It seems like mentioning the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) on social media creates responses as volatile as discussing COVID vaccine mandates! Since I became a member of the APTA in 2004, there have always been very strong opinions for and against the APTA among my colleagues.

One of the biggest events each year for the APTA is the Combined Sections Meeting (CSM). For those unaware, it is a large gathering of the 18 specialty sections and academies providing educational courses, opportunities to network with other colleagues, see current/upcoming technology in the exhibit hall, look at research posters, and try to win prizes from exhibitors.

It may come as a surprise to some that I registered last week to attend CSM February 2-5, 2022 in San Antonio, TX. You might be wondering why I would want to go to CSM now that I am nonclinical. Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Learn from top speakers

I am someone who has eclectic interests in Physical Therapy. I consider myself a life-long learner. One of the best parts about CSM is to listen to many of the best experts in each specialty while not being restricted to just one specialty! I attended CSM in 2017 and in 1 day I would listen to experts in geriatrics, orthopedics, neurology and education. As it relates to nonclinical, there are presentations from the Federal Physical Therapy and Health Policy & Administration sections to attend.

You can look at all the education sessions here on the programming website. Some of the presentations I plan to attend include:

1) GR-11598 Carole B. Lewis Lecture — Management of the “Difficult” Patient

by William H. Staples, PT, DPT, DHSc, FAPTA

2) NE-10608 Maximizing Motor Learning, Engagement, and Participation: Applications in Autonomy by

Chelsea Angela Richardson, PT, DPT, Julie Ann Hershberg, PT, DPT and Mike T. Studer, PT, MHS, FAPTA

3) HP-11008 Teaching Kids About Pain in U.S. Middle Schools by

Adriaan Louw, PT, PhD, Kory J. Zimney, PT, DPT, PhD, Colleen Fay Louw, PT, Jessie Podolak, PT, DPT and Patricia Gayle Benz, PT, DPT

2) Continuing education units for licensure

While learning from some of the best experts in each area of PT, you can earn up to 1.8 CEUs/18 hours of continuing education toward

renewing your license. For PTs in TX, that is more than half the requirement to renew every 2 years. Although there are slightly less expensive continuing education courses out there, early bird registration for $490 as a section member is a very good value for the number of units earned.

3) Seeing colleagues in person from around the US

The more one gets to know others within the profession, the more you start to realize it is a small world. There are many friends and acquaintances I look forward to seeing again, and many colleagues I plan to meet for the 1st time. It is hard to believe, but since going remote nonclinical, I haven't seen another PT in person in almost 6 months! With the pandemic, I haven't seen other non-work colleagues in person in >1.5 years! Although I still connect with other therapists virtually, it is different to have the face to face interaction.

4) The exhibit hall

My 1st experience with any PT conference was in 2007 at the APTA national conference. I liked being able to see and try out new medical equipment, learn about various continuing education companies, encounter multiple employers providing raffle opportunities, and obtaining discounted rates on products available for purchase. At a state conference in 2013, I won a gift card worth $200 from a vendor, which paid for much of the cost to attend!

5) I live in San Antonio

I was disappointed this year when CSM in Orlando had to go virtual because I looked forward to taking my kids to Orlando for the 1st time. However, I understood that it was a necessary decision. CSM 2022 will be in San Antonio, which is a little surprising because I have never known CSM to be in a city >1 time within 5 years. CSM 2017 was in San Antonio and it was only a 20 minute drive for me to the convention center. It is an easy decision to go when I don't have to pay for any travel expenses!

If you are coming from out of town, there are some good travel hacking options to make the trip as inexpensive as possible. If interested, I wrote a blog about my most recent family vacation utilizing travel hacking tips if you want to learn how to save money!

I realize many people reading this may feel burnt out as a clinician, and I think CSM is a good opportunity to help reignite the flame for patient care. I know I have felt encouraged every time I attended a national or state conference. Even though I am nonclinical, I do think CSM provides great value for PTs to continue to learn, maintain their licensure, network and stay engaged within the PT profession! Early bird registration ends 11/9/21!

Are you a clinician who wants to join the nonclinical world? The most important thing you need to start is to have a good nonclinical resume! You can download my free e-book Nonclinical Resumes That Get Interviews!

Once you feel ready to submit applications or have struggled getting interviews with your applications, sign up for a resume review! Click here to schedule a 1-on-1 time that works best for you!