Which seminars should I go to?
Here we go...
Extracurricular learning is what is going to set you apart. It's the difference between being just another Doc and an exceptional one.
This doesn't mean that you need to spend your bucks on every seminar that comes to pdx, but some of them are well-worth your moolah. Here are the ones I have attended so far, how much they cost and when I attended (as of October 3, 2017). Below I break down which seminars I recommend taking when and why.
Q1
Q2
Q3
- SMART Tools Course - Dr. Craig Kawaoka (UWS Clinician) - FREE w/ purchase of tools (usually $275)
- SMART Tools Professional Set - $774
- Functional Foundations - Dr. Jason Brown - $259
- Assessment and Rehabilitation of the Foot and Ankle - Ed Robertson, PT - $50
- Motion Palpation Institute Integration Lower - Dr. Corey Campbell - $265
- Dr. Stuart McGill 1: Building the Ultimate Back: From Rehab to Performance - Dr. Stuart McGill, PhD - $409CAD
- Dr. Stuart McGill 3: High Performance Training - Dr. Stuard McGill, PhD - $395
Q4
- TBD :)
As or right now, I have already spent over $2,500 on seminars and extra learning. This doesn't count a trip to Long Beach for Perform Better Summit.
Before you get rattled, keep in mind that you don't need to spend anywhere near what I have. I am just a bit of a seminar junkie. If you attend clubs like Rehab2Performance and MPI you are going to get exposure to the highlights of the content I, and others, learned from these seminars and ones like them. It isn't quite the same experience, but sometimes learning the content from presentations in clubs cuts out all the fluff and you only get the valuable stuff.
What I recommend taking and when to take them:
Motion Palpation Full Spine: this seminar gets you learning adjustments for the full spine. It throws you right into the fire. BUT it isn't about that. It is about getting your hands on as many people as possible and getting feedback. Learning from different instructors is also a bonus and you may pick up a tip or trick that you didn't get from the school instructors.
I recommend ANYTHING TAUGHT BY DR. SARAH MACCHI. Why? Because she is a small, female instructor and one of the fast and most powerful adjusters I have ever seen. She really knows her mechanics, which she has to if she is going to adjust a 300lb male.
Take FULL SPINE early and be prepared to take it again. Save the others for later if you are $$ sensitive. Even if you come out of Full Spine feeling like you haven't learned anything, trust me, you have. It sets up a framework for learning in your adjustment classes later. I have every intention of taking Full Spine again, and would have already if it hadn't conflicted with another event.
Other MPI Courses. I recommend taking them when you are about a year or so in if you want the best bang for your buck.
Take anything that Dr. Jason Brown teaches. Taking the Functional Foundations with Dr. Brown gave me a framework to think about rehab and being a clinician. He is intimately involved with R2P, which is probably why his content resonated so much with me. If you ever have a chance to pick his brain, I highly recommend it. In addition to being a stud of a clinician he is also just a super chill dude.
Jason doesn't teach often, which is why I recommend taking his course whenever it is offered. If he starts teaching more often, I recommend taking his courses about a year into your program.
Other ones to keep in mind:
Anything with immediate clinical application I recommend taking closer to when you will actually be in clinic (for UWS that is Q8). This would be things like RockTape, ART, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization courses (e.g. SMART Tools, Graston, Rockblade, etc.). The reason is that you will probably lose most of the information if you aren't applying it right away. That being said, I have some experience already with soft tissue mobilization (hands-on and tool assisted), and have been working on my classmates (lucky them, right?), which I think has made it worth while.
Don't forget that while you are in school you get HUGE discounts on seminars. Combine that with an R2P membership and you are saving yourself literally thousands of dollars by taking outside courses while in school instead of while you are in clinical practice. You also have more TIME when you are in school than when you are in practice (though I imagine it doesn't feel like it).
Here are the courses that are on my radar to take in the near future:
- Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
- Active Release Technique (ART)
- RockTape
- MPI Extremities
- Neurodynamics
- Rehab 2 Performance Symposium (Feb 2018)
How to get Mega Discounts on Seminars
If you know you are going to be taking a lot of seminars it is worth mentioning that you can get discounts, in addition to paying the student price. By becoming a paid student member of Rehab2Performance (a non-profit organization) you can save some mad chedda' on seminars.
Membership is only $90/year for students ($200/yr for clinicians) and has paid for itself multiple times over. The reason we get so many discounts is that R2P is often responsible for bringing seminars to the area, and we get the benefit. The discounts range anywhere from $25-250+/seminar depending on the event. Membership also gets you into the R2P symposium in Littleton, CO in February 2017.
You also get into a network of world class clinicians, which is a super valuable resource.
Closing Thoughts...
School curriculum is only going to get your so far. It is a great system to get you past your board exams, but if you want to be a great clinician it is up to you to go the extra mile. There are no short cuts, but there are certain seminars and outside classes that are going to take you further than others.
Combine a well thought out seminar list with frequent attendance to clubs like R2P and MPI and you will be well on your way towards being a solid clinician.
- Mark
If you ever have any questions about school, living in the US or literally anything else, hit me up.
I also encourage you to check out more about me here. Never hesitate to give me a shout.
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