Amanda Mirise

I work as a home health physical therapist with children ages 0-21 and their families. Implementing medically based physical therapy evaluation and treatment.

Duties and responsibilities included:

• Evaluating patients to determine need for medically necessary physical therapy treatment using appropriate standardized assessments, such as the DAYC2, PEDI-CAT and GMFM.
• Writing up appropriate medical therapy goals.
• Providing direct individualized medically based physical therapy treatment to children with a variety of medical diagnoses.
• Monitoring and re-evaluating progress towards set physical therapy goals.
• Educating family and other caregivers regarding physical therapy based interventions for patients, such as therapeutic exercises, use of therapeutic equipment and bracing.

I worked as a Physical Therapist in Early Intervention with 0-3 year old clients and their families as part of a multidisciplinary team.

My duties and responsibilities included:

• Evaluating children with developmental delays and coming up with appropriate family oriented gross motor goals for their Individual Family Services Plans.
• Providing appropriate physical therapy services, including direct PT services in home and implementing home programs to work towards IFSP goals.

I worked as a Physical Therapist in both early intervention and with school aged children 0-22. I facilitated ongoing parent and school staff education with the provision of activities for the home/school while providing a successful treatment program that includes collaboration with a multidisciplinary team to help each child reach their maximum potential.

Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide individualized physical therapy services to children with disabilities, some of which include cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, spina bifida, torticollis, developmental delay and other neurological, musculoskeletal, and genetic disorders.
• Assess and treat conditions related to genetic, developmental, neurological, and orthopedic disorders.
• Assess clients utilizing standardized assessments (such as the PDMS-2, BOT-2, GMFM, and PEDI-CAT, SFA) and objective tests/measures.
• Interpret evaluation findings to determine areas of strength as well as impairments and areas of need.
• Help Establish goals based on the evaluation findings.
• If direct PT service is indicated, Implement the treatment plan through direct physical therapy sessions including, but not exclusive to range of motion, strength, postural control, transitional skills, balance strategies, coordination, gait, and overall independent functional mobility as well as orthotic and adaptive equipment implementation when necessary.
• Prescribe school/home activity programs and utilizes teacher/staff and parent coaching to continue motor skill training outside of physical therapy sessions.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team including students, school staff and families to implement individualized plans of care to meet the needs of students and their families.
• Participate in individual education program (IEP) and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings.
• Function as a team member and support ongoing professional development through activities such as: mentoring and providing education to students/other professionals.
• Responsible for maintaining current knowledge in changes related to the scope of practice, billing practices, and compliant documentation.

I Worked as part of The California Children's Services (CCS), Medical Therapy Program (MTP) as a Physical Therapist performing advanced and specialized treatments to children from birth to 21 years of age who have neurological, neuromuscular, and/or complex orthopedic conditions. I worked primarily out of the Riverbend Therapy Unit but also at the Porterville MTU site.

Additional responsibilities included:

• Administering comprehensive physical therapy evaluations, treatment and related follow up services and completing detailed written reports.
• Providing physical therapy, including selection and use of assistive medical technology
• Working closely and effectively with the children and their families to promote maximum function and development
• Providing treatment in a center based program
• Participating in Individualized Education Program (IEP) and provides consultation in the home and school settings
• Completing daily comprehensive documentation regarding treatment sessions
• Working collaboratively with other team members to assure that children and their families are provided with appropriate Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and training to maximize the child's function.
• Obtaining medical data through physical therapy evaluation process using appropriate assessment tools
• Developing treatment plans with measurable goals
• Selecting and implementing treatment methods that develop, improve and retain functioning skills
• Creating treatment sessions to maximize patient participation
• Recommending treatment plan alternatives appropriately
• Using of adaptive equipment and orthoses
• Designing and implementing a physical therapy program that best meets the needs of the patient and their family within the context of the environment and community the patient functions within

This was my first experience as a pediatric physical therapist working for California Children's Services. Please see job description for Physical Therapist for CCS at Visalia CA.

• Provided physical therapy evaluation and treatment to patients in the acute hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility settings.
• Provided post surgical physical therapy care to patients status post hip, knee and spine surgeries.
• Provided PT to more geriatric clients in the skilled nursing facilities to help improve their overall strength and functional mobility for discharge home or to long term care.