My time this year at the Combined Sections Meeting was more than I could have hoped for. Between the sessions I attended, the people I met, and everything in between, I found myself getting more and more excited than I already was to be in the physical therapy profession.
                I found this experience to be more focused compared to CSM 2019. Last year I was a fresh student just wanting to get involved in our professional organizations and see what life could be like after school. This year, I allowed myself to explore deeper in the areas I felt drawn to.
               After educational sessions, I introduced myself to several exceptional physical therapists working in elite-level sports. I attended networking events to talk with experienced physical therapists about their work and potential paths after graduation. I was given advice on applying for residencies and how to work my way up in the industry. After CSM, I was able to keep in touch with many of the people I met.
Attending conferences such as CSM as a student keeps me excited to stay involved, motivated to work towards my goals, and inspired to do more for the physical therapy profession.

       I would like to thank you for funding my 2020 APTA CSM experience. It was truly an incredibly event to be a part of. Getting the chance to meet with physical therapists from across the country who have the same passion for the profession was inspiring. Networking and developing relationships with therapists and students from across the country was helpful as I begin to think about the area and setting that I want to work in. I also had the chance to go multiple lectures that provided up-to-date research that I look forward to applying during my next clinical experience. Many of the lectures I attended helped me explore my interest in women’s health. I developed an interest in women’s health following observation done on my first clinical rotation, but I have not had much exposure to in the classroom. It was a wonderful opportunity to expand on a topic that is not as heavily covered in a typical DPT program. Other lectures on residencies and fellowships gave me perspective as to educational opportunities available after graduation. As a student, this was an eye-opening experience that gave me a taste of all that the profession has to offer. This is an experience that I think all students should have and I am so grateful that the IPTA made it possible for me to attend this conference.

       Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to attend the wonderful experience that was CSM. As a second-year student, I was able to grow my physical therapy knowledge by attending many lectures on topics ranging from treating patients with osteoarthritis, to appropriate exercise prescription for return to sport, and many in between. The information from sessions like these will seamlessly transition into my next clinical rotation working in a sports-driven physical therapy clinic. I also took great advantage of the networking opportunities available throughout the conference, talking to many companies and learning about potential options/areas of work that are available at the completion of my physical therapy program.

With this, as mentioned in my application, I am interested in further education via residency or fellowship training. I was able to attend an extremely informative session on this topic, which allows me to better plan for my future. Another wonderful feature that I greatly appreciated was the availability to download information from other sessions, even if I was unable to attend them due to choosing a different one. I have left with a vast amount of resources on topics that I want to learn more about.  

Overall, it was very inspiring to be surrounded by thousands of people in the educational and social setting who share similar beliefs and aspirations. I look forward to the chance of attending future Combined Sections Meetings.

Thank you again for this experience!

       CSM was an overwhelmingly remarkable experience. The amount of people was breathtaking with over 16,000 students, clinicians, and researchers just as excited about the profession as I am. The first day of the conference lasted a lifetime and then before I knew it, we were packing up and heading home. Getting to hear some of the brightest minds in our field speak was an awe-inspiring experience. It is one thing to read research in journals but to hear the actual brilliant minds behind it was something else. There were presentations covering topics such as acute intermittent hypoxia for spinal cord injuries, maladaptive pain behaviors, HIIT for stoke rehabilitation, and muscle degeneration of the rotator cuff that included a panel presentation by a physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, and a bioengineer just to name a few I attended. A majority of the speakers provided invaluable handouts that I have shared with my classmates and plan to employ in practice. I only wish the conference was longer. So many wonderful presentations occur at the same time that it is impossible to attend everything you want. Soak up as much as you can and enjoy! I will most definitely attend again in the future.

       My first CSM is in the books, and it was a fantastic experience.  The night before the conference, I attended a meet and greet in the orthopaedics section of the APTA, learned about the different SIG groups, and even experienced a flash mob!  Throughout the conference, I attended a broad spectrum of incredible educational sessions including ones about outdoor rehab, running shoes, Down syndrome, and combat sports.  I also attended a couple platform sessions on the hip in hockey players and aquatic physical therapy.  One of the most overwhelming parts of CSM was the exhibit hall.  However, thanks to the conference app, I was able to look ahead and see what booths I wanted to visit.  I even networked with people from locations and organizations that I would love to work with in  the future.  One of the biggest themes that came up in conversations with other physical therapists was to be patient and to not be afraid to try new things and explore different types of physical therapy to find your passion.  Overall, I am so grateful for the financial support to be able to seize the opportunity to dive into the profession and meet so many other physical therapists.  It was rejuvenating to see how much of an impact we are capable of having on our patients as a profession.  After reflecting on this experience, attending future professional conferences will certainly be a priority as I develop my career, and I encourage others to consider this as well.

       The Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) 2020 in Denver was a very worthwhile experience that allowed me to grow as a student outside of the classroom. I was able to learn about the most recent research being conducted in our field, network with professionals and students from across the states and learn more about residency programs. By attending my first special interest group meeting for adaptive sports, I was able to connect with students and professionals who share the same interests. This meeting allowed me to see how other students participate and how I can become more involved in this area of interest. One of the presentations I attended was geared towards students and young professionals and it provided tips on networking and things to consider when applying for my first job as a physical therapist. I was able to incorporate their constructive advice throughout the rest of my time at CSM when meeting new professionals. Overall, CSM was a great experience that has helped motivate me to pursue my interests and continue learning what our profession has to offer. I highly recommend any students that are considering attending to take advantage of this opportunity to advance their professional development while having some fun.

       Denver, CO—The mile-high city provided mile-high opportunities to attend as a third year student. The experience was completely different from last year in the nation’s capital. The event was right before the mid-term of our final clinical rotation, perfect timing for an energy boost in seeing classmates, learning about the latest research during education sessions and participating with the Spinal Cord Injury SIG. Being in the clinic this year helped me understand what a privilege it is to attend CSM. Highlights were seeing my classmates present their research and attend two sessions which merged basic and applied science in relevant terms for patient care. The first was on neuromodulation with task-specific training after SCI and the other was a talk from an orthopedic surgeon, muscle physiologist, and physical therapist. I loved the overall collaborative experience and interdisciplinary approach weaved throughout CSM this year. I am also grateful for the opportunity to participate as a member of the Spinal Cord Injury SIG, promoting events and touring the amazing facilities at Craig Hospital. Overall, I am so glad to attend in my final year as a student.

       Click on the attached video to watch Jessica Rodriguez's reflection video on CSM 2020!  

       As a second year student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, it’s tradition to attend the Combined Sections Meeting. After our final class on Wednesday, two thirds of my class headed to Denver, excited for research and the outdoors. 

Day 1
After an early wake up call Thursday morning, I kicked off the conference at a few sports sessions, including one identifying the neural regions associated with kinesiophobia post injury (thalamus and corticospinal tracts). I then made my way to the exhibit hall and tried out a body weight support system. The vendor strapped me into a harness that supported 35% of my weight. I felt light on my feet when walking, but wondered how the system would react to a fall. I was told to avoid any balance strategies and plummet toward the ground. The system quickly recognized what was happening and gently lowered me to safety. 

The final session of the day discussed patellar and Achilles tendinopathy, so popular that I watched from the overflow room. Tendons adapt well to increasing load, but current Achillies tendinopathy protocols mainly include body weight exercises. Dr. Tyler Cuddleford wondered how much therapists can load those with tendinopathies. He showed that patients responded well to eccentric calf raises on a leg press machine with over 300 pounds! Dr. Rich Willy then took us through a case of a volleyball player with patellar tendinopathy. Rest is contraindicated for tendinopathies, so athletes need to keep up with the demands of their sport while rehabbing. Along with strengthening exercises, the player adjusted his biomechanics to reduce pain but maintain similar jumping heights.

Day 2
Day two began with a talk about return to sport (RTS) for lower extremity injuries. Dr. Mike Reiman summarized the current state of RTS, arguing there is room for improvement (potentially only 55% of athletes return to sport post ACL surgery). Dr. Dan Lorenz then focused on the specifics of RTS testing. He led the audience in multiple refrains of “what we permit, we promote.” For certain tests, rather than accepting an 85% or 90% limb symmetry, therapists should target much closer to 100% and be more strict when assessing quality of movement (no knee wobble, smooth and stable landing). 

The poster session followed, where the UIC community supported my fellow classmates and their literature review of the McKenzie Method for low back pain patients. 

Day 3
Day 3 began with a talk on sleep and aging. The intersection of sleep, aging, and morbidities correlates with less healthy patients, and therapists are encouraged to screen for sleep disorders. Dr. Cathy Ciolek described how she works with skilled nursing facilities to improve sleep quality of the residents. She minimizes sleep disturbances by increasing time between patient safety checks as appropriate, using headlamps with red light, oiling squeaky cart wheels, and moving the location of the clock in/clock out machine away from patient rooms. Dr. Catherine Siengsukon then provided tips for all patients: maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoiding excessive napping, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine. More specifics are described in her 2017 article in PTJ.

I scheduled my return flight for Saturday evening, so my final talk of the conference was the afternoon session on hamstring strain injuries. Dr. Bryan Heiderscheidt cautioned that almost everyone in the room was at an increased risk for injury (risk increases at age 23). Though high speed running provides a protective effect, the absence of daily gym class and recess in adult lives may explain a pulled hamstring from a work softball outing. 

Attending CSM proved to be a valuable experience. The 18,000 therapists in attendance inspire students and highlight the incredible opportunities in the field. Specifically, I decided to become more involved and join the sports section. I’m excited to return next year in Orlando!

         I had such a wonderful experience at CSM 2020 in Denver! It is such an invigorating environment in which to learn, network, and engage with the physical therapy profession.  With the support of the IPTA I was able to represent Illinois, my program, and myself.  With this being my third national conference, I knew what to expect and was able to step out of my comfort zone. I attended talks within my interest areas, but also tried to step out into areas of physical therapy that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore. This led to me attending some wonderful talks in the areas of pelvic health and amputations, learning a lot of new information. I also had the opportunity to attend after-conference events, allowing me to expand my network with students and clinicians from around the country.  That is what truly makes CSM a unique experience. Branching out and exploring what is out there will only benefit future practice, and the ability to share knowledge with 18,000 colleagues only makes it better.  Thank you so much to the IPTA for the chance to engage with our wonderful profession on the national level!

         The beauty of the Physical Therapy profession is the variety of interests and paths that Physical Therapists can take as well as the tightness of the Physical Therapy community. Each year that I have attended CSM, I have been able to witness and experience all of that. My experience this year was a combination of learning, exploring, and networking but also having fun. I was able to attend some inspiring talks including one on taking rehabilitation to the outdoors. This struck me because so often are we told to break the mold and to figure out the extent to which Physical Therapy can reach patients on all levels and this appeals to me because I am still witnessing innovative ideas being constructed. 

Attending talks in different sessions showed me how much as a student I have yet to experience and how much as a student that I still have left to learn. As excited as I am to be done with school and to join the ranks of all the graduated clinicians who have found their place in the Physical Therapy world, I realized that we are all still students and that there will always be something to learn.

            I was incredibly fortunate to be able to travel to Denver this previous week to take part in the Combined Sections Meeting. Throughout my days attending CSM, I was able to attend a variety of informational courses and seminars that added to my knowledge of the profession and provided me with additional information on ways to improve my patients’ outcomes. Not only was I able to obtain a vast amount of knowledge, I was also able to identify areas for which I can improve upon myself as a clinician. I cannot wait to put my knowledge into practice when working with my future patients and clients. CSM was a great reminder that all of our schooling and hard work will pay off in the future and it reinforced that we are truly impacting the quality of life in our patients. In addition to the seminars, I was able to visit the exhibit hall. It was great to see all of the opportunities the profession has to offer and to learn about the new technologies and practices that are showing positive impacts with our patients. It was such a great experience to gather with 18,000 like-minded individuals who have such a love and passion for the profession. I hope I can return to CSM in upcoming years to continue to better myself as a clinician. I am extremely grateful to the Illinois Physical Therapy Association for helping to make this dream experience a reality.   

            This year, as a third year student with only one clerkship left before graduation, Denver's Combined Section Meeting was my second national conference experience. It was another amazing opportunity which allowed me to see how the physical therapy (PT) field is developing and expanding. With an average of 45 lectures per day at each time slot it was hard to choose which presentation to attend. I was able to network and connect with other students and PTs attending the conference and CSM offered a great opportunity to connect with future employers.
            Since first attending CSM, I have had 2 years learning in the clinic and didactic setting. Being able to compare my first time attending CSM to this year, I realized how much I have grown since starting PT school. This round I was more familiar with the techniques presented, I understood the research methods and statistics utilized in research, and I was able to better relate to presenters describing methods they used to treat patients. Both experiences were wonderful with different take-aways at each one.
            No where else can you learn so much in three days. I am beyond thankful the IPTA supports the education of their members and provides the opportunity to attend CSM. As a future PT, I look forward to many more CSM conferences.

            I had such a great experience at CSM this year. I was able to attend programs in areas that I am interested in and learned many new things that will help make me a better clinician. I enjoyed hearing leaders in the field talk about topics that they are passionate about. It gets me excited to start working in this profession and make my own mark. Some of my favorite programs that I attended were about chronic pain in children and mental health in early childhood. I learned some new ways to explain chronic pain in the pediatric setting and came to understand how parental attachments impact a child’s mental health. As a third year student, I looked forward to networking at CSM this year. I appreciated having the opportunity to talk with so many different companies at the expo hall. Additionally, I attended the pediatrics section meeting/ 45th celebration dinner. It was nice to be able to talk to people who share the same interests as me and to get some advice on my future career path. Everyone that I interacted with throughout my time at CSM was so open and welcoming. They genuinely wanted to share their knowledge with others and I think that says a lot about the type of people who choose this profession.

            After attending CSM for the third time, I was able to reflect on how my experience has changed throughout school. My first year, CSM was exciting and new. Last year, I was reminded of the importance of continuing education, as I was exposed to new concepts not discussed in school. This year I was able to focus on topics pertaining to my final clinical rotation in pediatrics, as well as in my future career. I attended sessions covering the orthopedic care of a pediatric ankle, interventions for children with ASD, and assessment of children with CMT to name a few. A couple of talks I found particularly interesting were on the treatment of rock climbers, circus artists, and gymnasts and bringing physical therapy treatment into the outdoors.
            This year I was also given the opportunity to present my own research with fellow group members on the perceptions and attitudes of clinical instructors regarding site visits from school faculty members. Furthermore, as a third-year student, networking was an important component of CSM. I talked with several recruiters in the exposition hall and attended a travel therapy event. Thank you to the IPTA for helping make the trip to Denver for CSM 2020 possible.

                                 “This is so cool,” “Wow that’s amazing,” “I had no idea that was part of physical therapy!” 

These are just a few of the exclamations that ran through my head during APTA’s 2020 CSM in Denver.  Walking into the conference on the first day I was amazed to see the massive number of people in the Colorado Convention Center.  As a first year DPT student at the University of Illinois- Chicago (UIC), I at first felt slightly out of place among so many professionals.  However, in the first session I attended I sat next to another student also attending CSM for the first time, helping me to feel more at ease.  I soon realized that everyone attending the conference, whether a student, practicing physical therapist, researcher, or educator were all there for one common reason: to increase their knowledge of the physical therapy field by taking advantage of all the wonderful opportunities CSM had to offer.  I made it a point to attend sessions on topics that were relatively unfamiliar to me: pelvic health, adaptive sports, home health, and deep brain stimulation to name a few.  The exhibit hall was bustling with people and companies, giving me the chance to learn about PT residencies and international opportunities.  I even had the chance to support some of my UIC SPT colleagues in the class ahead of me as they presented a poster about pediatric research.  I had an absolutely amazing experience; attending CSM reminded me why I decided to pursue my DPT and cemented my passion for the profession.