Pushing Pediatrics Podcast

20/02/2024

FINAL WEEK OF EPISODES
For Season 3
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Join us as we release our final episodes of Season 3! You all who are taking the PCS exam are ALMOST THERE! Hang in there!
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18/01/2024

RESOURCE
Pediatric Glascow Coma Scale
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The Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) is used to determine the severity after a traumatic brain injury. The Pediatric GCS is slightly different than the adult version, so it’s definitely something to be aware of and know. We put this on our daily study guide to memorize and keep fresh in our minds.
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Remember – a mild TBI is a score of 13-15; moderate is a score of 9-12; and severe is a score of 3-8.
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Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics is available NOW on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Please rate, review, and subscribe!
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Haven’t bought a MedBridge subscription yet to access the PCS prep course? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off of your subscription!
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08/01/2024

We are back!
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After a few weeks of rest and family time, we are ready to jump back in with you! Episodes resume again tomorrow. Don’t forget to subscribe for access to our exclusive Friday content!
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For those of you studying, begin to reflect on where you’re at and what you still need to do to finish all of the content well before exam time. We will have a post on this later this week!
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If you haven’t bought MedBridge yet, don’t forget to use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your subscription!

18/12/2023

We will be taking the next two weeks off of episodes to spend time with our loved ones celebrating the holidays. We encourage you to take some time away from studying and spend it with those you love. We will talk to you all in the new year!

05/12/2023

NEW THIS WEEK
DCD and ID
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Join us this week as we go through Developmental Coordination Disorder and Children with Intellectual disabilities.
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Haven’t bought a MedBridge subscription yet to access the PCS prep course? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your MedBridge Subscription!
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14/11/2023

New Episode
LIMB DEFICIENCIES AND ORTHOPEDIC CONDITIONS
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Join us this week as we dive into a packed episode going over limb deficiencies (including amputations) and orthopedic conditions.
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Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics is available NOW on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Be sure to subscribe for our bonus episodes on Fridays.
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Haven’t bought a MedBridge subscription yet to access the PCS prep course? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your MedBridge Subscription!
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06/11/2023

STUDY TIP
Join a study group
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Most of you have done this already, but joining a study group was one of the best decisions that we made during our studying. I mean, how else would Sheila and Sara have met each other?! We utilized our study group heavily. We began by splitting up the Campbell book into chapters and made them into study guides. Once we finished this, we began by meeting 1-2 times per month to go over material and practice exams. By the end of our study journey, we were meeting weekly and sometimes twice weekly. Having a group made it easy to structure our studying and also helped us to understand and grasp material better. We all had our different strengths and weaknesses.
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Our study group was from all over – Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and New York. We utilized a virtual platform to meet for our study sessions and also had a group chat going. It was nice to always have people to ask questions to, and also to help explain practice exam questions that we may have gotten wrong but did not understand why.
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Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics is available NOW on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Please rate, review, and subscribe!
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Haven’t bought a MedBridge subscription yet to access the PCS prep course? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your MedBridge Subscription!
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31/10/2023

Read the recommended readings
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While this task may sound daunting because there are SO many articles our there, make sure to incorporate recommended readings into your study schedule and plan.
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Both and have lists of recommended articles to read throughout your studying. These articles are important to read and consider because they are well researched and important topics that could come up on exam questions.
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The way we broke up the articles is we took the list and divided them up based on their content into the sections that we were studying. That way, we only had a maximum of 4-5 articles to go through at a time, rather than reading ALL of the articles at the end of our study schedule. This was definitely helpful for us, as there were some articles that we referenced throughout our study process.
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Of note: newer articles that come out at the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024 may not be tested on the 2024 exam, but they are still good to keep in mind. For example, Novak came out with a revised State of the Evidence for CP article at the beginning of 2020, but because it was so new, we knew that we would not be tested on it. We referred to her older State of the Evidence article for our exam studying, but still read through the revised version for our own clinical knowledge.
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Novak I, Morgan C, Fahey M, Finch-Edmondson M, Galea C, Hines A, Langdon K, Namara MM, Paton MC, Popat H, Shore B, Khamis A, Stanton E, Finemore OP, Tricks A, Te Velde A, Dark L, Morton N, Badawi N. State of the Evidence Traffic Lights 2019: Systematic Review of Interventions for Preventing and Treating Children with Cerebral Palsy. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2020 Feb 21;20(2):3. doi: 10.1007/s11910-020-1022-z. PMID: 32086598; PMCID: PMC7035308.
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24/10/2023

Join our email list!
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Follow the steps from the post above to join our email list! Emails are sent weekly and are packed with resources, study tips, and more!
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27/09/2023

Social Determinants of Health
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5 things influence the social determinants of health:
-Social and community context
-Economic stability
-Education access and quality
-Health care access and quality
-Neighborhood and built environment.
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According to the book, social determinants of health contribute to 80-90% of health outcomes.
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Some ways that we can integrate social determinants of health into our care include:
-Advocate for social change to reduce barriers to health equity
-Build community partnerships and collaborate with community wide initiatives
-Practice trauma informed care
-Screen for social determinants of health and improve responsiveness to the child and family
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Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics is out NOW on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
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25/09/2023

STUDY TIP
Set a start date
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Set yourself a study start date. Circle it on your calendar. Organize your resources beforehand. Pick a subject or topic to start with. Starting is the hardest part.
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It is not about motivation, it’s about discipline. You will not always be motivated. Some days will be tough. Recognize when to push through and when to take a break. Keeping yourself on a schedule will not only keep you disciplined, but will keep your eye on the prize.
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Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics is out TOMORROW on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
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22/09/2023

SEASON 3 STARTS NEXT WEEK!
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We are so excited to start sharing Season 3 of Pushing Pediatrics with you next week! This season, we will be going through the Campbell 6th edition chapter by chapter. This is the most recent version of the textbook and is one of our most recommended resources.
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Each week, we will release two episodes – one on Tuesday for free and one on Friday for paid subscribers only. Tuesday will be a pure content episode with Friday being a mixture of practice questions, article reviews, and case studies.

Subscribe below or click the link in our bio:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pushingpediatrics/subscribe
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We cannot wait to go on this journey with you.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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21/09/2023

19/09/2023

Creating a study group
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Joining a study group was one of the best decisions that we made during our studying. I mean, how else would Sheila and Sara have met each other?! We utilized our study group heavily. We began by splitting up the Campbell book into chapters and made them into study guides. Once we finished this, we began by meeting 1-2 times per month to go over material and practice exams. By the end of our study journey, we were meeting weekly and sometimes twice weekly. Having a group made it easy to structure our studying and also helped us to understand and grasp material better. We all had our different strengths and weaknesses.
—---
Our study group was from all over – Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and New York. We utilized a virtual platform to meet for our study sessions and also had a group chat going. It was nice to always have people to ask questions to, and also to help explain practice exam questions that we may have gotten wrong but did not understand why.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out of September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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18/09/2023

What is a “daily study guide”?
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We mention our own personal study guides a lot, but really, what are they? Both of us created a daily study guide that we looked at (almost) every day. The study guide included things that we could memorize, images that were easy to look at, and other information that we had a difficult time remembering for one reason or the other. Some examples include the bell curve, Glasgow Coma Scale, and the CMT severity levels.
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A daily study guide can be short and sweet. Sara’s was 3 pages. It was easy to look at anytime and it didn’t take long to go over. Sara also created a separate document that was a “master” study guide that had information from studying and the practice exams that she didn’t know or remember at the time, but that was a separate document that she went over periodically.
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An example of a daily study guide is provided as a video on the second slide. Remember, we are providing suggestions on what worked for US. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be the best study tool for you. Absolutely do what is best for you and what feels right. We are here to provide suggestions but ultimately, this is about you and your study journey.
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Questions, comments, suggestions? Send us a DM or comment below!
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14/09/2023

CREATING A STUDY PLAN
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Creating a study plan can feel overwhelming and stressful. Start off by setting a start date. This will at least give you a starting point! Next, choose one resource that will structure your study plan. We used the MedBridge content to give us topics to study for each week or weeks, depending on how much content there was for each subject. We then filled in our other resources (Campbell, PCS Advantage, recommended readings, etc.) that matched that topic. This helped to keep us organized and on topic each week, and we knew what was expected for us.
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Set yourself up with a study plan that works for you. If that’s studying a little bit every day, that’s great. However, if that just means studying three days a week, that’s great, too! Make sure that your study plan is realistic for your schedule and fits within your lifestyle. If you have kids and a family, account for that. If you have a full time and part time job, account for that, too.
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Plan your schedule around important dates, such as holidays, birthdays, weddings, or other events that you are wanting to attend. Make your study plan work for you.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out of September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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12/09/2023

Where do I even start?
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You’ve signed up for the test. You’ve started collecting your resources. Now, where do you start?
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It’s really up to you at this point. What makes your brain feel best? Does it help to create a study plan first? Does it help to get a study partner or group solidified? Does it help to get your resources organized?
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A big suggestion from us would be to set yourself a start date. Figure out when that is for you. For us, our study group went through Campbell with a goal of getting through all of the book chapters assigned (we split up the chapters and made study guides for each) by the end of October of our study year. That was our first step but kicked us into study mode without it being too strenuous or overwhelming to start.
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We always say this and will continue to say it as the season goes on – study how you study best. Do what has always worked for you. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out of September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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10/09/2023

CONGRATULATIONS!
Our giveaway winner is !
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You have won a subscription to PCS advantage!
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Check your DMs for a message from us!
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07/09/2023

MEET SHEILA
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Sheila is an accomplished pediatric physical therapist who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her practice. She is currently based in Hawaii on the island of O'ahu and is board certified in pediatrics. In 2021, Sheila passed the PCS exam, further demonstrating her expertise in the field. She currently works in a pediatric outpatient clinic on the island and is also an Adjunct Faculty member with Hawai'i Pacific University's DPT program, where she shares her knowledge and experience with aspiring physical therapists. Sheila is also an active member of the APTA PCS Prep Committee and serves as Faculty for the APTA Pediatric Certified Specialist (PCS) Exam Preparation Course, contributing to the ongoing development and education of her fellow professionals. Her dedication to her profession and commitment to ongoing learning make her an invaluable asset to the pediatric physical therapy community.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out on September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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06/09/2023

MEET SARA
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Sara is a pediatric physical therapist who has been practicing in the field for six years. After graduating from PT school in 2017, she returned to her home city in Upstate/Western New York with her now husband. Sara passed the PCS exam in 2021, making her a board certified pediatric clinical specialist. She currently works as a school based physical therapist in a school for children and young adults with severe and complex physical, cognitive, and behavioral needs. Sara is an active member of the APTA, serving as the co-chair on the APPT Mentoring program subcommittee and is a credentialed clinical instructor. In addition to physical therapy, Sara is also a certified group exercise instructor and personal trainer, and volunteers at GiGis Playhouse, a center for individuals with Down Syndrome. Sara’s goal as a clinician is to better the lives of the children and young adults that she works with through gaining knowledge and expertise and aspires to teach new graduates and physical therapy students in the future.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out on September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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05/09/2023

What is Pushing Pediatrics?
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Welcome, we are so happy that you are here! We are Pushing Pediatrics, an educational physical therapy podcast dedicated to providing evidence based information on pediatric physical therapy. Our episodes are geared and focused towards those studying to become Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialists and sitting for the speciality exam, but hope we can reach and educate anyone who is interested in pediatric physical therapy.
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Check out our first content episode of Season 3, out on September 26th, 2023.
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Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream for FREE on Spotify and Apple Podcasts NOW.
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DISCLAIMER: This podcast was created as an adjunct for those studying for the PCS exam. By no means do we guarantee that one will pass the exam solely by listening to this podcast. We encourage all those studying for the exam to put the appropriate time and effort into their studying using resources recommended by the ABPTS and the APTA. It is not allowed to discuss test content and we will not accept any questions related to test content. While we will do our best to provide the most accurate information, if you feel as though we have stated something that is incorrect, please contact us via Instagram or Facebook at pushingpediatrics, or send us an email at [email protected].
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04/09/2023

GIVEAWAY!
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We are SO EXCITED to team up with to offer you all a chance to win a subscription to one of our favorite resources, PCS Advantage, for the 2024 exam cycle! We talk about this resource all the time, but for those of you unfamiliar, this resource has a plethora of study guides, over 350 practice exam questions, a list of recommended readings, and an online forum where you can ask questions and receive answers from the creators (a $250 value). If you have listened to some of our older episodes, you may have heard creators Helen and Jessica guest star on some of our podcast episodes. They will be back this year, so stay tuned!
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TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY, YOU MUST:

1.) Follow both and

2.) Like this post

3.) Comment below what your WHY is for taking the PCS exam in 2024

If you already purchased your PCS Advantage subscription for this exam cycle, that’s okay! RehabKnowledge will reimburse your cost if you win the giveaway.
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The giveaway begins TODAY, Monday, September 4th, 2023 and closes at 5pm EST on Friday, September 8th, 2023. The winner will be chosen and notified on Saturday, September 9th, 2023.
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GOOD LUCK and happy studying!
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01/09/2023

$150 OFF OF YOUR MEDBRIDGE SUBSCRIPTION
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Haven’t bought your MedBridge subscription yet to complete the PCS Prep course? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off of your subscription!
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You can also head to the link below:
https://www.medbridgeeducation.com/pushing-pediatrics
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30/08/2023

RESOURCE
Meeting the Physical Therapy Needs of Children
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This book (also referred to as the Effgan text) is a great additional resource to have in your study toolbox! It is referenced heavily in practice questions, PCS Advantage, and MedBridge. It is definitely great to have on hand alongside Campbell. Susan K. Effgan is also a presenter at the Advanced Clinical Practice in Pediatrics course (which we will feature tomorrow), so you know this information is valuable!
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Find this book on our Amazon storefront:
https://amzn.to/47OluH6
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24/08/2023

RESOURCES
APTA Fact Sheets
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If you haven’t heard about these yet, you definitely need to check them out! The pediatric section of the APTA has created fact sheets for clinicians with important information on a variety of topics. A lot of the topics that we are required to study for the PCS exam have been condensed into these handy dandy facts sheets. The fact sheets are easy to read and have a lot of helpful information in them!
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A few examples of fact sheets include one on outcome measures, child abuse and neglect, autism, and physical fitness. These are definitely worth taking a look at!
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In Season 1,, we dedicated one episode per week just to these fact sheets, with some updates in Season 2. There are A LOT of fact sheets, which feels overwhelming at times, but most only take about 2-5 minutes to read through. Disperse them here and there throughout your study schedule to make it feel like something you can accomplish.
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You can find the fact sheets at https://pediatricapta.org/fact-sheets/
Make sure you follow the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy at
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23/08/2023

RESOURCE
Physical Therapy Case Files: Pediatrics
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This was one of Sara’s favorite resources while studying! The Case Files book was very easy to read and the chapters were not overwhelming. Each chapter starts off with a case study, followed by a chapter of information on the specific diagnosis. At the end of each case, there are reflection questions to challenge your thinking about how you would treat the child in the case. At the end of each chapter, there are multiple choice questions.
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While the chapters are short, they are PACKED with information. This book was a great resource to go back to during studying if you are looking for some brief info on a diagnosis, an outcome measure, or an intervention.
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Our group compiled the multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter into one document (it was about 175ish questions in total) and took it as an additional practice exam. Sara also went through and answered all of the reflection questions at the end of each case as short answer questions to really test her knowledge on the information.
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CITATION:
Pelletier, E. S., & Jobst, E. E. (2015). Case Files in Physical Therapy Pediatrics. McGraw-Hill Education.
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22/08/2023

RESOURCES
Evidence Based Physical Therapy
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This is one book that Sheila highly recommends! It is a great resource to help you better understand research and statistics. We wish we found this earlier in our studying than we did! Of note, we also refer to this as Linda Fetter’s book in our podcasts.
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The book does a great job detailing research and statistics within each chapter and provides examples of how to utilize the content within physical therapy practice. This is extremely important because even though we may know what a term means, we also need to know how to interpret the term within a test question when necessary.
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Sheila also said that this book had the best explanation of sensitivity and specificity, which everyone knows is always confusing. Check it out and let us know what you think!
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CITATION:
Fetters, L., & Tilson, J. (2018). Evidence Based Physical Therapy (2nd ed.). F.A. Davis Company.
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17/08/2023

RESOURCE
PCS Advantage
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You’ve heard us talk about and repost post frequently, and you may hear creators Helen and Jessica often this season!! PCS Advantage was one of our best resources we used during our studying. This resource has a plethora of study guides, three 100 question practice exams, a list of recommended readings, and an online forum where you can ask questions and receive answers from the creators. This year, they have even MORE to offer you all!
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We split up all of the study guides and recommended readings from PCS Advantage and dispersed them throughout our study schedule. We constantly referred back to their study guides throughout our studying because they are well organized and easy to understand. The exams were challenging, but we felt as though they prepared us the best for the actual exam.
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The program is available for $250 and (in our opinion) it is worth every penny. We loved the content and thought it was so useful during our prep.
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Stream ALL of Seasons 1 and 2 of Pushing Pediatrics on Spotify or Apple Podcasts NOW! Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
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16/08/2023

RESOURCES
MedBridge Online PCS Prep Course
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MedBridge is an online service that offers continuing education for health care professionals. They have many, many videos to chose from on all difference subject matter and topics.
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Their 16-week PCS Prep Course was one resource that we used heavily. We based our study pan off of this resource because it was easy to follow an easy to use. The program has pediatric physical therapy continuing education videos divided between different subject areas, along with recommended readings, resources, and four 75-question practice exams.
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One benefit of this program is that you can receive continuing education credits for the videos you watch (depending on what state you practice in). There is also an app that you can download to take the learning on the go! If you are one who does well watching and listening to videos, as well as taking practice questions and exams, this resource will definitely be useful for you.
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Visit https://www.medbridgeeducation.com/pcs-prep/ for more information, or follow them on Instagram at
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Haven’t purchased your MedBridge subscription yet? Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off of your year long subscription!
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Stream ALL of Season 1 and 2 of Pushing Pediatrics on Spotify or Apple Podcasts NOW! Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
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15/08/2023

RESOURCES
Campbell’s Physical Therapy for Children 6th Edition
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The 6th edition is here! This year, we will be utilizing Campbell’s 6th edition. Almost everyone who took the exam before us said if we read Campbell, we were golden.
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We began by splitting up the book’s chapters within our study group and making outlines for each chapter. We then divided these up to go along in each block of content that we studied during our 16 week study plan.
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We can’t stress enough how important this book is! While diversifying your study materials are extremely important, this book is definitely one to read front to back and utilize significantly.
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We do recognize that there are previous editions that people may have. The older Campbell books have some chapters that are NOT included in the 6th edition of Campbell. Previous editions can also be very useful to supplement information that may not be included in the 6th edition.
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CITATION:
Palisano, R. J., Orlin, M. N., & Shreiber, J. (2024). Campbell’s Physical Therapy for Children (6th ed.). Elsevier.
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