USAHS Alumni working for Memorial Healthcare System pose for a group shot. Front row from left to right: Karina Ingegneri, Sharon Gregory, Tiffany Noya Back row left to right: Gerard Talbot-Paul, Daneu Abreu, Daniel Tobon, Eduard Leiva
USAHS Alumni working for Memorial Healthcare System pose for a group shot. Front row from left to right: Karina Ingegneri, Sharon Gregory, Tiffany Noya. Back row left to right: Gerard Talbot-Paul, Daneu Abreu, Daniel Tobon, Eduard Leiva.
USAHS alumni Eduard Leiva, DPT (DPT ’19), and Karina Ingegneri, PT, DPT, ATC/L (DPT ’19), both part of the first graduating cohort of the Miami campus DPT program, are strong advocates for clinical education. They talked to Accolades about the value of clinical education and how they collaborate to provide opportunities for PT students on their clinical rotations and beyond.
The PT clinic at Memorial Healthcare System’s East Hollywood location is one of the largest in the South Florida area. Part of a general outpatient clinic that sees the full range of patients discharged from the hospital’s in-patient rehab, as well as patients from surgical and other providers in the area, the PT clinic is headed up by USAHS graduate Eduard Leiva, DPT.
Dr. Leiva and USAHS Associate Director of Clinical Education, Assistant Professor, PT Programs at the Miami campus Karina Ingegneri, who works per diem at the Memorial PT clinic, are more than just old college friends. They are hands-on supporters of the USAHS DPT program, welcoming students on clinical rotations as well as hiring USAHS graduates onto the Memorial PT team.
“Sometimes finding a clinical placement is hard, so knowing that we can send students to a place where they can learn what they need to learn and be safe is great,” says Dr. Ingegneri, whose primary role in her position as Associate Director of Clinical Education in the DPT program is ensuring students complete their three clinical placements required to graduate.
Dr. Leiva’s clinic accepts about six USAHS students each year, two per trimester. Because the clinic is part of a hospital-based outpatient system, students gain exposure to a wide range of diagnoses and patient populations.
“We see all of the PT diagnoses they learn about in school, so we are able to give them an extremely well-rounded experience,” he says.
“Because of the skill it takes to see all the different kinds of patients from all the different specialties, it can be a challenging internship. But by the end of it, they are ready to tackle any entry-level PT role in the field.”
The clinic employs 25 full-time physical therapists, many of whom hold specialty certifications. This allows students with particular interests to work closely with clinicians who practice in those areas. The clinic’s location also provides interdisciplinary opportunities, with occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists on site. In addition, the building houses the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital pediatric PT clinic, giving students exposure to pediatric care.
“They can match for therapies in a certain PT specialty, and since we have it all, we can move them around so they can experience everything we offer,” Dr. Leiva says. “They also get experience working with techs, PTAs and therapists at all levels.”
Dr. Ingegneri notes that the clinic’s one-on-one patient model is another advantage.
“Because it is hospital-based, all patients are seen individually, which gives students more time to spend with the patient as well as more time to work on their notes,” she says.
Students also benefit from access to the Epic System, which allows them to view electronic health records across the regional healthcare network. “Students can see past history, medications and interact with physicians and surgeons if needed,” Dr. Ingegneri says. “That is something they would not experience at a standalone PT clinic.”
Beyond hands-on patient care, students participate in a variety of continuing education activities, including lunch-and-learns, in-services, a sports journal club that hosts monthly webinars, and orthopedic surgeon, resident and PT presentations that offer continuing education credits. At the end of their internship, students complete an exit or mock interview with Dr. Leiva to prepare for future job searches.
The benefits of hosting students extend far beyond the additional support they provide, Dr. Leiva says. “It keeps my therapists sharp. We are teaching the students, and they are also teaching us. It keeps us alert and up to date,” he says.
“While we are shaping the next generation of physical therapists, we are getting them to be better than we are, which helps the entire profession continue to improve.”
That commitment to developing new clinicians has also strengthened the clinic’s workforce. In his six years at Memorial, including three as manager, Dr. Leiva has hired eight full-time PTs who graduated from USAHS. “We have had a really good experience hiring USAHS graduates,” he says. “They hit the ground running and work well together. They are always ready, and they make me proud to have them as part of our team.”
For both alumni, supporting clinical education is a way to give back to the program that shaped their careers. It is also a way to ensure that future PTs enter the field with confidence, competence and a strong foundation in patient-centered care.
Sharon Gregory, DPT, COMT, CLT (DPT ’19)
Physical Therapist II, Memorial Regional Hospital South
Certifications: Orthopedic manual therapy; Lymphedema therapy
“I was fortunate to have such positive experiences during my clinical rotations while attending USAHS that it fostered my own interest in becoming a clinical instructor. My clinical instructors taught me so much about building rapport with patients, having difficult conversations and continuing to grow as a PT.
I believe that one of the best ways to impact the future of the profession is to support the growth of students and new clinicians. The PT and rehab world is small, so when it comes to first jobs and new graduates, word of mouth is a powerful tool. I have had two students go on to work for Memorial, one of whom is a USAHS graduate, and I regularly take USAHS students in an effort to give back to my alma mater.”
