UNCATEGORIZED
Next week is National Hand Therapy week and as the Director of the Hand Therapy Clinic here at Foundry, while deciding on the topic for this blog I thought writing something related to that was important. While I was mulling over what I wanted to write in relation to hand therapy, other thoughts (related and unrelated) began to emerge.
First, I came to the realization that it was just 5 years ago this month that Dr. DeLuise approached me with the idea of starting a Hand Therapy Clinic here at Foundry. When I think back to how small our clinic was when we opened (basically just me, a table, chairs and hand therapy equipment) and what the clinic has evolved into (we are about to add a fourth hand therapist), it boggles my mind.
None of that would have been possible without the incredible support from the staff here at Foundry. This support has been there from day one. It always begins at the top with our group of providers. They each make themselves available and accessible to therapists for collaborative discussions concerning treatment techniques, patient care, and all manner of questions. They have even been known to draw a new surgical procedure on a scrap of paper in the middle of office hours so the therapist could better understand the surgery!
Every therapist in the hand clinic including myself, has stated at one time or another that they truly believe they are better hand therapists today than they were when they arrived here at Foundry because of this mentoring. Having worked in another hand surgeon’s office in the past, I can tell you first hand that that is not how all offices operate.
This support also includes a front desk staff on both sides of the “house” that assist not only patients but therapists with a myriad of issues from scheduling, follow up phone calls, chasing insurance approvals, tracking down test results, etc. - all of which makes our jobs easier. This group includes an administrative staff which consistently drops whatever they are doing to solve problems related and unrelated to patient care which in turn affect our ability to do our jobs. Part of our staff includes a group of medical assistants and radiology techs, who always find time in their busy day to provide us with access to information concerning our patients. And finally our own support staff in the clinic keeps things flowing. These aides are an invaluable to running an efficient clinic. They do all the jobs that keep the flow smooth, scheduling appointments, keeping the inventory updated, cleaning the clinic and essentially allowing us to treat our patients without having to worry about all the other “stuff”.
Being a Hand therapist for me is truly a labor of love. Being able to do what I love to do is made so much easier by all the support I receive from the rest of the staff here at Foundry.
I would like take this opportunity to thank all of Foundry Hand Clinic’s “support staff,“ you have no idea how much we up here in the “Penthouse" value your support!!
