Therapist Spotlight: Amanda Foresman

What is your Education/Schooling? I Received a BA from Luther College in 2006, and a DPT from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) in 2010.

Any extra credentialing/certifications/specializations (even unofficial)? I have completed the NDT certification

How long have you been a PT? It will be 10 years this July!

In what other settings and/or in what other positions have you worked (or currently work)? I have worked a little bit with adults in a SNF, but the majority of my time has been working with the pediatric population in the home health setting.

How long you have worked for Therapy 2000? since July 2010

What do you love about being a pediatric PT? I have always loved working with children in general.  I knew in college that my career choice would involve working with kids in some form.  I love the joy that kids bring, their smiles, their laughs, their silly personalities.  I love watching them grow and learn new things!  Most of all, I love seeing how proud they become when they’ve finally achieved something they have been working so hard on.

What do you love about home health? I love the flexibility of making my own schedule.  I also love working with kids in their most comfortable environment and building close relationships with their families.  I also love working on functional rehab, and goals that are important for this person/family to achieve to make their lives easier at home and in the community.

What are your favorite patient populations within peds and why? I think my favorite populations are babies because they usually make obvious gains/improvements, and of course are so cute and adorable! I also like the 3-4-year-old range because they have more developed personalities, and become more creative with their play skills.  In reality, kids any age are so much fun!!

What do you love about T2K? I absolutely love the culture we have going here at T2K.  We are close, like a family, and we do what we can to support one another not only in the workplace, but in our lives as well!  When I was new to the company, there’s always support for mentoring and advising, which made the transition to the new job very smooth. My colleagues went out of their way to introduce themselves and made me feel welcomed to the company. There was always someone available, in the office or in the field, who could provide ssistance when I had questions, concerns or needed guidance.  I never felt alone.   I truly believe T2K has played an integral part in shaping the therapist that I am today, and I am proud to have been a part of this family for almost 10 years.

Why do you choose this career (peds, home health, special needs, medically fragile, etc)? I came to T2K right after I graduated PT school.  I knew that I wanted to work in pediatrics, having completed extra training/clinical experience with the pediatric population prior to graduation.  I had not worked in the home health setting before, but felt prepared to do the best I could for these patients and families.  I also had the solid support from T2K, and felt comfortable spreading my wings, and I haven’t left since!

What are some struggles/challenges you have and face in this setting? I suppose time management with regards to scheduling, traffic, the needs of the families, and time needed for documentation were challenges that took practice to work through and become as efficient as possible.   In addition, learning to navigate language differences and communication styles among families and caregivers was also a challenge worth overcoming.

How do you navigate these challenges? I try to maintain a written, consistent schedule with my families so that we can be as productive as possible.  In addition, I’ve learned how to use my time efficiently to be able to document more during my work day, rather than at home.  I’ve also learned quite a bit of Spanish while trying to communicate with my Spanish speaking families!

What brings you joy outside of work? Spending time with family, including my loving partner, Stewart, our 9-month-old daughter, Aria, my 14 y/o step daughter, Zoë, my 12y/o step son, Phoenix, and our fur baby, Mizzie.  We also love to visit our extended families in Houston and Kansas City.  We enjoy spectating and supporting our big kids at BVB soccer games and middle school athletic events.  We love watching Aria grow and learn as well!  We love to travel in general, go camping, hike, scuba dive, bike ride, watch movies, and play board games. I also love tp run (upcoming: Chicago marathon 2020) and do triathlons!