Creating Lasting Connections and Professional Growth at AAOMPT

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;21;23 Unknown All right. All right. Who? Here with. Introduce yourself from radio left to right. My name is Jennifer Boudreau. Okay. I am a physical therapist out in Houston, Texas. I am a fellow of amped as well. Awesome. From Optum. I am an orthopedic sports medicine clinic. I treat pretty much everything. And also vestibular concussion. Cool. 00;00;21;26 - 00;00;45;07 Unknown And sitting next to you. My name is Shanker Krishnan. I'm a physical therapist from Detroit, Michigan. I became a fellow in 2008, and I'm in private practice. Treating people with chronic pain. Awesome. Just pull that a little closer to your mouth. Yep. Perfect. Good. So how do you guys know each other? Like, what's the story? I feel like we need to, like, this is like our our our conference story. 00;00;45;07 - 00;01;11;12 Unknown Like connection. So in 2000 and, 20, 22, I had to think about it. I graduated from my fellowship, met the requirements, and I said, you know, this is the year. I had a mentor at the time, Phil Tidwell. He passed away earlier this year. And, one of the things about Phil that was mentioned on this podcast was that he was such a light and a spirit for and he was like, oh, you're finishing your your fellowship. 00;01;11;12 - 00;01;32;07 Unknown You have to come to. And and he's like, all right, I'll come too. And so I had a connection there. Was going to go to the fellowship recognition ceremony. And then I noticed that we had this experience program, so I signed up. It's for first timers. And through the experience program, I met Shankar and a few other individuals, and, we just kind of hit it off, and we attended everything together. 00;01;32;07 - 00;01;50;20 Unknown I think we did the full conference that year. Like you attend everything. Yeah. And then since then, we've stayed connected and we just show up year after year. And we're we're now volunteers for the program, for experience. So we help Alison. And this is our second year volunteering. Usher and other people who've gone through the first time to which you leave out of the story what she did. 00;01;50;20 - 00;02;09;01 Unknown You lock eyes over like croissants at the first timer's breakfast, or actually, the second year we did. Okay. Yeah, that was over Christmas. And, yeah, the other part of the story with the class was, and Starbucks. They have this almond, and I could never eat a full one, but I can have half. And she likes half, too, so. 00;02;09;08 - 00;02;27;06 Unknown So that so every time I eat normal science, like, okay, I need to save a half for Jennifer. Two halves of the same almond croissant. All right, so you're you're someone, you're someone's, you're people who have come to this sort of with with what type of knowledge Phil. Sort of told you you should come. Why did you come that first? 00;02;27;09 - 00;02;45;24 Unknown So yeah, my story is slightly different. I became a fellow in 2008. Okay. That was right in the phase of life where I had little kids. I had three jobs. Just didn't really have any time. In fact, I didn't even come for my ceremony, for my fellowship, unfortunately. Now I see what I missed, and then life, got better. 00;02;45;27 - 00;03;05;07 Unknown You know, kids grew up. I had more time, so I, I randomly thought, okay, I'm going to go. It was in San Diego, and I've never been to San Diego. I'm like, okay, this is the year I'll go to San Diego. And I've been to conferences for the past 5 or 7 years. I've been to private practice and here some ones, but never felt like, okay, I can't, I don't want to go back there. 00;03;05;07 - 00;03;21;19 Unknown I did it twice, but the first time I came to a, I think it was the experience program, it's like, oh, the first time was, I don't look like a first timer, but, I was a first timer and I became part of the program, and it was such a good, like I said, ushering in the the whole programing. 00;03;21;19 - 00;03;41;08 Unknown And we met Jennifer and a couple other people, and we've stayed connected. And that becomes another reason for us to come back every year. It's like, okay, yeah, I need to meet my people. Right. So the obvious thing, looking from the outside, the purpose of this episode is, sir, tell your story. But then I want you to sort of explain the benefits, the things that you can't see, the things that are not on a conference website. 00;03;41;08 - 00;03;58;15 Unknown And we're not even just talking about the AMD conference, obviously, we're on the AMD podcast. We want you to come to the AMD conference, but these are things that you might not see. You can see the features on a website, but maybe not the benefits. Those are often hidden, but I love the fact that there's a first timers program and that you not only went through it, but now you usher other people through it. 00;03;58;18 - 00;04;13;10 Unknown Because these things can sort of be intimidating, right? There is a club, right? When someone shows up, this year and they see how tight you guys are, they don't maybe have their other half to their present yet. And they're wondering, how did that how do I get? And we break into this. And that's not that simple, but not easy. 00;04;13;12 - 00;04;36;06 Unknown So your task less than ten minutes ago that I sort of through it. You hear it the morning of day two of the AMD conference was okay, if we're going to tell this story, which is a good one. Now, I want you to. Yes. And which is the only rule of improv, which is you each supposed to come up with three benefits, and then you're going to alternate, as you say, those benefits of why someone listening who maybe is on, maybe got their fellowship, you know, years ago but never came. 00;04;36;06 - 00;04;48;00 Unknown Or maybe someone that I call it on the end of the diving board is like, I thought about it. That's one that's on my radar. This is either going to push them off the diving board into the pool, or maybe they're just not. That's not for me. So we're going to alternate go back and forth Jennifer, we're going to start with you. 00;04;48;03 - 00;05;06;08 Unknown First reason you came up with that of your theory of why someone should jump into the deep end and come to a conference like this. Networking 100%. Okay, I can't tell you how many opportunities have come up over the three years. Just yesterday alone, I was approached on four separate occasions for four different things. Some of them I need to marinate on. 00;05;06;13 - 00;05;31;07 Unknown But, I think I've joined a committee. I was approached about a post professional doctorate program. What else? I was approached for a review or position. So the networking is just effortless here. Once you get to conference, you start to meet people. The experience program is one great way, but I will say this organization as a whole is very inclusive. 00;05;31;07 - 00;05;52;13 Unknown Yeah. And even said in her speech during the, recognition ceremony that this is a family, and a lot of our seasoned clinicians here are really great about, kind of networking and getting you plugged in. That's one of my favorite things about the conference. Okay, okay. If I'm looking for any anything new, there are opportunities galore. 00;05;52;18 - 00;06;09;00 Unknown Yeah. And networking is the way to do it. Yeah. Talked about this with, Chad Cook on a previous episode, but I'm going to push back right to, to make you answer me again, which is why I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on Twitter. What's different that's wider. I could talk to anybody I want. What's different about this connection versus that? 00;06;09;02 - 00;06;30;23 Unknown Why is communicating in person different than communicating via text? Yeah. Context tone 70% of communications. Nonverbal. Right. It's that it's not good for a podcaster. But keep going. It's that element though. It's it's the face to face. Yeah I don't there's no other way to explain it. I think the context, the vibe you come and like you just go a part of it, you get to ask a lot of follow up questions. 00;06;30;23 - 00;06;47;03 Unknown It's a little bit different. It's a little bit more relaxed. It's a little bit more of this like social interaction. Yeah. I'll say at this conference, because I go to a lot of them is, is sort of designed for those things. Like right now we're between sessions, there's 15 minutes, which doesn't sound like a lot, but a lot of other conference will be five minutes. 00;06;47;05 - 00;07;06;02 Unknown There's no time for the elbow rubbing. There's no time for what people are doing behind us. If you're watching the video, if you can hear in the background they're talking to other humans in person, right? So you can't really do that on LinkedIn. That's not what the DM is. All right. So your your first your first reason was the connections, the P I'm going to say people not network. 00;07;06;09 - 00;07;26;03 Unknown People sounds sounds better sounds more human. Shankar, what's your number one reason? So my number one reason and I can I've been a party for 27 years, so I've been there for a while. But even fresh graduates or anybody, we are very busy with our work. It's it. After a while, it tends to be a little bit mundane, you know, on a daily basis. 00;07;26;03 - 00;07;45;26 Unknown There are challenges and and it's it's hard work. It's not easy, but it's physical and long hours. Sometimes I think the conference is almost like a break. It's a gift that you give to yourself. And you go to this nice location like Orlando or San Diego. Yeah. And, it's it's also guilt free. You you're like, you're supposed to be there. 00;07;45;26 - 00;08;04;21 Unknown You're supposed to be learning. You get all the the features and the benefits, but then you meet like minded peers and it almost like, rejuvenates you. You you feel like, oh, yeah, I want to do that too, or I want to be in that committee too. And during your regular routine, you might not have time to think about those. 00;08;04;23 - 00;08;24;09 Unknown But here you are immersed in this environment where everybody is doing a lot of things that you would love to do. And this is push and, and, and I have to say this, it's not just a one time deal. Every time, every year you come in, you find new things to do and that you thought you would, you would have done previously or in the past year. 00;08;24;09 - 00;08;39;06 Unknown But it's like, oh yeah, yeah, I had forgotten about that. I need to get into that. So I say the same thing, but I but I could chunk or I can find this on YouTube. Right. I can find, I can listen to a podcast. But why is this deeper? Why is what you're explaining deeper than just watching a video or listening to someone talk about it? 00;08;39;08 - 00;09;00;18 Unknown See, I always feel like if you watch a video, you listen to something. It's very one sided and it's like listening to a zoom class, you know, you can ask questions, but it's a one sided thing. When we have a conversation like this, suddenly ideas come up. It's like, oh yeah, I need to ask you that. And, you know, it's a different like the in-person conversation that Jennifer was talking about. 00;09;00;20 - 00;09;18;21 Unknown It's just a different experience. Yeah. So your both your first answers were people I'll say yours is, connection. Yours sounds a little bit like you ever hear the story about the two lumberjacks? Sharpen the ax versus chop wood? It sounds like chopping wood is what you do when you're not here, when you're working, when you're running a clinic, or when you're treating patients. 00;09;18;23 - 00;09;35;00 Unknown And if you pause and you sharpen that ax, when you go back to doing that, chopping the wood, it, you're rejuvenated, you're more efficient, you get more done with maybe a little bit less effort. That's a great analogy. That's what I do. I'm the analogy guy. All right. So similar. You can see why you guys are friends. Similar first answers. 00;09;35;00 - 00;09;59;27 Unknown What about yours. Your second answer this kind of segways nicely because my second answer was I get inspired. Okay. Which was actually, I think our conference name in 2022, but it still resonates to to this day. I come to a conference and I get inspired for Monday morning. There's new ideas. I get energized, I get motivated to go back to work. 00;10;00;00 - 00;10;20;15 Unknown It's just refreshing to be amongst like minded people, doing the same thing that you're doing or things slightly different. Right? That's that's the the next big thing that stands out. The only thing I'll challenge you or I'll say is it is I see some people here who are slightly not like minded and I actually come for that. 00;10;20;22 - 00;10;40;11 Unknown So, you see, like direction, I want improvement, but how did you get there? You're still in my third point. All right, so I'll keep up. I wasn't cheating, I didn't look, so yours is, an inspiration for the motivation. It's like I get pumped up when I come to this. Good friends. Yeah. And because it's smaller and more intimate compared to some of the bigger conferences. 00;10;40;11 - 00;10;58;07 Unknown Yeah. This is just a little bit more concentrated to the Omers environment. Sure. So you get people who are in the in, in similar or the same, settings when we, when we disperse, when we go back home. But people don't do everything the same. And you look and you say, why, how did you why did you overcome that. 00;10;58;07 - 00;11;13;19 Unknown That way. That's why I always ask, what's your greatest failure? And then how did you overcome it? Because I want to know the failure if it's similar to mine. Great. Let me get a cheat code. For me, the biggest cheat code has always been on other people, right? How do I borrow your ideas? So inspiration is your second chunk of what your second reason I. 00;11;13;22 - 00;11;32;01 Unknown I love origin stories. Yeah, I love life stories. So through our training we read about all these, we read a lot of research articles. We have a do it for school and everything. And we these names keep popping up of of legends who are greats in physical therapy. I mean every third letters article written by the same guy. 00;11;32;04 - 00;11;50;10 Unknown And then suddenly you're here in a conference and you see that there's guys and he's not busy with speaking arrangements or something. He's just sitting there getting coffee right next to you, and he's like, oh, doctor, doctor, so-and-so, it's so nice to meet you. And then you. Then they're very they're in a much more relaxed, environment. Yeah. 00;11;50;10 - 00;12;05;02 Unknown They're they want to talk. They're like, oh yeah, where are you from? And, what do you do? And then you start talking and then suddenly you want to know, how did they start? What did they do? Or, you know, what is the origin story of what are they doing now? And I mean, I Jennifer talked about inspiration. 00;12;05;02 - 00;12;24;00 Unknown That is inspiration for me. I was like, I want to know where you started and how did you become a legend? So maybe, just maybe, you know, if I find my own path, yeah, maybe I would be 20 years from now, somebody will be standing next to me getting coffee, asking me how I maybe less than 20 years. 00;12;24;00 - 00;12;44;18 Unknown All right. So your second was inspiration or your. Sounds like connection. If I were poor or or accessibility to people, you are, you know, reading from or learning from the other 364 days, which we cannot get from a LinkedIn or a YouTube video or anything. Right? So all these things are good, but they're different, right? A CSM, which is huge, isn't better or worse. 00;12;44;21 - 00;13;01;12 Unknown It's just different but understanding. So when you just say, hey, AMS conference, you just assume it's going to be like every other conference. But when you zoom in a little bit, like your story, like your origin story, you can see it's different. All right, no pressure. But your third, reasons for why you think someone should come. 00;13;01;12 - 00;13;21;12 Unknown What are the what is the third benefit you'll share segue really nicely. And we didn't themes come up. Ideas. Okay. I come to conference and I talk to my friends. I talk to folks that I meet the first time. It's like, oh, you know, what do you do? What's what's your practice? Or are you with the company? 00;13;21;12 - 00;13;49;23 Unknown You do private practice. You get ideas for business ideas, future endeavors. People are doing really interesting things with cash pay, practices. You read research posters, poster presentations, you're like, oh, I never thought to connect those things. Like future research, topic. The ideas, that's the other thing. Ideas. Ideas and person ideas and motion ideas and reality. 00;13;49;25 - 00;14;09;04 Unknown All right. What's your third? I love the Segway thing because it segways into my answer. So I, I'm in private practice and I also like to constantly keep updating what I do in my practice and also the technology that I use. And I know every conference has exhibit halls and all that, but this is an amp. It's all empty, specific, very specific. 00;14;09;04 - 00;14;28;06 Unknown So I love to go to the exhibit hall and see the latest. I mean, today, there's a dry needling station where people are getting dry needled and demoed. And that's how I first came to know what I need, like about seven years ago. And I got certified with one of the vendors who was here. And then, you see a lot of stuff and AI is coming. 00;14;28;06 - 00;14;53;02 Unknown So we talk about it's here, it's already let's get it over here, say nice things. We talk about electronic medical records and transcription. What is the biggest bane of our profession? It's documentation. The documentation or the time spent during. Nobody disagrees with how important documentation is. But why does it take so much time? Right. And then you have AI programs now coming up that will sit in the room with you, and you don't even have to program it. 00;14;53;02 - 00;15;08;19 Unknown It'll just listen to you and document it. Yeah. This is the place where you can test it out and see if that's what works for you. Kick the tires, take it for a test spin. You looked at it looked good on the video, right? But now I can see it in person. I always tell people, you know, the exhibit hall, it's like Antique Roadshow, man. 00;15;08;19 - 00;15;23;26 Unknown It's like, here's this product. Show me how it works. And you can do that interaction. Yeah, you can do that. That's a really great, first pass in a video or listening to somebody talk about it on the podcast. But being able to hold the technology, feel the technology, this is it's a little bit different. You can't get that at a conference. 00;15;23;28 - 00;15;41;08 Unknown Not to mention this is very tactile profession. Yeah. At an empty conference. Yep. So yeah that goes I just saw the great video that Jeremy Lewis, just shared with the person, in Thailand using the. Yeah, hammer and chisel on someone's mind, so. Well it's pressure. Right. So it should be. Well, I'll let Jeremy explain that a little bit later. 00;15;41;10 - 00;16;06;20 Unknown All right, so those are your six, right? So if someone's listening, those are just six. Those were your three and your three. There are others. The last thing we do on the episodes is called a parting shot. So what's your idea? Your mic drop moment, your soapbox statement. What would you want to leave with people as we wrap up this episode to make them think about, I'll put I'll put your parting shot in the context of maybe not come to this conference. 00;16;06;20 - 00;16;25;10 Unknown Not yet, but you should go to a conference because you get these things. So what's what's the idea? You want to leave with the audience? I can speak for myself and I, my generation, maybe, because my classmates had a similar feeling. This whole imposter syndrome. We get very caught up in this whole, you know, I don't think I'm as good as I. 00;16;25;11 - 00;16;49;04 Unknown Where do I stand amongst the rest? And there's this whole fake it to make it thing, and it's it's go for it. Say yes, participate, get plugged in. And it's going to evolve from there. I think there's some fear about. Oh, I don't feel like I'm good enough to attend that or, you know, to go talk to like the, the famous PTA, so to speak. 00;16;49;04 - 00;17;22;01 Unknown But it's like, no, go do it. It goes a long way. So kind of take some of the fear out of it. Take a risk. Jump, jump. Yeah. That'll appear probably my, my reason. And again, it didn't transcend people like me who have been around for a while or fresh graduate. I mean, the the idea that, you if you learn one thing maybe, or do things that makes you better Monday morning and it's not about, oh, I need to be a better. 00;17;22;05 - 00;17;45;06 Unknown I'm already a physical therapist. I'm already licensed. My patient like healing doing great. So why do I need to spend $700,000 and go to a conference to learn something? What? What more can I learn? But it's not about that. It's it's, it's about something that you do differently. Monday morning, and you actually feel good about it. And that's huge self-esteem, believe it or not. 00;17;45;06 - 00;18;04;27 Unknown And self-confidence is huge, especially when you're starting out and when you come to a place like this, it's a big boost. It rejuvenates you. It does give you something to go back that perfect. Well, that's all we need. Thank you for telling your story. Thanks for jumping in and being first timers the first time I did it, and I'm glad to see the connection is still there. 00;18;05;00 - 00;18;05;28 Unknown Thank you.