadline will sneak up on you, unless you do 2 things: have a plan & stick to your plan.  Now don’t worry, because I’ve outlined the EXACT plan for you in this episode. To Start (& Actually Finish!) Your ABPTS Application, watch this. Ever...

Send us Fan Mail I love to nerd out about the research going on behind the scenes to invent & improve cancer treatments.   But there’s something I love even more than that: seeing people step into their power, pursuing their highest purpose & potential. Dr. Lopamudra Das Roy was a renowned geneticist in the oncology field for many years, before she decided to walk away from it all…to start...