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Hootsuite vs. Tweetdeck 2013

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What are Hootsuit and Tweetdeck?  They are both social media management programs that allow you to become way more nerdy then you ever thought with your social media.  Both have the ability to handle facebook and twitter accounts from the same dock.  I have recently been introduced to tweetdeck (again) which I know is a little behind but oh well.  I have been using Hootsuite for quite some time now but my re-introduction to Tweetdeck made me think twice.  This is my brief review of both:

Mobile Platforms:

Let’s me honest without our smart phones the amount of time we spend tweet and facebooking would be unacceptable.  BUT because we can check our twitter and crank out a few tweets and retweets while waiting for your double mocha whatever it kind of makes it ok!  This makes the mobile app for these social media managers hugely important.

Tweetdeck:

Pros:

  1. Smooth platform for multiple twitter feeds
  2. Notifies you on new tweets in multiple streams
  3. Can save multiple searches

Cons:

  1. Cannot schedule tweets
  2. Cannot shrink links
  3. Cannot manage Facebook or Linkedin
  4. tracking conversations can be difficult

Hootsuite:

Pros:

  1. Can schedule tweets
  2. Can manage multiple social media accounts and send messages to all of them simultaneously
  3. Shrink links to fit into 140 more easily
  4. Humble analytics tracking
  5. Easily track twitter conversations

Cons:

  1. Not as seamless as TweetDeck
  2. Must click on individual streams to view and there is no notifications of new messages

Mobile app consensus:  I think the best overall mobile app goes to Hootsuite.  It just does more.  It may not look as pretty but the fact that you can schedule out messages on multiple social medias, keep analytics of your posts and shrink them to fit into your 140 characters pushes Hootsuite over the top for me.  I will say though that I do have Tweetdeck on my phone still because I think it is a more seamless way to engage in TweetChats.  If you don’t know what that is check this out.

Desktop:

For those of you without a smart phone or that just prefer to type, I figured I would review the desktop versions of both as well.

Tweetdeck:

Pros:

  1. has actual app
  2. very good looking
  3. easy to use
  4. schedule messages
  5. automatic updates
  6. view multiple streams at once

Cons:

  1. no analytics
  2. no URL shrinking

Hootsuite:

Pros:

  1. easy to use
  2. analytics
  3. URL shrinking
  4. view multiple streams
  5. lots of tips on how to utilize best

Cons:

  1. Online format only, no app
  2. not quite as pretty in my opinion

Desktop winner:  Tweetdeck.  Tweetdeck’s desktop application (mac) is fantastic.  It is the absolute best way to engage in tweetchats due to the ability to save hashtag searches and have them update automatically.

Hope this was helpful and not too bias 🙂

What is a TweetChat and how do I play?

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What is a Tweetchat?  A tweetchat is a scheduled on topic discussion within Twitter using a Hashtag (#).  If you don’t know what a Hashtag is then go HERE.  This is a very useful application for Twitter and it is a great way for anyone, especially PTs to get connected with other professionals.

How does a Tweetchat work?  Well, first things first there are tons of different Tweetchats that are all chats on different subjects ranging from technology to sports and the environment.  Here is a list of a bunch of Healthcare related tweetchats and their weekly times.  If you clicked on that link then you can see that each different hashtag has a specific time that the tweetchat will take place.  For example, one of my favorites is #DPTStudent which takes places at 9est every Wednesday.  The topic of the weekly discussion will usually be posted during the week on the hashtag and then at 9est the discussion begins!  Simple as that.

So why should I care about these tweetchats anyway?  I think as a DPT student and future professional the value of getting involved with groups of like-minded physical therapists is priceless.  Not only am I learning from people way smarter than me but I am seeing different perspectives to problems that I will face in school and out of school.  The purpose of the tweetchat is to give your content context!  What I mean by that is that we all have content or things we know about and like to talk about, but without a proper context to share that insight we are just blabbing into space.  If you place your insight into a useful context, like a relevant tweetchat the value of your messages is increase dramatically.  You are talking to people at that point, not just updating the world about about your just ate for lunch…big difference.

Hope this is helpful.

–@zduhammy

What to know before physical therapy school

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Once I got accepted into Rockhurst in February I started asking a LOT of questions. All the PTs at my clinic are probably getting sick of me, but they have to answer all my questions. These are some of the responses to the questions “If you had one piece of advice to give someone who is about to start school, what would it be?
1. Sleep and Workout
One of the first things to go when stress hits is the care for our own bodies. Working out helps relieve stress and helps you feel better about yourself and the importance of sleep can never be over emphasized.

2. Be organized and stay organized
This was probably the most helpful piece of advice I got. The PT told me that he switched off between paper and electronic note taking and he got really disorganized and when it was time for comprehensive tests he was all over the place. He said Pick a system and stick with it.  I think I’m going to do another post of different systems that have worked for people.

3. Get teammates.
One PT told me that the most important thing he did in school was build a group of friends that could study with and PRACTICE on each other. He really emphasized the importance of constantly practicing manual techniques.

4. Don’t work–if possible.
One PT said that all the students who tried to work during school got really stressed out and ended up “not being as good.” Simple enough. I know that this is not possible for everybody, he even said that he had a TA job, but keep your job commitments to a minimum. It’s worth it to really focus on school, you come out the other side a better PT.

The death of stretching?

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I’ve recently read a couple if intriguing articles about stretching that completely go against everything we were taught as kids.

The first article discusses the physiology of stretching–essentially stretching is working out our nervous system to allow or “Ok” our muscles to stretch to a certain limit. Also stretching has little to no long term affects of the muscle itself, the muscle’s elasticity pulls it back to its original form.

The second article says that stretching before explosive exercise or sports can hamper performance. They recommend dynamic warm ups to static stretching.

Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think.

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Direct Access in Kansas

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Ladies and Gents,
The SB 46, Direct Access bill has passed in Kansas and will take affect July 1,2013.

What is SB 46 anyway?
It means patients don’t need prescriptions from physicians to receive physical therapy. For more info click here.

What this means for Kansas PTs:
•Patients no longer need a Rx to come and be treated!
•You can market to people instead of (or as well as) Physicians
•Evals just got a whole lot more important–diligence and attention to detail

What this means for patients:
•You don’t need to go to the physician first! You can come straight to a highly qualified musculoskeletal specialist (physical therapist) and be treated.
•the barrier between patients and care just got a lot cheaper and easier

Where do we go from here?
Educate, Educate, Educate!
Most PTs don’t even know that Kansas has direct access, even less of the general public does. Patients with mild to moderate back pain or knee pain who never would have gone to the physician for it can walk into a physical therapy clinic, be evaluated and treated for much less! This is huge for patients and for the profession as a whole.

As a student it excites me to see Legislation favoring effective means of patient care. I’m excited for the future, hope you are too!

Part 1: The Tuition Problem

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The purpose of the post series is to create some discussion on a pretty hot topic in PT, high tuition.  More than anything I want to hear from others in the field and some students on some ideas.

This is a pretty hot topic among all professional students, especially us current DPT students. WARNING: I tend to be on the optimist side of the future of DPT discussion, theres a lot of negativity and confusion about the future of reimbursement, tuition, blah blah, the world is ending… That’s not what I’m about, I think the cream rises to the top, and the cream in health care is the best and most efficient (cheapest) patient care. PT is in a very unique position to deliver both of those things, as well as offer preventative care. The problem with the cost of DPT school has a massive trickling effect that eventually lands on the health care system as a whole.  For example, Joe Shmoe, DPT gets out of school with $100,000 of debt, he is going to have to do everything he can to make his $50,000 starting salary work.  In many outpatient settings I know there are productivity bonuses, so the more patients Joe Shmoe sees the more he makes.  He sees 2 or 3 patients and hour in order to make more to pay off his debt.  Its a vicious cycle for the PT and the patient.

 

I know there are some bright thinkers out there testing models on how we can lighten the financial burden and make our education better by casting some of that burden onto technology.  These are the people we need to look toward, these are the ideas that are going to change our profession.

 

If you are interested in this there is a twitter discussion March 27th at 9est about it at #DPTStudent

WebMD talks about types of PT

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Here is a good overview I found about the tools that PTs use to get their patients better.

Physical Therapy – Types of Physical Therapy

Exercise

Exercise is anything you do in addition to your regular daily activity that will improve your flexibility, strength, coordination, or endurance. It even includes changing how you do your regular activities to give you some health benefits. For example, if you park a little farther away from the door of the grocery store, the extra distance you walk is exercise. Physical therapy nearly always involves exercise of some kind that is specifically designed for your injury, illness, condition, or to help prevent future health problems. Exercise can include stretchingto reduce stress on joints, core stability exercises to strengthen the muscles of your trunk (your back and abdomen) and hips, lifting weights to strengthen muscles, walking, doing water aerobics, and many other forms of activity. Your physical therapist is likely to teach you how to do an exercise program on your own at home so you can continue to work toward your fitness goals and prevent future problems.

 Fitness: Increasing Core Stability

Manual therapy

Manual therapy is a general term for treatment performed with the hands and not with any other devices or machines. The goals of manual therapy include relaxation, less pain, and more flexibility. Manual therapy includes:

  • Massage, which applies pressure to the soft tissues of the body such as the muscles. Massage can help relax muscles, improve circulation, and ease pain in the soft tissues.
  • Mobilization, which uses slow, measured movements to twist, pull, or push bones and joints into position. This can help loosen tight tissues around a joint and help with flexibility and alignment.
  • Manipulation, which uses rapid, forceful movements to position the bones and joints. This is a more aggressive treatment. Discuss the pros and cons of manipulation with your doctor or physical therapist.

Education

Physical therapy almost always includes education and training in areas such as:

  • Performing your daily tasks safely.
  • Protecting your joints and avoiding reinjury.
  • Using assistive devices such as crutches or wheelchairs.
  • Doing home exercises designed to help with your injury or condition.
  • Making your home safe for you if you have strength, balance, or vision problems.

Specialized treatments

In some locations, physical therapists are specially trained to be involved in other types of treatment, including:

  • Vestibular rehabilitation, which helps your inner ear respond to changes in your body position. This is helpful if you have problems with vertigo, or a feeling that you or your surroundings are spinning or tilting when there is actually no movement. Rehabilitation (rehab) can help you get used to the problem so you know when to expect it. And rehab can train your body to know how to react.
  • Wound care. Wounds that are very severe or don’t heal well, often because of poor blood flow to the area, can require extensive care. This may include special cleaning and bandaging on a regular and long-term basis. Sometimes oxygen treatment or electrical stimulation is part of the treatment.
  • Women’s health. Physical therapists often work with women on exercises to help control urinary incontinence or to relieve pelvic pain.
  • Oncology (cancer care), to help if cancer or treatment for cancer causes you to have problems with movement.
  • Decongestive lymphatic drainage, which is a special form of massage to help reduce swelling when the lymphatic system is not properly draining fluids from your tissues.

Cold and ice

Ice and cold packs are used in physical therapy to relieve pain, swelling, and inflammation from injuries and other conditions such as arthritis. Ice can be used for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. In some cases, ice may be used several times a day. Some therapists also use cooling lotions or sprays. For more information, see:

Heat

Heat can help relax and heal your muscles and soft tissues by increasing blood circulation. This can be especially helpful if a joint is stiff from osteoarthritis or from being immobilized. Heat can also relax the muscles before exercise. But heat can also increase swelling in an injured area if it is used too soon. For more information, see:

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat a disease or to maintain health. The term “hydrotherapy” (water therapy) can mean either exercise in the water or using water for care and healing of soft tissues. This type of therapy is based on the theory that water has many properties that give it the ability to heal.

  • Water can store and carry heat.
  • Water is found in different forms, such as ice, liquid, or steam. Ice may be used to cool, liquid is used in baths and compresses at varying pressures or temperatures, and steam is used in steam baths or for breathing in.
  • Water can help blood flow.
  • Water also has a soothing, calming, and relaxing effect on people, whether in a bath, shower, spray, or compress.
  • Exercise in water takes the weight off a painful joint while also providing resistance.

For more information, see Hydrotherapy.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound therapy uses high-pitched sound waves to ease muscle spasms and relax and warm muscles before exercise, to help relieve pain and inflammation, and to promote healing. Although the use of ultrasound is common, some studies show a benefit from this treatment and others do not. Some physical therapists do not recommend deep-heating techniques. Discuss the benefits and risks with your physical therapist or doctor before starting this therapy. This type of treatment is not generally used for children.

Electrical stimulation

Electrical stimulation is the general term that describes the use of electrical current to create an effect in the body. There are several uses for electrical stimulation.

  • Physical therapists sometimes use electrical stimulation at low levels to reduce the sensation of pain. It may work either by “scrambling” pain signals to mask feelings of pain or by causing the body to produce natural pain-killers called endorphins.
  • Physical therapists can also use electrical stimulation to cause muscles to contract (tense). This type of therapy can help maintain muscle tone when muscles would otherwise lose strength or help teach muscles to contract again. Examples of this type of therapy include:
    • Electrical stimulation after a stroke to keep some tone in the shouldermuscles so they hold the joint together better and prevent pain.
    • Electrical stimulation to keep leg strength in a person who has severe arthritis of the knee and whose pain increases with exercise.
    • Electrical stimulation to get muscles at the front of the thigh working in the proper order after knee surgery.
  • Electrical stimulation is being studied as a way to help with healing of wounds and broken bones.

My Application Essay

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This is my PTCAS essay, I hope it is helpful for you.  Please don’t copy it or misuse it in any way, it is for your help.

 

The smell of rich warm coffee fills our tiny yellow apartment as I sit at our round antique dining room table. My head hurts from thinking about life, my career, school, grades, my family and my future. My wife sits down at the table beside me and we start to talk. I had been sitting at the table all afternoon and had been on hundreds of websites with information pertaining to all kinds of different career paths, most of which were in the medical field or pertained to the body in some way. As my wife sipped her coffee, she looked at me with that look I had gotten millions of times before, the look that said, “Well…what do you think?”
I knew what she was thinking. Here was the woman who knew what she wanted to do with her life from birth. She started asking me probing questions and then sat back and let me talk. She wanted me to talk about my deepest passions, ways I wanted to impact lives and about things that intrigued me. As I talked, she soaked it all in. After about thirty minutes, she stopped me and said, “You were born to be a physical therapist.”
At that moment it all made sense. The search for the perfect career, the career that fit me best, something that had troubled me for several years was over. Finally, as a junior in college, the light bulb came on, and I started to think back.
Like most kids, I loved playing sports, almost as a full-time job, soccer, baseball, football, tennis, basketball and cross-country. Not only did I enjoy competing, but I quickly learned about my interest in health. I loved being active and the feeling of being healthy. I saw the benefits of those things very early. As a child, I wasn’t able to relate my passions and interests to the field of physical therapy, but I did realize my love. I remember encouraging my little brother to go on runs with me because I wanted him to feel the way I felt when I ran. I was the kid who didn’t eat any of his Halloween candy, oh, except for butterfingers. I was a 12-year-old wellness advocate and I didn’t even know it!
As I grew a little older, I realized not only was I passionate about a healthy lifestyle for myself, but I wanted to see others strive for the same thing. As a senior in high school, I was one of the captains of our varsity soccer team and of our cross-country team. I had the opportunity to lead workouts and prepare for practices in each sport. Through this, I began to recognize my passion to lead and encourage others, but still didn’t make the connection to the career of physical therapy.
Life continued to go on, and before I knew it I was in my junior year in college, still without a clear-cut idea of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, which terrified me. I had spoken with several of my professors about medical professions and spent time researching them, all the while, completely neglecting my initial and seemingly inborn passion for physical therapy. As Thomas Edison said regarding his quest to find the perfect material for the light bulb, “I have not failed 1000 times. I have successfully discovered 1000 ways to not make a light bulb.” I had found 1000 professions that did not fit me, but in that struggle for a career path, I found the one that did make the light bulb. Physical therapy.
That day while I was sitting across the table from the woman who knew me better than anyone else, more stressed out than I had been in a long time, all the weight of not knowing what I was going to do was gone. I finally knew. I was no longer searching but striving. I realized that my passion for the body, for helping others live a healthy lifestyle, and for sports, in conjunction with my energetic, extraverted personality all fit perfectly into the physical therapy profession. I love the hands-on, relational approach to patient treatment that physical therapy embraces. I love the variety of people I will get to meet, help, and grow to know. I love the vast amount of possibilities the field offers to be adventurous and reach all kinds of needs in all areas of the world. I love that I will be able to relieve suffering and bring joy to the lives of the people I treat. Everything lined up that day, and ever since then, I have been pursuing this dream of becoming a physical therapist, setting goals, overcoming obstacles, and staying focused on such an exciting career ahead of me!