Podcast
Acute Conversations
We share engaging conversations about acute care physical therapy so you can connect to your profession.
- Episodes
- 68
- Releases
- Every two weeks
- Typical length
- 42 min
- On air since
- 2023
- Latest episode
- 2 weeks ago
Episodes
68 episodes, newest first
-
44 min
Advancing Manual Therapy Mastery for Better Outcomes in Acute Care
Season 4, Episode 13
Show notes
Show Notes:
What manual therapy skills could you bring back into your next acute care session? In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Nicole Neveau welcome Dr. Rebekah Griffith, the ED DPT; Chris White, director of ancillary services at University of Colorado Hospital; and Eric Folmar, an associate clinical professor at Northeastern University.
Together, they explore how foundational manual therapy skills fit into hospital-based physical therapy. Rebekah shares examples from acute care and the emergency department, connecting pain and movement restrictions with the functional tasks patients need to perform. Eric brings an educator’s perspective on applying familiar skills across settings, while Chris discusses teamwork, service delivery and communicating the value of skilled intervention to hospital leaders.
The conversation returns to clinical reasoning: identifying what is limiting a patient, considering why, choosing an appropriate response and involving colleagues when needed. The guests also discuss refreshing skills, sharing knowledge across a team and helping others understand the range of care physical therapists provide.
For acute care PTs, PTAs and students, this episode offers a reason to revisit the skills already in your clinical toolbox—and consider where they belong in your practice. Listen now on Apple or Spotify.
Today’s Guests:
Dr. Rebekah Griffith, the ED DPT
rgriffithdpt@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-griffith-rgthedpt/
Chris White PT, OCS, MBA
Director of Ancillary Services University of Colorado / APTA Colorado Vice President
cdwhite1331@gmail.com
Eric Folmar PT, DPT, OCS
Guest Quotes:
4:45 Rebekah “And one thing that I wanted to appeal to people with this conversation was if you’re a manual therapy specialist, you don’t only have to work in an outpatient clinic, right? There’s so many places for you to use that skill set, that critical thinking, that cyclical decision-making. All of that needs to be in every area that we practice in. And I wanted to remind acute care therapists that you don’t leave your skill set at the door when you clock in, and you don’t put your scrubs on and forget all of those other skills.”
13:14 Rebekah “ …Their thoracic spine mobility is so limited they literally cannot sit up straight. They can’t balance. Their center of gravity is not manageable with the range of motion that they have. Doing some thoracic mobility decreases their pain, improves their lung function, gets their posture upright, improves their balance, and allows them to stand up and start moving.”
17:22 Chris “ So we wanna make sure that we’re doing those high level interventions from a top of scope practice standpoint that gets a patient to the right location. … And then those that need to be admitted, again, if you’re doing this stuff in the ED, and then they go up to the floor and the ED did this great manual technique that helped me,” and you’re not doing it on acute care, those things can extend length of stays as well.”
Hot Take: Rebekah “ My hot take is that physical therapists, especially in acute care, need to stop asking for permission- … and use their skillset.”
Rapid Responses:
Rebecca, do you have a walkout song?
“ Unstoppable by Sia.”
You know you’re working in acute care when…
Chris “ when you hear code browns being hollered over the loudspeaker.”
Eric “ the sounds don’t bother you.”
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care “Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care”
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
46 min
The First Year Shift: Building Confidence in Acute Care Practice
Season 4, Episode 12
Show notes
Show Notes:
What changes when you are no longer the student with a clinical instructor in the room? In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young welcome back Fiona Kearns and Mika Mendoza one year after their first appearance as students. Now practicing in acute care, they offer an honest look at the difference between being prepared and feeling prepared.
Fiona and Mika discuss taking ownership of full caseloads, managing time and priorities, navigating complex discharge needs, and finding their voices within interdisciplinary teams. They also share the hands-on experiences that shaped their growth, from line management, ICU mobility and safe patient handling equipment to vestibular assessment, emergency care and cardiovascular practice.
Throughout the conversation, both clinicians return to the same foundations: protect patient and clinician safety, know the basics, ask questions and keep learning. Their reflections also highlight the value of mentors and colleagues who create room for early-career clinicians to build confidence without pretending to have every answer.
This episode offers practical perspective for students, new graduates, clinical instructors and experienced clinicians supporting the next generation of acute care physical therapists. Listen now on Apple or Spotify.
Today’s Guests:
Mikhaela Mendoza PT, DPT
mikaimendoza21@gmail.com
Fiona Kearns, PT, DPT
fkkearns2000@gmail.com
Guest Quotes:
3:49 Mikhaela “ I just told myself that, I trust in what I know, and if you don’t know, you just ask the questions, that the goal is to never feel like you’re the expert right away. That’s not necessarily the most realistic. It’s to just know when to ask the right questions.”
6:59 Fiona “ When you become your own clinician, you have had all of this feedback, and then you can develop your own treating style based on what you’ve learned from being a student and just feel like you can relax into that a little bit more.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s the most challenging sort of patient that you get to work with in the hospital that pushes your limits the most?
Fiona: “ In terms of my brain limits, it’s definitely our intubated patients. Our… They just, you have to do… There’s so much monitoring, so much stuff that you’re thinking about beyond just them being intubated. Whatever, especially intubated strokes, I feel like those are the patients that they can be so unpredictable.
They can be so impulsive. Sometimes they’re going to pull their lines. You j- just, I feel like I come out of those rooms and I’m sweaty and my head hurts and I have to just stand and stare at the wall for a minute and, like- … pull myself together.”
If you’re on a nursing floor, what’s your go-to snack that you can find in the nurses station?
Mikhaela: “ Usually some sort of donut that they always bring ’cause- … I feel like people are always celebrating something. Or the graham crackers in the drawer. Those are always a staple.”
You know you’re working in acute care when…
Mikhaela: “ You’re outside of work and you hear a random beep and your heart drops.”
Fiona: “ I was gonna say, I feel like I walk into a room and I think about how I can 📍 rearrange it. And then I’m like, “Why would I need to rearrange this room?”
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care “Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care”
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
43 min
DVT Mobility Research: Better Decisions for the Patient
Season 4, Episode 11
Show notes
Show Notes
Should an acute lower-extremity DVT automatically stop mobility when anticoagulation is subtherapeutic? In this episode, Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Nicole Neveau speak with Aubrey Little, PT, DPT, CCS, and Becky Johnson, PT, DPT, PhD, about the clinical question that grew from a quality-improvement project into a case-control study published in the Journal of Acute Care Physical Therapy.
Little and Johnson explain why a single laboratory value or protocol checkpoint cannot replace a comprehensive assessment. They discuss weighing the risks of immobility against potential adverse events while considering clot location, medical acuity, hemodynamic status, medications, laboratory trends, discharge pressures and the patient’s overall trajectory. The conversation also explores the documentation needed to make clinical reasoning visible and the value of bidirectional conversations with the interdisciplinary team.
The study included 30 patients and 60 physical therapy sessions. Its findings do not establish that mobilization at subtherapeutic anticoagulation is universally safe. The researchers emphasize the limitations of a small retrospective sample and their inability to determine whether pulmonary embolism occurred. Instead, the episode offers a thoughtful look at risk stratification, evidence-informed judgment and how clinicians can question automatic holds without abandoning patient safety.
Listen now on Apple or Spotify.
Today’s Guests:
Aubrey Little PT, DPT
aulittle@gmail.com
Becky Johnson PT, DPT, PhD
rjohns1@midwestern.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-johnson-pt-dpt-phd-619244112/
Guest Quotes:
10:07 Aubrey “ I think that’s the intention of this paper is to really think about the patient more holistically as opposed to basing clinical decision-making off of one data point or one factor.”
13:09 Aubrey “ if somebody is working in an outpatient clinic, maybe they just had a knee replacement or a hip replacement and their suspicion for an acute DVT. Does that mean that we are going to, in the moment, suggest this person is fully immobilized, call the ambulance, call the stretcher- … you cannot walk on this limb until you make it to the hospital.”
19:18 Becky “ And so when we look at the adverse events that did occur, in retrospect we’re questioning, was that an adverse event? I think if you were the clinician treating the patient, you would’ve said no. But it did meet our criteria for that.”
Rapid Responses:
Do either one of you guys know what your theme song would be if you got to have a theme song every time you walked into the room at the hospital?
Aubrey:” I would say September by Earth, Wind & Fire just ’cause that song immediately makes me dance.”
Becky: “ Maybe the songs like, Look Who’s, Guess Who’s Back Again. Eminem.
You know you’re an acute care or an ICU provider when…
Aubrey: “You ask yourself, “Is one month too short to buy a new pair of shoes for work?”
Becky: “ When you’ve got at least 8,000 steps by the time you get done with your shift.”
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care “Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care”
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
38 min
Barb Smith on Pioneering Research for Better Acute Care
Season 4, Episode 10
Show notes
What does it take to move acute care physical therapy research from the journal page to the bedside?
In this episode, Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young sit down with Dr. Barbara “Barb” Smith, associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Florida, clinician-scientist with more than 25 years of ICU experience, and recipient of the 2026 APTA Acute Care Lecture Award.
Barb reflects on how acute care research has evolved from a time when PTs often contributed to studies without leading them to a future in which clinicians, educators and scientists shape the questions that matter most. She explains why research in complex hospital environments remains difficult, from varied patient populations and unit cultures to small single-site studies and the long delay between publication and clinical adoption.
The conversation also explores why research should function as a team sport. Barb shares the value of multi-site collaboration, early partnerships with frontline clinicians and hospital leaders, and sustained mentorship for emerging researchers. Drawing on her work in respiratory strength training, she shows how clinically relevant questions can grow into evidence that changes practice.
Listeners will leave with a clearer view of how collaboration, communication and curiosity can strengthen acute care research—and ultimately improve patient care.
Show Notes
Today’s Guests:
Barbara Smith PT, PhD
bksmith@ufl.edu
Guest Quotes:
16:24 “ But we still have some challenges, I think in the area of acute care research. Number one it’s hard to do , right?… And all of that noise can muddle up what might be a very, helpful or clear efficacy signal or rehabilitation signal. “Ah, this works.” But if we have all this other noise, we might not see that treatment effect. And so those are some threats sometimes to designing and developing and implementing research in this setting.”
18:54 “ Scientists, we’re not always the best conversationalists. And so disseminating our message, we use a lot of jargon, we use complicated terms… so there’s a dissemination issue, there’s a consumption issue where where maybe people are getting their information from different resources, and are those resources vetted scientifically?”
27:11 “So this is my pie in the sky dream…I love the fact that this academy is supportive of science and moving our evidence base forward, and have been so supportive of providing some grant funding through the foundation. I would love to pull all that money together and give it in one big project to a bunch of groups of people. And then we do this together.”
Rapid Responses:
When you’re out biking, Barb, how often do alligators come into the conversation?
If you’re from Florida, never. If you’re not from Florida, every time.
You know you’re an acute care or an ICU provider when…
When your weekend and holiday schedule is more complicated than your fantasy football spreadsheet.
Links:
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care “Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care”
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
42 min
Beyond ICU Survival: The Powerful Truth About PICS Recovery
Season 4, Episode 9
Show notes
Show Notes
Caring Beyond the Critical Care Phase
What happens after a patient survives the ICU—but recovery has only begun?
In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Nicole Neveau welcome Dr. Rania Farhat, MD, MSHA, FCCP, an assistant professor of medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and founder and medical director of the SSM/SLUCare Post-ICU Multidisciplinary Clinic. Together, they explore post-intensive care syndrome, or PICS, and why meaningful recovery must extend far beyond ICU discharge.
Dr. Farhat shares how her clinic grew from a once-monthly idea into a multidisciplinary program connecting critical care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy and transitional care. The conversation examines the lasting physical, cognitive and emotional effects of critical illness, as well as the burden carried by families and caregivers.
Listeners will hear how the team uses measures such as six-minute walk distance, grip strength, cognitive screening and quality-of-life assessments to uncover needs patients may not recognize themselves. The group also discusses early mobility, plain-language education, care transitions and the challenge of expanding access when demand far exceeds clinic capacity.
This episode invites acute care clinicians to redefine success beyond extubation or ICU discharge and ask a more patient-centered question: What happens next? Recovery is a journey, and the work begins in the ICU but continues across every setting that follows.
Listen now on Apple or Spotify.
Today’s Guest
Rania Farhat, MD, MSHA, FCCP
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Founder and Medical Director, SSM/SLUCare Post-ICU Multidisciplinary Clinic
Medical Director, Pulmonary Embolism Response Team
Email: rania.farhat@slucare.ssmhealth.com
LinkedIn: Rania Farhat, MD, FCCP
Guest Quotes
Timestamps are approximate. Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.
8:00 — Dr. Farhat: “This is more of a recovery clinic than just, ‘Oh, ICU.’ This is about recovery. It’s a journey. It’s not one time only.”
10:00 — Dr. Farhat: “The transition and the recovery is a very long process. I make sure to mention that to patients and their families, because expectations matter.”
17:00 — Dr. Farhat: “I’m trying to connect the dots in your brain. I want them to understand what actually happened to them.”
24:00 — Dr. Farhat: “The perceived physical tolerance for patients is completely different from what they actually can and cannot do.”
35:00 — Dr. Farhat: “Anything that actually impacts patients’ lives and this long journey of recovery, I’m there for it.”
Rapid Responses
• Favorite type of weather: Summer
• Shoes for the acute care floors: Running shoes—Brooks or New Balance
• Least favorite high school class: History
• Another possible profession: Engineering, to fit in with her family of engineers
• Favorite board game: Chess
• Movie she can recite: A Walk to Remember
• Favorite word in another language: “Alhamdulillah” in Arabic
• Favorite meal after a long day: Lebanese food
• You know you’re an acute care or ICU provider when: “I comment on every scene in a medical show.”Episode Links
Critical and Acute Illness Recovery Organization
CAIRO Post-ICU Clinic Collaborative Directory
Connect With Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles
Pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS
Email: largue2@uic.edu
X: @LeoArguellesPTNicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
Email: ngunder1@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Nicole NeveauDanny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
Email: daniel.young@unlv.edu
X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.socialListen and Subscribe
Or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
#AcuteCare #PostICUSyndrome #ICURecovery #PhysicalTherapy
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care
Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care
Aspire and Achieve Mentorship Program
Facebook: APTA Acute Care
Instagram: @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube: APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
52 min
Together Isn’t Always Better: The Meaningful Shift in Co-Treatment
Season 4, Episode 8
Show notes
Show Notes
When does teamwork strengthen patient care—and when can it unintentionally limit it?
In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young welcome Haley Bento, PT, DPT, CCS; Harley Kvenvold, occupational therapist; Dr. Kathryn Brito, PT, DPT, CCS; and Brian Hull, PT, DPT, MBA, BCHE, to revisit PT and OT co-treatment in acute care. Building on a previous listener-favorite episode and their newly published clinical perspective, the panel examines why routine co-treatment remains common and how clinicians can move toward more intentional, patient-specific decision-making.
The conversation explores how co-treatment can affect therapy intensity, access to care and professional identity—particularly when occupational therapy is reduced to an extra set of hands rather than recognized for its distinct expertise. The guests also address the real-world factors that shape practice, including clinician confidence, limited support staff, productivity pressures, discharge demands and hospital culture.
Listeners will hear practical strategies for distinguishing a true need for two skilled disciplines from a need for brief physical assistance, strengthening ICU competency and mentorship, documenting clinical reasoning, and reassessing the need for co-treatment during every session.
The goal is not to eliminate co-treatment or shame clinicians who use it. It is to create a meaningful shift toward thoughtful collaboration that protects each profession’s unique value and better serves patients.
Today’s Guests:
Haley Bento PT, DPT, CCS
Haley.bento@utah.edu
IG: @utahcardioptresidency; @utahacuteptresidency
Brian Hull PT, DPT, MBA, BCHE
brian.hull@bswhealth.org
http://www.linkedin.com/in/BrianHulldptmba
Harley Kvenvold, OT
harley.kvenvold@utah.edu
http://www.linkedin.com/in/harley-kvenvold-4309211a9
Kathryn Brito PT, DPT, CCS
IG: @kathrynbrito
kathryn.brito@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-brito-pt-dpt-ccs-69135993/
Guest Quotes:
5:53 Katie “ Putting out this article was important to start those conversations, and I think so far we’ve been pretty successful with that because there really was nothing in the literature talking about co-treatment between OT and PT in the acute care setting.”
15:22 Harley “ I think the main issue is the kind of diluting what an occupational therapist can do for a patient, particularly in an acute setting.”
17:53 Haley “ There are plenty of times where I need help. That does not mean I need an occupational therapist. They’re not my helper, right? So really trying to differentiate I need help versus I need an occupational therapist- and their specific skills in this scenario.”
22:28 Brian “ The one thing that, that we do is we ask people to try to limit co-treats or co-evals to about eight per month, so a couple per week…and really think through when is it actually beneficial for the patient to have only one treatment for that day that combines the expertise, that does not risk it of being, of homogenizing The expertise of PT and OT that can somehow preserve it both.”
43:27 Katie “ The point of this perspective piece and this episode is to start a conversation and allow people to reflect and really critically think through why they’re doing things in order to benefit the patient or optimize what we’re doing for the patient. I don’t want people to listen to this episode and walk away from this thinking, “Oh, I’m not a good acute care therapist because I do X, Y, and Z.” That’s not the point… don’t come down on yourself, but take away from this paper and this episode an opportunity to reflect on your practice and try to make small s- to even take small steps of asking and having those conversations with your colleagues.”
Rapid Responses:
Haley, what’s the best thing about living in Salt Lake City?
Ooh, the best thing about living in Salt Lake is the mountain access. People in other parts of the country like to say that they’re close to the mountains, but I can literally run or bike from my house and be on some world-class trails. So that’s the best part is the trail access.
Harley, name a movie that you could quote endlessly.
The Princess Diaries.
You know you’re an acute care therapist when…
Katie- “Fridays are your least favorite day of the week- … ’cause it’s discharge day.”
Brian- “ I’d say when you’re familiar with cortisol, and plenty of it, nonstop.”
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care “Optimizing Recovery, Elevating Care”
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
Live from Bridge the Gap 2026
Show notes
Show Notes
Bridge the Gap 2026 brought the acute care community together in Chicago for three days of practical learning, fresh ideas and the kind of conversations that continue long after the final session. In this special episode, host Dr. Leo Arguelles moves through the conference floor with co-host Dr. Nicole Neveau, speaking with presenters, attendees and organizers about what they are taking back to practice.
The conversations span creative solutions to some of acute care’s most persistent challenges. Adam Bridwell describes a three-to-one clinical education model designed to expand placement capacity while supporting clinicians. Grant Bitzer explains how a learning health system can help turn a bedside question into quality improvement, research and sustainable change. Other guests explore post-intensive care syndrome, clearer discharge communication, simulation-based teaching, functional neurologic disorder and the growing role of physical therapists in emergency departments.
Just as important, the episode captures the energy behind the work: interprofessional collaboration, mentorship and a community eager to share what is working. With 157 attendees, 24 posters and a record number of educational submissions, Bridge the Gap continues to grow while protecting the connection and exchange that make it distinctive.
Today’s Guests: Multiple attendees at 2026 Bridge the Gap Conference
Guest Quotes:
18:31 Ashley “ What we came up with originally, and Dawn will probably laugh, it’s a massive- massive document. It was a textbook. And we were like- … “Yeah, we gotta shave this down and make it like a guide people can actually use in clinic practice.”
Links:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/BridgeTheGap2026Conference
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
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37 min
Pediatric Vital Signs: Development of a New, Valuable Resource
Season 4, Episode 6
Show notes
Show Notes
Pediatric vital signs are more than numbers on a monitor — they are part of a larger clinical picture that includes development, physiology, behavior, medical complexity and careful observation.
In this episode of Acute Conversations, host Dr. Leo Arguelles is joined by Ashley Parish, PT, DPT, PhD, CRT, CCS, and Dawn Drumm, PT, DHSc, two contributors to the new Pediatric Vital Signs Guide. Together, they discuss how the resource came to life, why collaboration across APTA Acute Care, the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy, and pediatric clinicians was essential, and how the guide can support therapists across settings.
Ashley and Dawn share the challenges of building a practical document from variable pediatric references, the importance of using the guide alongside clinical reasoning, and why pediatric knowledge matters even for therapists who primarily treat adults. From infants in the NICU to adults living with congenital conditions, this episode highlights the need to think across the lifespan.
Today’s Guests:
Dawn Drumm PT, DHSc
ddrumm@luriechildrens.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-drumm-b141b455/
IG: drummdawn
Ashley Parish PT, DPT, PhD, CRT, CCS
ashbrown@uab.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-parish-pt-dpt-phd-crt-ccs-b98b60273/
IG: ashleyparish_pt
Guest Quotes:
18:31 Ashley “ What we came up with originally, and Dawn will probably laugh, it’s a massive- massive document. It was a textbook. And we were like- … “Yeah, we gotta shave this down and make it like a guide people can actually use in clinic practice.”
21:05 Dawn “First look at the document, it’s a great overview of just the lifespan within a pediatric lens. And so honing in on those first few areas of content, it just gives you kind of basics. Heart rate through the lifespan, your, respiratory rate… I think that beginning section is really important to highlight so that way you’re getting your foundational guidance that way.”
28:51 Ashley “ If you specifically wanna go into acute care peds, sometimes it’s difficult to find a job because there aren’t as many pediatric hospitals as there are adult hospitals, so just hang in there if it’s really hard for you to get on at first. Get experience in acute care. That always looks really good if you go from an adult hospital to a pediatric hospital. But those jobs do open up, so just be patient if you can’t find one right out of school ’cause no one likes to leave pediatric acute care. It’s the best setting.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s your favorite color scrubs to wear while you’re at work?
Ashley “ Oh, since I’m a peds therapist, it’s always fun, bright colors. I would say Barney purple is my favorite set. Barney purple.”
Dawn “ Okay. So sadly, we don’t actually have to wear scrubs at work. Oh, wow … and we don’t have a color. But I feel like physical therapy was always blue. We always were like- … blue at county, Going with my basic blue.”
You know you’re an acute care therapist when…
Ashley “You have a distain for purewicks.”
Dawn “ You’ve have changed more diapers than you would probably like. Yes. So getting down- In both adult and pediatrics, right? Both. Oh, yes … you can’t get away without poop talk.”
Links:
Pediatric Vital Sign Interpretation in Acute Care Guide 2025https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/24/7681/xml
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
43 min
More than just a PTA: A New Passionate Why
Season 4, Episode 5
Show notes
Episode Description:
What happens when burnout becomes a turning point instead of an exit?
In this episode of Acute Conversations, Abby Catamas joins co-host Nicole Neveau and host Leo Arguelles for a candid and energizing conversation about identity, advocacy, and growth as a physical therapist assistant in acute care.
Abby shares the pivotal moment when she nearly stepped away from the profession—and how stepping into leadership as PTA Member at Large helped her rediscover purpose. Together, they unpack what it means to practice at the top of your license, the evolving role of PTAs in high-acuity environments like the ICU, and why representation and voice matter now more than ever.
This episode also dives into the Advanced Proficiency Pathway for PTAs, highlighting opportunities for clinical growth, recognition, and long-term career development. From navigating interprofessional dynamics to building trust within PT/PTA partnerships, Abby offers a grounded perspective shaped by real bedside experience.
If you’ve ever questioned your “why,” this conversation is a reminder that it can evolve—and that growth often starts with using your voice.
Today’s Guests:
Abby Catamas, PTA
APTA Acute Care PTA Member At Large
johnsonabby96@gmail.com
IG: @rose17abby
Guest Quotes:
6:55 “ I think my best advice is just. You don’t have to give up your initial why, but maybe try to find a different why. It’s part of growth. It’s part of developing in your career too.”
25:46 “ Archana and I presented on APTA conference actually about like improving PT-PTA collaboration for like bi-directional mentorship and Partnership for improved patient outcomes. It all comes down to communication too. If I never communicate with my PT about what’s going on or questions I may have, how is my supervising PT on that floor? Going to feel comfortable that I’m doing an adequate chart review or that I know what I’m doing with my patient if I never update them with how a patient’s doing.”
30:32 “ She’s even though we supervise the PTAs, we are not like, you’re not above or below anybody. We’re supposed to work together. And that is the truest that is the truest statement I’ve heard as far as our profession is concerned, especially in acute care.”
Rapid Responses:
Give us another podcast that you would recommend for our listeners to listen to.
“Morning Cup of Murder: It’s this day in history of what happened in the past of like different unsolved mysteries.”
You know you’re an acute care therapist when…
“Your closet is primarily scrubs.”
Links:
https://academy.aptaacutecare.org/products/2025-09-29-more-than-just-a-pta🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
40 min
Breakthrough Insights Live at CSM: Inspiring Growth in Acute Care
Season 4, Episode 4
Show notes
Show Notes
What does acute care physical therapy look like when you step outside your hospital and into a national conversation?
In this special solo-hosted episode, Dr. Leo Arguelles takes listeners on the floor at APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), capturing real-time conversations with clinicians, leaders, and innovators across the profession. Through a series of candid, unscripted exchanges, this episode highlights the energy, ideas, and evolving perspectives shaping acute care today.
From discussions on professional identity and clinical growth to reflections on where acute care fits within the broader rehabilitation landscape, a common thread emerges: connection drives progress. These conversations reveal how clinicians are thinking differently about their roles, advocating for their patients, and pushing practice forward in meaningful ways.
Rather than focusing on a single topic, this episode offers a mosaic of insights—each voice adding depth to the bigger picture of acute care practice in 2026.
Whether you attended CSM or not, this episode brings the experience to you—capturing the momentum, curiosity, and shared purpose that define our profession.
Today’s Guests:
Numerous CSM 2026 Attendees
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
38 min
Preparing for CSM 2026: Inspiring Growth in Acute Care
Show notes
Show Notes
As APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting heads to Anaheim, this special episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how acute care programming comes together — and how clinicians can prepare with purpose. Co-hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Nicole Neveau are joined by James Crick, PT, DPT, PhD, and Jean Woolford, PT, DPT, co-chairs of acute care programming for CSM, to discuss session planning, emerging themes, and practical tips for navigating the conference and making meaningful professional connections.
Today’s Guests:
Enjeen Wolford, PTA
enjeen@gmail.com
James P. Crick, Jr., PT, DPT, PhD
jamescrickdpt@gmail.com
Co-Chairs, CSM Education Programming, APTA Acute Care
Guest Quotes:
5:28 “ Our big goal is to cultivate and bring up the new speakers and the people that have never spoken in a conference before. That’s our big push…”
8:49 “ This is the place to network and to connect. That is the most important and valuable thing that I would give anybody who’s new or newer to attending CSM.”
27:46 “ So comfortable shoes are definite must!”
27:50 “I’ll remember the first time I ever went to CSM I walked in and I couldn’t believe the masses of people that were crossing the street and walking around, and they were all PTs or PTAs, all of them.
They just took over the city. The whole city was taken over and it’s a lot, but it’s so energetic. It’s so much fun and there’s so many great things you can get there.”
Rapid Responses:
If you had to go to work at Disneyland as a Disney character for the day, which character would you pick?
James: “ I’ll go with Aladdin. I actually have one of my first jobs in acute care in Naples, Florida. Shout out Naples Community Hospital. They I had a nurse who said. Did you know that your hair looks like Aladdin? Me? A lot of always will be Aladdin from here on out.”
Enjeen: Goofy
You know you work in acute care when…
Enjeen: “When you have to go look for your nurse on the floor before you see a patient.”
James: “So it’s standing at the bedside first time in a long time and they get to embrace for, physically for the first time in a long time. The therapeutic hug.”
Links:
Acute Care CSM 2026 Programming: https://apta.confex.com/apta/csm2026/meetingapp.cgi/Subject/220
APTA CSM Event App: https://csm.apta.org/programming/csm-events-app
APTA CSM Proposal and Abstract Submissions: https://csm.apta.org/programming/csm-submissions
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
44 min
Building Better Decisions: How PT-PENCIL Shapes Acute Care
Season 4, Episode 2
Show notes
Show Notes:
How do physical therapists decide who needs therapy today—and how often—when resources are limited and patient needs change by the hour?
In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Leo Arguelles and Daniel Young sit down with Joshua Johnson, Sandra Passek, and Brittany Lapin to unpack the development and validation of PT-PENCIL, a clinical decision support tool designed to help acute care PTs prioritize care using real-world data.
The conversation goes beyond algorithms. The guests walk through how a multidisciplinary learning community shaped PT-PENCIL, why documentation quality matters more than we think, and how predictive models can support—rather than replace—clinical judgment. They also tackle the realities of “it depends,” workflow integration, and why identifying patients on the fence may be where therapy makes the biggest impact.
This episode is a must-listen for clinicians, educators, and leaders navigating triage, staffing, and value-based care in today’s hospitals.
Today’s Guests:
Joshua Johnson PT, DPT, PhD
joshua.johnson@duke.edu
Sandra Passek PT, DPT, Rehabilitation Manager Clinical Informatics at Cleveland Clinic
Brittany Lapin PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics
lapinb@ccf.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-lapin-004710b/
Guest Quotes:
7:44 “ I can’t help therapists set a frequency at the outset of a patient’s hospitalization. The best thing we could do and what we felt like really was the most appropriate thing to do was help therapists recognize which patients they needed to see the next day.”
20:43 “really what we found is that everybody benefits from PT. And so that ended up having a lot of discussions with the learning community about how do we then flag patients based on like clinically driven decisions rather than just the statistical model?”
32:27 “ So while we said a lot about helping individual clinicians make decisions about triage. I also think that there’s an opportunity here for managers and leaders to think through, how can I do something like that to support the clinicians that work for me.”
Rapid Responses:
What patient population do you enjoy thinking about or working with the most?
Brittany: “ As a statistician, I like surgical patients the most because there’s a date, there’s a pre and there’s a post.”
Sandi “I like the geriatric population. It doesn’t matter what it is. I think there’s just a lot to learn from them.”
Josh “ When I see patients I’m usually on our neurological floor and I really enjoy that. But I’ll admit a bias that I’ve, this little bit of time that I’ve spent in cardiovascular ICUs have been absolutely fascinating. And if I were to do full-time clinical care, I’d want to get trained to really take care of that population.”
You know you work in acute care when…
Josh “ Your treatment plan changes three times before you make it from the doorway to the edge of the bed.”
Sandi “Things change all the time in acute care. You just have to be ready for it. You have to be resilient and just move with it.”
Brittany “ 📍 Lots of sensitivity analysis with your/any studies.”
Links:
https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/105/9/pzaf093/8198102?redirectedFrom=fulltext
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
46 min
Reigniting the Spark: A Breakthrough Approach to Acute Care Burnout
Season 4, Episode 1
Show notes
Show Notes S4E1
Burnout isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a lived experience for many clinicians working in hospital settings. In the Season 4 premiere of Acute Conversations, co-hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Danny Young are joined by Kelly Murphy, PT, DPT; Maria Tucker, PT, DPT; and Laura Cataldo, MOT, OT to unpack what burnout really looks like in acute care — and what can actually be done about it.
Drawing from their published work in the Journal of Acute Care Physical Therapy and their experience leading a departmental burnout initiative at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the guests break down how burnout is defined, how it can be measured, and why it so often goes unrecognized until clinicians are already depleted. They explore the core components of burnout — emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment — and why acute care environments uniquely intensify each one.
The conversation goes beyond awareness to action, highlighting both individual strategies and system-level interventions that can help clinicians reconnect with purpose while still navigating high-acuity, high-demand settings. From grounding techniques that work mid-shift to organizational changes that foster transparency, recognition, and trust, this episode offers a practical and hopeful framework for clinicians who want to keep showing up — without losing themselves in the process.
Today’s Guests:
Kelly Murphy PT, DPT
kamurphy0615@gmail.com
Maria Tucker PT, DPT
mtucker4@bidmc.harvard.edu
Laura Cataldo MOT, OT
lecataldoqu@gmail.com
Guest Quotes:
11:14 Laura “ …in our research, it, burnout is not something that can be fixed by doing individual interventions alone. And in a setting such as a hospital, or other large organizations, you really have to focus on organizational changes as well to have an effect on burnout.”
26:21 Maria “… another like self-reflection piece is like, yeah, we’re burnt out, but also our managers and leadership and everybody, like they’re burnt out as well.
… but realizing and saying, they can be burnt out and they are burnt out and we’re just experiencing a different area of burnout or a reason for burnout. But at the end of the day, we all have the same like kind of feelings.”
32:05 Kelly “ I think it just brought general awareness to how good it feels to remind our staff. Shout each other out or thank someone for their help thing. And then, gosh, I still, to this day, every day on my commute home on the train there’s one intervention that we talk about in here. Three good things. I still do that every day on the way home because I’m like, you know what? Even if this was the worst day ever and my patients. Really had a hard day all day. I can still choose three good things, even if it’s not patient care related.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s your best stress relief activity on the weekends when you’re not working?
Ski and golf. Oh, we’re all answering…I like going for a walk with my dog.
You know you work in acute care when…
Laura “When your knee deep in bodily fluids”
Maria “ When you have determined both your worst and best outcome for every single patient before you enter the room.”
Kelly “ When you come down to lunch and different scrubs and you start out the day in… Or if you’re throwing away your sneakers, like it’s beyond just a bleach wipe.”Links:
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
26 min
The Specialization Shift: Inspiring Growth in Acute Care Practice
Season 3, Episode 17
Show notes
Show Notes
Specialization can shape a therapist’s confidence, identity, and long-term trajectory — but the pathways to get there aren’t always clear. In this episode of Acute Conversations, co-hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Nicole Neveau sit down with Dr. Leslie Ayres, Rajashree Mondkar, and Dr. Terry Schwing to explore what it really takes to pursue the Cardiovascular & Pulmonary (CCS) specialty.
Together, they unpack three very different journeys: the traditional pathway, residency-based training, and fellowship experience. Leslie reflects on how a single listserv email led her to a CVP residency five years into practice. Rajashree shares what it meant to become one of the first CCS clinicians in Texas back in 1994. Terry explains how fellowship training and outcomes research shaped his voice in ICU mobility and cardiopulmonary care.
Across their stories, one message stands out: there is no single “right” pathway — but there is always a spark. Listeners will hear candid reflections on mentorship, research expectations, clinical identity, and how specialization deepens bedside reasoning across acute care settings.
Whether you’re a student curious about your future or a clinician considering your next step, this conversation offers clarity, inspiration, and practical insight into navigating the specialization journey.
Today’s Guests:
Leslie Ayers PT, DPT, EdD, CCS
leslie.ayres@unthsc.edu
Rajashree Mondkar PT, MSPT, CCS
MondkarR@gmail.com
Terry Schwing PT, DPT CCS
Guest Quotes:
6:47 Leslie “ And that’s really what inspired me was just, I was thinking, I want to know more about these patients. I wanna get better at treating these patients. I wanna be an expert at this.”
17:34 Terry “ I think specialization really gives you an opportunity to delve deep into what you’re interested in and learn probably a lot more than you maybe thought you would need to know or I topics outside of maybe what your niche current interest is in. And it opens up your world as to all the different things that physical therapy is able to provide for patients.”
20:07 Rajashree “ I think they students, definitely very important because even if you’re not ready to do specialization, as soon as you are out, because you need few years of experience, you need to find where you are passionate about. You can see that even if there, there are many places, maybe the residencies are not available for cardiopulmonary, but you can reach out… You can find mentoring, mentorship, you can find avenues how to get there. And people are, I think people are eager to always guide others. To get to where you are. And that’s how our profession grows.”
Rapid Responses:
How fast do you think you could run a hundred meters pushing a crash cart?
Leslie “ So my rule for running is to finish in the upright position, but you don’t have to be first. So as long as you get there cart intact, it doesn’t matter how long it takes.”
Rajashree “ And my goal is to get there and not that crash cart meeting for me.”
Terry “ Yeah. I don’t know. I feel like a lot of the crash carts sometimes have rickety wheels, so I might just be trying to get it there as well. And just not falling and tipping the whole cart with me.”
You know you work in acute care when…
Leslie “ when you spent 30 minutes with a patient just to go to the restroom and their question is. That’s all we’re doing today.”
Rajashree “when you are untangling lines and wiping somebody’s bumps. I did not know in PT school when I went that I’ll be. “
Terry “ I guess I might say you’re an acute therapist and I always think about whenever I’m watching like TV shows or something like that and I see like someone intubated or an eek g on the screen and things like that. And I’m like, I’m always like, okay, is that the appropriate rhythm or intubation like method for like for this patient at that time? And I’m always like they did okay.”
Links:
Connect with our host and the podcast!
Leo Arguelles (LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
largue2@uic.edu
Twitter @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau
ngunder1@gmail.com
Danny Young
daniel.young@unlv.edu
X – @DLYoungDPTPhD
Bluesky – @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
36 min
Measuring What Matters: A New Path for Acute Care Practice
Season 3, Episode 15
Show notes
How do we measure what truly matters in acute care — and why does it finally feel possible to do it well?
In this week’s episode, co-hosts Dr. Nicole Neveau and Dr. Leo Arguelles sit down with Dr. Caitlyn Crandall and Dr. Lindsey Fresenko, two contributors to the new clinical practice guideline, “A Core Set of Outcome Measures to Assess Physical Function for Adults Participating in Physical Therapist Treatment in the Hospital.” Together, they unpack how this Core Outcome Measures (COMs) Set was built, what makes each measure clinically feasible, and how the guideline is already reshaping evaluation, communication, and discharge planning across hospital-based physical therapy.
Caitlyn and Lindsey share what surprised them during development, how psychometric rigor and real-world feasibility shaped the final set, and why standardized measurement doesn’t replace clinical reasoning — it strengthens it. They also preview their upcoming APTA Acute Care webinar and reflect on how a shared measurement language can help clinicians advocate for staffing, demonstrate value, and elevate patient care.
Whether you’re an ICU therapist, med-surg clinician, educator, or student, this conversation offers a clearer, more confident path for integrating outcome measures in acute care.
Today’s Guests:
Dr. Caitlyn Crandall, PT, DPT, CCS, RYT
Email: caitlyn.crandall@unchealth.unc.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlyn-crandall-dpt
Instagram: @CaitlynCrandall
Dr. Lindsey Fresenko, PT, DPT, PhD
Email: lindsey.fresenko@utoledo.edu
Publications:
• PTJ CPG: https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/105/6/pzaf076/8140951
• CC&E Journal: https://journals.lww.com/ccejournal/fulltext/2024/12000/rehabilitation_and_social_determinants_of_health.8.aspx
Guest Quotes:
Caitlyn:
“These outcome measures aren’t meant to replace clinical decision-making — they’re meant to support it.”
Lindsey:
“The importance of having an evidence-based core outcome measure set is now utilizing it in practice.”
Caitlyn:
“Parts of these outcome measures are already what we’re doing. The COMs help organize and standardize it.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s the dumbest way you’ve injured yourself?
• Caitlyn: “I fell off my horse — he stopped, I kept going.”
• Lindsey: “I stepped on my own pinky toe in middle school and broke it.”
You know you work in acute care when…
• Caitlyn: “You’ve led a parade down the hallway with ECMO, an IABP, and half the team following behind.”
• Lindsey: “Carrying socks in your pocket is an everyday thing.”
Links:
A Core Set of Outcome Measures to Assess Physical Function for Adults Participating in Physical Therapist Treatment in the Hospital- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40403754/
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
-
53 min
From Bedside to Breakthrough: Redefining Critical Care Mobility
Season 3, Episode 15
Show notes
Show Notes:
What does it take to move ICU rehab forward — and who’s leading the charge?
In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young sit down with Dr. Monica Silva Damasceno (MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Dr. Vinh Tran (University of New Mexico) — two clinicians who shared the stage at CSM’s ICU Rehab panel alongside Dale Needham, Jen Ryan, and Chris Wells.
Together, they unpack what’s changing in critical care physical therapy — from dismantling barriers and writing mobility into unit culture, to building true interprofessional collaboration that lasts beyond a single champion.
Monica shares her journey from Brazil to Houston Methodist’s Critical Care Fellowship, and how mentorship shaped her vision for ICU practice. Vinh reflects on his path from cardiac medicine to academia, bridging implementation science with bedside experience.
The conversation highlights the power of structure, communication, and persistence in advancing early mobility — especially in smaller hospitals where “doing more with less” is a daily reality.
Today’s Guests:
Monica Damasceno PT, DPT, CCS
monicasdapt@gmail.com
http://linkedin.com/in/monica-silva-damasceno-pt-dpt-ccs-03989965
Vihn Tran PT, DPT, PhD, CCS
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinh-tran-169015200/
Guest Quotes:
15:25 Vihn “ I agree in the shorter duration just because by necessity, if they’re in the ICU, they’re medically unstable, right? So you’re limited on how aggressive you can be, although I do think we can be more aggressive than the average person thinks. So yeah, I think that seems reasonable to, to shorter sessions, but perhaps more frequently. With a caveat that there is potential out there to do longer sessions in certain really niche or precise circumstances.”
20:24 Advice for those therapists that working like the smaller kind of rural community hospitals that wanna kind of make a dent and or wanna start implementing more ICU rehab?
Vihn “ ..really, it’s not just a PT or rehab driven process, right. Like we in rehab can just flick a switch and all of a sudden this happens. It requires an extensive amount of collaboration between providers, nurses, techs, your own staff, your equipment managers. Everyone needs to be on board with what the overall aim is. So in order to really get the ball rolling first to me, like identify champions in, in allied communities. So whether it’s a nursing manager that potentially sees the value in early mobility, perhaps it’s a Mutually beneficial relationship where we can provide higher quality therapy or an earlier timeframe. At the same time, we can relieve some of the mobility tasks that nursing might have to do or help them do it in a more safe aspect.”
Monica “ ..having an agreement with your team and having the the champions. One from or multiple people from different groups, a doctor, nurses, and then have a plan of what you see for your unit in the future with this, those people, and create your practices like every day. Cultivating that practice of mobility and encouraging and helping each other.”
29:06 Monica “ one of the strategies to try to encourage more mobility is asking. What is the mobility plan during the rounds? Any rounds you have to have an answer. Then, then you think about mobility.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Monica: “it is Mariah Carey. It’s song Mariah Carey. Always Mariah Carey. Yeah. Any song that I can find? Mariah Carey. Which is the hardest to sing. Can you imagine talking about the scales there?
Vihn: I’m from St. Louis and I love Nelly, so I just gotta go with Nelly.”
You know you work in acute care when…
Vihn: “ When you don’t care what you’re wearing in the work or how you look, I should say that way.”
Monica: “ The scrubs have extra scrubs, I would say and all. And also having the safety pins in your pocket to secure the lines.”
Links:
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6275-4362
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
-
39 min
Breaking Boundaries: How Acute Care PTs Are Shaping a New Specialty
Season 3, Episode 14
Show notes
Show Notes
Acute care physical therapists have long known that their work is different—fast-paced, data-driven, and grounded in collaboration at the highest level of care. Now, that difference is finally being recognized.
In this episode of Acute Conversations, Dr. Jennifer Ryan joins hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young to share an inside look at the ongoing effort to establish Acute Care as a board-certified specialty through ABPTS. Jen traces the movement’s roots from the early 2000s to today’s evidence-rich, residency-supported landscape and explains what the next steps mean for clinicians at the bedside.
From lessons learned through years of research and advocacy to the evolving role of interprofessional collaboration, this conversation highlights the depth and expertise of hospital-based PT practice. Whether you’re a new grad or a seasoned clinician, this episode will leave you inspired to see acute care not just as a setting—but as a specialty built on purpose, complexity, and professional pride.
Today’s Guests:
Jennifer Ryan PT, DPT, MS
APTA Acute Care Vice president and Project Coordinator of the Petition for Specialization
jennifer-ryan@northwestern.edu
Guest Quotes:
10:31 “ when I hear colleagues say like, acute care is a specialty, really? It tells me that I need to help them understand what we do.”
24:01 “…in this whole specialty assessment, in this really long survey you had to have a understanding of physiology and a pathophysiology of every body system. You have to have a keen awareness of not necessarily. Everything memorized, right? But a keen awareness of your level of awareness of those and your need to seek out more resources, or you need to confirm information you know, and then all the clinical sciences, all the laboratory values, all the imaging, all the pieces like that.”
26:14 “So now we’re in the perfecting phase one phase. And so demand is one of the categories and need is one of the categories. Demand is how many PTs will. Want to sit for specialization and the turnaround time and all that…The need piece is like. Why do you need PTs to work function at this level? Is someone else taking care of it?”
Rapid Responses:
Now you’ve lived in Chicago your whole life, but if you weren’t in the city, where would you go for fun?
“Well, I live in the burbs. I work in the city. That’s been 99% of my experience. I’m never gonna live more than a half a tank of gas from Mount Prospect, Illinois. That’s, and where would I go for fun? I totally love being in my garden. I was picked, I picked about 40 things outta my garden, brought ’em to work today. I, yeah, fun. Fun is like where my family is. My dogs are all that kind of thing.”
You know you work in acute care when…
“ You know you’re working at acute care when it’s. No big deal to stand in the bathroom with a complete stranger. “
Links:
https://specialization.apta.org/for-specialists/volunteer/specialization-academy-of-content-experts
https://academy.aptaacutecare.org/
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
46 min
Cultivating Growth and Purpose With New Co-Host Nicole Neveau
Season 3, Episode 13
Show notes
Show Notes
In this episode of Acute Conversations, we welcome Dr. Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS — Director of Rehabilitation Services at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital and our newest co-host.
Nicole shares her path into acute care, from unfolding paper charts as a new grad to leading a team of more than 100 therapists. She reflects on lessons learned in trauma and neuro ICUs, the importance of mentorship, and why she sees therapists as consultants who guide recovery through evidence, collaboration, and patient stories.
Alongside host Dr. Leo Arguelles, Nicole also previews the upcoming 2026 Bridge the Gap Conference in Chicago and what it means for connecting research with practice.
Today’s Guests:
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Guest Quotes:
14:35 “ In acute care, it’s about the story. Of where that patient is right now and about that risk adjustment of what? As a physical therapist, I need to dose intervention to maximize their recovery without increasing their risk of harm at the point where they are the most critically ill.”
28:28 “ We have to be more precise about how we apply our services and, and be a consulting service… it also means that as clinicians we’re making decisions that frontline are making decisions with their caseload every day. Yeah. It’s not a simple, here’s your list of six people that you’re gonna go see. Don’t stop until you see all of ’em. Mm-hmm. It’s much more like, what do your people on this list need to maximize their recovery to help with their discharge planning and how are you going to let your day unfold?”
Rapid Responses:
What snack best represents you?
“Oh, just all the time. I don’t even know that there needs to be one. I am a snacker. I love Chips or cookies or you know what, I, I love coffee, so I drink a lot of coffee, so that might be, I, if I had to pick one snack forever, it would be Coffee with a lot of cream and sugar in it.”
You know you work in acute care when…
“ when you have scratched your patient’s back for the first time and they just start melting and saying, oh my gosh, no one’s done. You know, I’ve been on my back in this bed. So that’s, it’s it. The little things, it build thing. You build a relationship.”
Links:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/bridgethegap
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
43 min
Unlock Your Passion For Change With New Co-Host Danny Young
Season 3, Episode 12
Show notes
Show Notes
What inspires someone to change the course of their career — and, ultimately, their profession? In this episode of Acute Conversations, we introduce our newest co-host, Dr. Daniel (Danny) Young, PT, DPT, PhD. Danny shares the moment a chance encounter sparked his passion for physical therapy, his early experiences pioneering ICU mobility at Creighton, and his transition into academia at UNLV.
Alongside host Dr. Leo Arguelles, Danny reflects on the role of mentorship, the challenge of building confidence in new clinicians, and why generating stronger evidence is essential for advancing acute care practice. From personal stories to research insights, Danny brings both candor and vision to his new role on the podcast team.
Today’s Guests:
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
Guest Quotes:
11:28: “…the lack of confidence is a reflection most often of just some. Some humility that the students have. And so I try to reassure students that it’s a good thing that they feel a little bit hesitant and unsure of themselves. That it’s a recognition of the things that they don’t know. So I, I just first want to acknowledge that not feeling confident is okay. Yeah. And is actually something that’s probably reflects some good attributes.”
15:40: “ One of the things that fairly quickly started to really bother me was the debates that I would have with nurses or physicians… I’ve received such opposition for so many patients about early intervention. That I, I went and did a literature search, you know, because I didn’t get any training in school about early intervention. Like I said, it wasn’t a common part of practice then. Right. And. So I do a literature search and I find nothing, there was no evidence. Now there was evidence that bedrest was bad, right? Right. So we had evidence that staying in bed was a problem. What we didn’t have was evidence that it was safe or helpful to start mobilizing those people earlier. And most of the physicians and nurses at that time just assumed that there’s no way around the negative effects of bedrest for these people who are really sick. There’s no evidence to inform these decisions that I have to make every day. And that’s gotta change. And. Why am I not the person to try and answer those questions?”
35:26: “ I think we’ve got to have better evidence and I’m. I’m committed to trying to help to create it.”
Rapid Responses:
What’s your most favorite way to exercise, Danny?
“ I commute by bike. I spend between two and two and a half hours every day riding a bike to and from the campus here.And I love mountain biking as well. So commuting is, is how I get most of my fitness. But I, every time I can get out on the dirt trails, I do that too.”
You know you work in acute care when…
You wear different clothes home than you wore when you went in. You have to change during the day.
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
-
51 min
Ethel Frese On Acute Care: Pearls That Will Energize Your Practice and Growth
Season 3, Episode 11
Show notes
Show Notes
Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, MHS, CCS, FAPTA is one of the most respected voices in acute and cardiopulmonary physical therapy. In this episode, she shares the pearls that will energize your practice and growth—from building stronger patient connections to fostering collaboration with the healthcare team. Whether you’re new to acute care or a seasoned clinician, her insights will challenge, inspire, and remind you why this work matters.
Today’s Guests:
Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, MHS, CCS, FAPTA
Professor Emeritus Saint Louis University, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Certified Clinical Specialist
ethel.frese@health.slu.edu
Guest Quotes:
17:46 “ the therapist who took my place in Chattanooga… she’s always told students and people that I’ve worked with that one of the best gifts to me as a teacher is to have someone you’ve taught do better than the teacher. And I have a lot of really good gifts that way. Lots of people I’ve seen have gone way beyond their teacher and, and that’s huge to me.”
28:54 “ I think that’s a value of teaching. You have to go back and think, now, why do I do it that way?”
Rapid Responses:
Name one therapist that has been influential in your career.
“Oh, that’s an easy one. Her name is Mary Chrisman. She was the therapist that I went to at the hospital when the other therapist would not answer my questions. And she’s a friend even to today…
You know you work in acute care when…
“When you can manage. I’m gonna say acute illness, but you know, ill patients who need specialist, very specialized care. And that you can manage the, the really sick patients and the not so sick. Yeah. And you know, you’re good at vital signs and ECG and ventilators and all the machinery that you see in acute care. Yeah. So, I guess that’s my answer.”
🎧 Connect with Our Hosts
Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)
📧 largue2@uic.edu
🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT
Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS
📧 ngunder1@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau
Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD
📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu
🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD
🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts
(Or wherever you get your podcasts)
#AcuteCare #PhysicalTherapy #ClinicalEducation #HealthcareLeadership
Interested in being a future guest?
APTA Acute Care:
https://www.aptaacutecare.org/page/AspireandAchieveMentorshipProgram
Twitter @AcuteCareAPTA
Facebook APTA Acute Care
Instagram @AcademyAcutePT
YouTube APTA Acute Care Podcast
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