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January 2006

Missouri Student Special Interest Group Newsletter
                                                                                                   January 2006

Of Special Interest
•Feb1-5: CSM 2006 at San Diego
•Feb 21: MPTA Lobby Day in Jefferson City
•April 28-30: MPTA Spring Meeting in St. Louis

 

MSSIG T-Shirt Front	MSSIG T-Shirt Back

MSSIG Fundraiser: T-Shirts

We are selling t-shirts to help raise money to fund student activities and scholarships to physical therapy conferences. The shirts will be charcoal grey with white writing. The front says “Missouri Physical Therapy” and the back of the shirt has an outline of Missouri with the quote “Society needs physical therapy so they can follow the path of moving precisely toward optimum health.” by Dr. Shirley Sahrmann.

Each shirt costs $10. Email Christina Wisdom at wisdomc@msnotes.wustl.edu if you want a t-shirt. We still have M, L, and XL. We will also be selling them at Lobby Day Feb 21!

MSSIG Elections: Officers Needed
Mychelle Gaynor

We will be holding MSSIG officer elections at the MPTA Spring Meeting in April. Being involved in the MSSIG gives you an opportunity for leadership and responsibility. You have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, all of which share the same enthusiasm for physical therapy as you do. Positions include Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Duties are as follows:

            *Chair: presides over meetings, prepares agenda for meetings, serves as official                                           spokesperson of the group, appoints committees as needed, and keeps things running                             smoothly
            *Co-Chair: assumes duties of Chair if he/she is absent, presides over committees, updates         and maintains a current copy of the bylaws, appoints committees as needed
            *Secretary: keeps records of all of events/meetings, distributes meeting notices to MSSIG     membership, maintains records of all official actions of the MSSIG
            *Treasurer: keeps track of how much money the MSSIG has and where it is going. (Don’t     worry you really don’t have to “handle” any money!), develops and presents annual budget

In reality, everyone works together and helps out where needed. If you are interested in running or want more information, please contact any of us: \
            * Christina Wisdom: Chair wisdomc@msnotes.wustl.edu
            * Niki Pilger: Co-Chair n_pilger@hotmail.com
            * Kendra Hollman: Secretary hollmanke@msnotes.wustl.edu
            * Mychelle Gaynor: Treasurer mychelle_gaynor@yahoo.com

 

Mentors
Niki Pilger

You may have noticed an article titled “The benefits of seeking and/or being a mentor” in  PT Magazine this month. I chose to write on mentoring because I believe it is an essential part of a student’s learning process and growth in professionalism. No matter if you are a PT student or a PTA student, mentoring is a huge aspect of our education. During our clinicals, we observe and partake in different therapeutic interventions that either our professors or clinical instructors have introduced us to; however, we always seem to have questions. We then seek an advisee on what would be the most appropriate approach for the situation- this is the first step of seeking a mentor.
As Sandy Ridout mentioned in her article, mentoring is a relationship in which personal and professional growth is fostered, regardless of convention or tradition. She reported mentoring relationships vary depending on the level and activities of both protege and mentor. Each relationship may have the single goal- to advance the professional growth of the protege; however, there are many mentoring styles.
As students in the physical therapy profession we should be concerned with personal and professional growth. In a profession that requires continued education, we set out to better ourselves in many aspects in this fast growing occupation. It would be naive for us to think that after we graduate we are done learning and fostering new techniques. The profession that we have decided to embark upon is a life long learning process. I would encourage each of you to find someone that you look up to or admire in the profession and begin to ask questions.  As a student, there are many individuals that have helped shape our understanding of the physical therapy profession. Do not be afraid to step up to challenges or ask questions because seeking a mentor can help you overcome them.
If you are interested in how to participate as a protege there is an online directory on the APTA website. Each mentor listing includes contact information, a personal statement that provides additional details about the mentor, and a list of the mentor’s self-identified areas of expertise. Go to www.apta.org. Select “Member Services, then “Consulting/Mentoring,” then “Mentoring Program.”

 

MPTA Spring Meeting: April 28-30
Mark your calendars for April! The MPTA Spring Meeting will be held in St. Louis. The weekend will include lectures, MSSIG elections, social events, an exhibit hall, and more. Plus, the MSSIG will be raffling two study books for the PT board exam and one study book for the PTA board exam at the conference. We are already planning events for students and would love to have your input on activities and events. Please email us with ideas!

 

Send Us Information About Your School
Please send us pictures of or information on activities you and your classmates are involved in. We want to connect students across the state and would love to see/print your pictures! Please email Christina Wisdom, MSSIG Chair, at wisdomc@msnotes.wustl.edu

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