Serving the profession at a State Level: a post from Northeast District Chief Representative to the CPTA Assembly of Representatives

What it means to be a representative for the CPTA:

-Have a say in the direction CA takes for the profession

-Charge California to take issues to the APTA House of Delegates for the direction of our profession nationally

-Stay in touch with the direction CPTA and APTA are going with our profession

-Understand why our CPTA makes the decisions they do

-Oppose ideas I don't agree with

-Introduce ideas I care about and lobby for ideas I agree with

-Network with other people passionate about Physical Therapy

What is the time commitment? 

It takes one evening meeting a few weeks before and one full day meeting the day of the Assembly to be involved. Opportunities continue throughout the year to voice your opinion and introduce ideas if needed between Assembly meetings are available, but not required.

Why do I stay committed as a Representative and Chief Rep for NE District CPTA? 

Initially I started to network and help shape the direction of my profession. I have introduced ideas that were initially opposed, but started conversations that lead to real change. I have seen things passed I don't agree on, but were able to shape them to be what I believe is better for our profession. I have seen many issues that promote our profession passed in the Assembly with great support. In summary I stay involved because I LOVE PHYSICAL THERAPY and want to see it continue to be the amazing profession I joined. I want to preserve quality, meaning and payment for services. 

Do you have to be a Representative to be involved? 

No, you can come to the meeting before the Assembly to hear the issues and voice your opinion for the Representatives to take into account. You can call, email, text or otherwise contact a Representative to voice your concern or idea to take to the group. You can show up to any CPTA NE District event and likely there will be a Representative there, talking about ideas for our profession and taking note of your opinion.

Looking forward to updating you on what happens at the Assembly coming up on the 21st of September.

See all you great NE District Reps on that date!

Amy Flinn, PT, CLT-LANA

Chief NE District Assembly Rep


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Do you want to get more from your CPTA membership?

The Northeast District of the CPTA is one of the most active and progressive districts in California working with leaders from all areas of the state to shape the profession and make sure that physical therapists and physical therapy assistants have a strong voice in the CPTA.

We have a great core group of members that are leading the charge but we are always looking to help any member who is ready to invest in their career and profession.  

As the nominating committee chair, my job is to help our members find the best way to get involved and get more from their membership, and in this post I am going to show you several ways that you can do just that.  

Here is what you are going to learn about in this post

  1. How do I get started?

  2. What’s in it for me?

  3. What’s coming up for the CPTA?

  4. How can I get involved?

  5. Who should I contact to learn more?

How do I get started?

I have been an active member of the Northeast District for over ten years and one of the most common things I hear from my colleagues is “I would love to be more involved, but I don’t have a lot of extra time and I just don’t know where to start.”

As a full time therapist with an active family life and a second job I can appreciate the need to be careful and protective of your time, but the truth is that there are a lot of ways to get involved see the benefits without investing a lot of time.

So let’s begin with several easy ways that you can get involved even with a busy life

  • Pub nights

    • Yes, you read that right :)  As a district we host several meet and greet events each year and many of them are Pub Nights where we can all meet as a group and just get to know one another and talk about all the things going on in the district and the state.

    • Pub nights are hosted in different locations throughout the district.  If you want to find out more info then just keep up with our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/NED.CPTA

  • District Meetings

    • We have several open meetings each year where members can come and be part of the action and participate in our group discussions.  

  • Continuing Education

    • We host several con-ed courses each year that are discounted for all CPTA members.  This past quarter we worked with Results PT to help host a course on understanding and implementation of advanced physical therapy concepts in the foot and ankle

    • We will also be hosting an upcoming course on Vestibular Rehab.  

    • You can contact us or follow us at https://www.facebook.com/NED.CPTA for details

What’s in it for me?

Let’s look at some of the benefits of actively participating in the district.

  • Networking

    • The Northeast District meetings are one of the best ways to interact and get to know the leaders in the PT field all over the region.  We consistently network and share information with each other and help promote each other within the field.

  • Education

    • Each year we host multiple options for continuing education, this year alone we will have courses on Ethics, Treatment of Foot and Ankle conditions, and Vestibular training.  

    • All the courses are discounted for active CPTA members

  • Helping to shape the profession

    • As a member of the Northeast district we have a unique opportunity to help lead and shape the profession as lawmakers and lobbyist from all over the state meet in our area to bring the laws and legislation that affect all areas of California.

  • Being informed and up to date with all the news and changes

    • We are consistently sharing the most up to date information to our members including changes in payment or laws and rulings that will affect your daily work tasks

  • Giving back

    • Our active members are constantly finding great ways to give back to the community including helping with our booth at the Amgen Tour, teaching in the community and mentoring student members

What’s coming up for the CPTA?

  1. The annual CPTA conference

    • In just a couple weeks Santa Clara will be hosting the annual CPTA conference, where therapists from all over the state will be coming together to network and learn.  The event will be on September 22nd and 23rd and you can find out more information by going to https://www.ccapta.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=986302

  2. The annual meeting of the CPTA assembly of representatives

    • Thursday September 21st, just prior to the CPTA conference, the Assembly of Representatives will be meeting including over a dozen PT’s one PTA and Student reps from the Northeast District.

How Can I get more involved?

Northeast district elections will be starting in October. Our district elections will be coming up this fall and here are some of the positions we will be looking to fill

Assembly representatives for 2019-2020

  • Assembly reps for the district are tasked with going to the annual Assembly and voting on the issues that will help shape the future of the profession

  • The time commitment is minimal and only consists of two total meetings. Meeting once as a group prior to the assembly, and then going to the assembly located wherever the CPTA conference is being held that year.  

  • The district also covers travel expenses to and from the Assembly each year

Secretary/Treasurer

  • This is a great way to be part of the executive committee and network with the top professionals in the area

  • The time commitment is one meeting per month alternating from in person to virtual meetings online

Nominating Committee

  • As part of the three person nominating committee you would be able to network and interact with the local PT community and help to get more people involved.  

Chief Representative to the Assembly

  • The Chief Rep helps to organize and coordinate the assembly reps and communicate with the rest of the chief representatives throughout the state



Who should I contact for more information?

If you want any more information please contact me at spsumner@ucdavis.edu

Sean Sumner MPT, OCS

Nominating Committee Chair for the Northeast District


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Another year, another successful Sports Medicine Symposium in the Northeast District

The 3rd annual Sports Medicine Symposium “Hot Topics in Foot and Ankle” course was attended by a total of 55 participants including PT, PTAs, speakers, and staff members from Results Physical Therapy.

 

The first half of the course, located at the Sacramento State Physical Therapy Department, featured the chief of Foot and Ankle Surgery from UC Davis Medical Center, Dr. Eric Giza, speaking about common surgical procedures and the latest in medical management of sports related foot and ankle injuries along with corresponding rehab protocols. Then Dr Alberto Panero spoke on the use of biologics including PRP and stem cells as well as rehab following those procedures. The owner of Results physical therapy and the Sac Republic FC team physical therapist spoke about advanced rehab and return to play criteria.


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The second half of the course located at the new Results Physical Therapy facility included a former LA Galaxy and current Sac Republic soccer player Q and A, followed by a four group rotation that included foot and ankle assessment, advanced rehab training, foot and ankle taping, and a running evaluation with use of current technology from the clinical director of Results.


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Synopsis provided by William Workman, Chair, Continuing Education NE District CPTA

 

Lastly, the Northeast District would like to express special appreciation to the host, Results Physical Therapy,  the CSUS PT Department, and to NED Continuing Education Chair William Workman! A big thank you goes out to everyone that made this course happen!