2020 ISSUE 1
W H AT I S N E W I N T H E W O R L D O F O R T H O P E D I C H A N D T H E R A P Y ?
Susan Santilli
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the 2019 July/August/September issue of the Commu-
nique, but it was incorrectly credited to wrong author. We are publishing it here again with the correct author,
Susan Santilli. We apologize for this error.
When asked to share my thoughts on this subject, I laughed in realizing that a 40 year OT veteran
(me) would have a lot to say and be unsure of where to start. I found myself entering a dreamlike state, re-
membering my first days as a young pup at Hines VA Hospital, where every Friday afternoon I was part of
Loyola’s Medical School Outpatient Hand Clinic. I shadowed with the head surgeon and residents, and if a
patient required hand therapy, I took over, scheduled, and ultimately treated that patient in our clinic. Here
are just a few of the changes:
Then
Now
The day started at 8 am and
ended at 4:30 pm for all thera-
pists and supervisors. Everyone
ate lunch together from noon to
1:00 pm, usually in the cafeteria
and often had time to go for a
brief walk before the afternoon
patients. There are eight-, 10-, and 12-hour shifts; evening hours; and [gasp!]
weekend hours.
Somehow there was enough
time in our workday to complete
patient documentation, never
needing to stay late or take it
home. Documentation on computers seems to take more time. There is more
to write. Insurance demands specific verbiage and imposes time re-
straints for completion. This often requires documenting while eating
lunch, at home and/or over the weekend. The great news regarding
computers is that all the information a therapist needs to understand
the patient’s medical history, surgery, images, etc. is at our fingertips.
Communicating with our staff and MDs can be instantaneous.
Reimbursement for attending a
CEU seminar was all inclusive
(e.g., mileage, lodging, food,
course). CEU money can vary depending on your setting, however, only the
course itself is reimbursed. I actually agree with this, as clinic funds
these days need to be prioritized.
Therapists treated one patient
per hour. Half-hour treatment sessions, except, of course, if you work in a set-
ting connected to a doctor’s office. If so, at any time of the day “walk in
splints” show up at your door for a stat splint (excuse me, orthosis).
There were minimal choices for
splint material, colors, and strap-
ping. The heating pan used to
soften your splint material was
the extra pan you received for a
wedding gift (at least
there was temperature control). We have a myriad of splint materials with varying properties for the
many types of splints to be made. There are new colors, straps,
shortcut applications, and low profile options. There are special scis-
sors, special glues, and VELCRO! Remember, when I first started in
OT, velcro had not yet been invented. It took a long time to make a
resting splint. Today there is every splint material characteristic to
meet the needs of every one of your patient’s personality and medical
needs. Thank goodness!
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