APTA: Welcome to this APTA Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by HPSO, APTA's insurance partner, who powers the APTA insurance program, providing members exclusive discounts and benefits designed for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. To learn more, visit apta.org/NPTM.

Christine Scalora: Welcome to this APTA Podcast. I'm Christine Scalora, part of the communications team here at APTA. The countdown has begun for the 50th annual APTA Combined Sections meeting, which will be held February 13th through 15th in Houston, Texas in 2025.

Whether you're seeking to advance your clinical skills, earn continuing education credits, explore the latest products and services, or connect with thought leaders in the field, APTA CSM has something for everyone. If you're already planning to come to the largest physical therapy conference in the nation, we want to remind you that the early bird deadline is Nov. 6th. Get the lowest rates when you register by that deadline, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a $200 gift card, courtesy of HPSO.

You can find more details about registration at csm.apta.org. I'm happy to be joined today by APTA Vice President of Strategic Affairs, Drew Contreras, to hear about some of the new things in store for the conference, and give you a sneak peek about what you can expect in Houston. Of course, Drew and I are biased, so later in the episode, you'll hear from a couple members about their experiences at APTA CSM, and the impact that attending the conference had on their careers.

So, first, let's talk about one of the biggest perks of attending APTA CSM, the networking. This conference brings together more than 15,000 professionals, so there are lots of opportunities to meet people from across the country. You have your traditional opportunities at sessions and in the exhibit hall, but we also have the Mary McMillan Lecture and APTA Specialty and Proficiency Ceremony, the PT Fund Celebration of Diversity, the PTPAC Party, and the PTA Town Hall.

So, Drew, in terms of taking advantage of all of these different networking opportunities, what is your advice for someone, who might be attending APTA CSM for the first time or just really wants to maximize the amount of networking they do?

Drew Contreras: Right, well I think if, if this is your first time visiting the Combined Sections Meeting, my first thing I'd say is welcome. I think that my best bit of advice would be stick to who you are as a clinician, and you will gravitate towards people of similar kind of interests, and I think that's where you're likely to get the most benefit. So, what I mean by that is, you know, if you are a neuro PT who really, you know, focuses on something like stroke rehab, then gravitate towards those things that are kind of talking to that, like if the McMillan lecture is on that subject, then attend it, right? If it's something that is kind of in your wheelhouse clinically, that's where I think you're going to find your immediate comfort zone with your colleagues. And then once you kind of get your feet wet, then I think it's, what's really great about CSM is everybody, no matter what type of practice setting you have, is at this meeting. So, then you get the chance to kind of network with people who are kind of outside your day in and day out, and I think that's really exciting and a nice thing at CSM.

Scalora: Yeah, definitely. I've heard from a lot of members that you can really find your people at CSM.

Contreras: Right, and I think that's what makes the event good, because even, you know, if you have colleagues you work with, everybody's kind of got their own echo chamber clinically, so when you have similar practice settings and you see people doing other things, it kind of sparks that interest and it kind of gets the thought process going and lets you realize are there other things that you can be doing in your practice to kind of help you along the way. So, it's really helpful in finding your people.

Scalora: Yeah, definitely. Another thing people can always expect at APTA CSM is to find really high-quality programming curated by APTA's 18 specialty academies and sections, which once again really ensures you find something that speaks to every corner of the profession. You can find sessions on the latest research and best practices for common conditions that a lot of PTs and PTAs see on a regular basis, and you can find a list of hot topics from all of the academies and sections on the APTA CSM website, so you can already start planning your schedule.

And so, we know that the academy and section programming is tried and true, but we do have some new things coming in store. So, Drew, can you tell us what's new as it relates to the pavilion and the exhibit hall this year?

Contreras: Yeah, so this year what we're really trying to do is increase the experience that people are going to have in the exhibit hall and the pavilion, and part of that is we're going to have some very interactive opportunities for people. So, one of the things, right, if you're, no matter what practice setting you're in in physical therapy, we know that rehabilitation, a major cornerstone, is rehab exercises. So, one of the things you're going to see this year is you're going to see an Olympic-style gym with barbells, kettlebells, squat racks, some heavy weight, so that PTs can understand that no matter what the practice setting is, there's a place for strength training and appropriate strength dosing, which is something that the profession has kind of struggled with here and there, to make sure that we're maximizing the opportunities we have for treating our patients, but also to kind of take away some of the mysticism or the barriers of what it would mean to be a PT who uses these sorts of things in their clinical practice.

So, we'll have some programming put on by the different sections and academies, you know, that are going to highlight how their specific clinicians use these Olympic-style weights to do their rehabilitation techniques. We'll have hands-on demonstration. We're actually going to have some pretty cool contests, have some great prizes and giveaways for people to come, and if it's something you're super familiar with, if you're used to, you know, using barbells, awesome, we'd love to have you come by, but if it's something you've never done and you've never experienced in the clinic, we really encourage you to come by and see what it's about.

Scalora: Yeah, it seems like a really interesting sort of new learning opportunity that makes a lot of sense, particularly for physical therapists, just in terms of getting their hands on to different things.

Contreras: Yeah, that's right. And you know, we've actually made it a point to, we're going to have some well-known physical therapists throughout the different areas. A friend of the APTA, Kelly Starrett, is going to be there kind of using some demonstrations on some of the techniques he uses with some of his high-performance athletes, but we're also going to, you know, scale that over to working with pediatrics and working with geriatrics and making sure that we kind of see that, you know, heavy resistance training is appropriate for a lot of different specialty areas and it's not just for athletes and high-performance individuals.

Scalora: Is there anything in particular that you're really excited about on the gym or in the pavilion for CSM in Houston?

Contreras: I think that the biggest thing is just the ability that, as a profession with a cornerstone requires strength building to rehabilitate, that we're going to have that available on the floor. And that's just something that we've not done, right? It's something that has been kind of glaringly missing from the showroom floor for a long time and just folding that into it, I think, is really important. There's going to be some other great opportunities to engage and other things like that on the floor and in the pavilion. We also have some programming that's going to happen in the pavilion, some guest speakers, some other opportunities for people to hear from some other individuals who have, you know, kind of led the way in some of these other areas, so that as you're trying to find your clinical footing, you can kind of connect with some of these big leaders in the profession and that will all be available for you at the APTA pavilion right smack in the middle of the exhibit room floor.

Scalora: It's pretty hard to miss …

Contreras: Yeah.

Scalora: The APTA pavilion.

Contreras: You cannot miss it. It's right in the middle.

Scalora: Yeah, that's awesome. Speaking of new programming, what do we have in store for our students this year?

Contreras: Oh, for the students, we actually have a very curated student track. And by this we mean, you know, we really want to make sure that we provide the most important thing to our students, right, which is coffee in the morning. So, there will be some, every morning there will be student programming where you can come and you can bring your YETI, fill it up, get your coffee, right? You know, that's the most important thing for students. But all joking aside, we do have some programming directed at the things that when we talk to our student volunteers about what's important to you, what are the things you need to know about everything from managing student loans, managing debt, to how do we have conversations about negotiating salaries as a clinician, you're going to see we have some very specific things. We're going to have an event called the Knowledge Bowl, where PT programs can put together a team where you're going to do exam prep questions.

And it'll be a really kind of fun kind of game show environment. We'll have some beverages and snacks available for people. It's a lot of fun to participate, but it's a lot of fun to just to watch. We're also going to have a career center where you'll have an opportunity to sit down with somebody who hires PTs from one of the large practices or hospital systems to talk to you about your resume, talk to you about what are the things that they're looking for, so that you can understand as you prepare to enter the workforce, how can you be best prepared to do that?

Scalora: Yeah, it seems like this would have been, you know, really helpful for PTs to have just as they're getting ready to go into the beginning of their career. And why is it so important for APTA to really specialize the student content?

Contreras: I think it's really important because I think there's two things we have to, you know, just kind of recognize. Number one is that the setting and the career of the physical therapist has changed post-COVID, right? And so, we need to make sure that clinicians are ready to step into the new roles and make sure that they're prepared, not only clinically, but professionally and all the things they need to do to kind of step into that role as a career physical therapist. I also think it's really important that we provide a place that as people transition from being a student to a clinician, that they have some continuity of where can I find a mentor? Where can I find the information that I need? Like a great example is, you know, when you're a student, you have access to the university search engines and libraries.

If you have a question clinically, you can just kind of look it up. But when you go out, you may not have that depending on the hospital system or the clinic that you're in. But if you're an APTA member, you still have access to all those search engines, all that ability to get a research article or to look something up that you're not sure about how to deal with clinically. So, we really want to make sure that we provide that conduit for people as they kind of transition from out of student phase and into early professional phase. We just need to make sure that they're successful, so that the profession can continue to thrive and serve the patients that we need to.

Scalora: Yeah, definitely. There is a lot to look forward to in Houston from networking opportunities to learning about best practices and programming and learning about clinical innovation. Just in general, you know, what is your favorite part about APTA CSM?

Contreras: So, if I'm, you know, if I'm being truthful to the audience, my favorite thing that happens is what happens outside of the normal programming. And that's the casual interactions between people standing in an elevator or waiting in line for food or randomly bumping into each other at an evening event. Because what you realize is that, you know, people are attracted to the profession, all kind of have the same sense of what they want to do for a career, right? And so, you realize really quickly that when you're in this space with 15,000 like-minded people that you have a lot in common with a lot of people. And to make connections, you know, I've made connections with people that are 180 degrees from me clinically that are absolutely working in different areas or who don't look like me or who don't sound like me or who don't live where I live and it's great, right? My network of human beings that I rely on as friends and as clinicians is spread throughout the country in all kinds of areas, so that whenever, you know, I need something or I just happen to be traveling or passing through somewhere, I've always got friends all over the country. And I think that that's the thing that you're going to come, you're going to get great programming, you're going to get great content, but the networking and the friendships that you will build through it will last forever.

Scalora: Yeah, thanks for that Drew. That's a really great point. And, you know, as I said earlier, we're obviously fans of APTA CSM, but we're a little bit biased. So, I did want to give folks a chance to hear from some members about the role that APTA CSM played in their careers. So earlier this year, we chatted with PT Shefali Christopher before she went to the Paris Paralympic Games with USA Paratriathlon, and that journey started for her at APTA CSM.

Shefali Christopher: So, it's actually all thanks to the APTA because I, you know, I started speaking at CSM when I was, you know, a young PT about, you know, triathlon, triathlon injury, because at that time, I noticed that there weren't very many talks on that. I also got very involved in the Sports Academy and the different special interest groups. And the Adaptive Athlete Group was one of the groups. And at the time, Shana Harrington was the chair of the group. And I mentioned to her, I wanted to get more involved. And she knew my interest in triathlon. So, we were trying to figure out how to get me class, to become a classifier for triathlon and a classifier is someone who, you know, evaluates the athlete and decides based on their impairment level which category they would race in, so that it's more fair that you're racing against people with the same abilities. And so, we're trying to figure that out. And in 2018, the Paratriathlon manager emailed Shana and said, we're looking to start taking a physical therapist with us on different international trips when we're competing.

And we would love some recommendations. And she reached out to me and said, I think this is right up your alley, you know, send me your resume or send your resume to Amanda Duke at that time, she was the manager and we did and the rest is kind of history because I've been traveling to about two to three international races with them since then, gotten to know the team pretty well. And so, really have the APTA and, you know, joining the APTA and getting involved to thank for this start. And I love to tell the story at CSM or different places where I do the presentation, so that, you know, other PTs who are trying to get their foot in the door can - can see how important and how helpful the networking and being a part of our organization is.

Scalora: At APTA CSM in Boston, we chatted with PT, author, and performance coach Kelly Starrett, who we heard about earlier in this episode, about how the profession has evolved over the past 10 years.

Kelly Starrett: I've been a member of APTA for a long time. And even though I'm not [at] CSM every [year] – All the physical therapists out there who sometimes feel like the APTA doesn't necessarily represent them, we all benefit from the advocacy of this group and the advocacy of the body, so it's important. I think the last time I was here, the biggest changes I've seen is, number one, I haven't seen a single pair of white New Balance shoes. I haven't seen any khakis and very few polos. What we've started to see is in the past 10 years, there's really been a growth and sophistication in physical therapy to encompass high performance, not sports rehab. That's a really different model. But sort of our ability as physical therapists to see a bigger picture and to be at the forefront of human performance, working alongside people, who aren't just trying to get back to basics or return to function, but are in fact trying to see what are the limits of the human condition.

And suddenly I see, even from the vendors here, from the people here, we're seeing there's a big shift. And that means that APTA has sort of caught up with the rest of the profession. And suddenly, once again, we are here. The second thing is that sort of really important is we're starting to see the emergence of lifestyle medicine. And the APTA has a real opportunity to say, hey, we're not going to expand our practice boundaries, but we're going to reclaim or actually own the practice boundaries we already have. No one is better set up. Physicians aren't set up for this lifestyle medicine piece. Physical therapists are best set up for it. So, the combination of sort of the advocating for this human performance aspect of the job and this lifestyle medicine component, which really in some ways really overact, the APTA now is in a place where they can really sort of wrap their arms around that.

And that's bringing this generation of PTs, who maybe were a little ahead of the bubble or ahead of the curve. We're back in and realizing that this is a great place to be. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that it was heat packs and TENS and, you know, and massage. I mean, that was literally what physicians were writing in the 80s. And here we are with some of my physio friends at the top of military groups, the top of NASA, the top of, you know, professional sports teams working alongside sort of the leading edge of - of human performance. And so, I think what's interesting is to see the number of people I talked to yesterday who are starting to think, hey, I can pivot this incredible skillset into a proactive piece where I can be the true primary care musculoskeletal provider for a community, for a team. And that's really exciting.

Scalora: Like we said, Kelly will be back in Houston, as well as a lot of other really great thought leaders in the profession. And finally, we wanted to give you a chance to hear from APTA Aquatics President, Michael Murray on how attending APTA CSM as a student led him to get involved with the academy.

Michael Murray: The first time I ever heard about physical therapy was essentially working at a pool. And there's this lady doing these weird exercises in the water and everyone else is swimming. I was like, what are you doing? She's like, well, I had surgery. She had an infection, so she needed two surgeries. And she was like, yeah, my doctor was good. He cut me open, sewed me back up, but my PT gave my life back. And that really got me into it. I got involved. UNC was really good about pushing their students to go to conferences and seek out opportunities to meet people. So, I ran for a student board position. I didn't win, but it was a nice little motivation for me to kind of go explore other things. So, I walked down the hallway, walked into a board meeting for an [APTA Aquatics] thing and said, hey, I'd like to get involved. And they're like, we're not sure if you can be here, but yeah, come on in. Let's get this working.

So, you know, I took - I took a negative, turned it into a positive, and then I've been involved with aquatics and with North Carolina chapters since then. It's one of those things, you know, when you're motivated enough to do something and you'll find the area and then there's always a need. Like there's always, all these components could always use some young eyes on things. I know for us, we have our student ambassador that we rely on a lot. She's on some of our committees. And so, we encourage students to get involved in committees whenever they can because that's a great opportunity to kind of learn the structure. And then once you're out, then you can start being on the board. Because you've already kind of established that connection there.

Scalora: So, to be clear, we are not saying you should wander into board meetings, but you can meet with members of all 18 academies and sections at their booths in the exhibit hall. And you can also check out their programming, because a lot of sections have coffees and networking events and socials, and there's a lot of chances for people to get to know more about APTA's academies and sections. So once again, I want to thank APTA VP of Strategic Affairs and general APTA CSM fan Drew Contreras for chatting with me today.

Contreras: My pleasure.

Scalora: As a reminder, the early bird deadline for APTA CSM in Houston is Wednesday, Nov. 6th at 11:59 p.m. ET. The cost to register goes up starting on Nov. 7th and advanced registration ends on Jan. 8th, with full and daily registration available from Jan. 9th to Feb. 15th. And as always, we'll make sure we include some of these important links in the episode show notes. If you aren't already, please subscribe to APTA Podcast to hear more from our members and staff experts, plus the latest in research from PTJ author interviews.

Thanks so much for listening and we hope to see you in Houston.