Backed by decades of experience producing exceptional clinical outcomes, Kintinu Telerehab connects recovery to everyday life. In this podcast, we explore hot topics in rehabilitation, the keys to personal growth and recovery, and how to apply it all to the real-world.
In this episode of Kintinu’d Conversations, Brad Dexter sits down with Connor Davis and Dani Gruber, two dynamic physical therapists from QLI. From transitions in their respective careers to working with diverse patient populations, they will share their journeys from their first year as team members at QLI.
Connor and Dani take us through the unique culture of QLI, a place where learning is encouraged, humility is valued, and gratitude is expressed freely. They open up about the challenges of transitioning from PT school to the real world and the key role played by their mentors and colleagues in helping them find their niche. With an emphasis on the importance of a collective approach in rehabilitation, their experiences serve as an exciting and insightful guide for anyone interested in the landscape of physical therapy.
Listen to the episode on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Backed by decades of experience producing exceptional clinical outcomes, Kintinu Telerehab connects recovery to everyday life. In this podcast, we explore hot topics in rehabilitation, the keys to personal growth and recovery, and how to apply it all to the real-world.
In this episode of Kintinu’d Conversations, Brad Dexter sits down with Connor Davis and Dani Gruber, two dynamic physical therapists from QLI. From transitions in their respective careers to working with diverse patient populations, they will share their journeys from their first year as team members at QLI.
Connor and Dani take us through the unique culture of QLI, a place where learning is encouraged, humility is valued, and gratitude is expressed freely. They open up about the challenges of transitioning from PT school to the real world and the key role played by their mentors and colleagues in helping them find their niche. With an emphasis on the importance of a collective approach in rehabilitation, their experiences serve as an exciting and insightful guide for anyone interested in the landscape of physical therapy.
Listen to the episode on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Welcome to continued conversations where we explore hot topics and rehabilitation, the keys to personal growth and how to apply it all to the real world. Hey, welcome back to the conversation. I'm Brad Dexter, and in the studio today I have Connor Davis and Danny Gruber with me. They have each been a QLI for a little over a year now and roles as physical therapists within our team. So thanks for joining me, guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bro, happy to be here.
Speaker 1:We're going to take a little bit of a winding path. Like I said, you guys have been here for just over a year. Let you guys share your stories a little bit here and ask you a few questions about the journey in the last year and what you've learned from it. But before we dive into some of that, quick question for you What is the best most recent discovery that you've had?
Speaker 3:My best, most recent discovery is these little lids that you put on baby food pouches that prevent it from squirting out everywhere.
Speaker 1:Beautiful.
Speaker 3:So they have to suck to get the fruit out.
Speaker 1:That's a message That seems like something you could use to counter.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, actually In fact, yeah, there's. what is that? Apple sauce stuff in those little pouches usually ends up on the floor.
Speaker 3:That's what it is.
Speaker 2:Mine has to do with Wes, my son, who's one and a half. It's a really good discovery, but also frightening, because they're watching everything you're doing Right. And so the other day I was like I tackled him right Like just a fake tackle, And now he does that every time he sees his mom And it actually like he's trained, he's like learning how to tackle well And I'm like this is not good. Mom does not want you playing football, Like anyway, it's just funny, like all the mannerisms you have, like your kids will pick up on it And that's like such a good thing, but also a little bit scary, because sometimes you don't know what you're doing until that you see it in them, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure You're like oh, maybe I shouldn't have done that Exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:So you guys have each been at QLI, probably celebrated your one year anniversaries here in the last couple months or so. right, danny, can you kind of tell us I mean, you came from the classroom into the clinic, maybe share a little bit of your story, and how did you end up at QLI?
Speaker 3:Yeah, i'd love to. I had the opportunity during PT school to take part as a student here at QLI, so that's how I was introduced to QLI itself.
Speaker 3:My journey was a little bit different. Getting into PT school, i went to undergrad at UNO and I had a major in advertising and PR as well as marketing. So nothing related really to this world of healthcare. But as I was transitioning on and working in sales for a couple years, it was just in my heart that, gosh, i'm going to be 40 years old someday and really regretting that I didn't go for what I knew I wanted to do all from the beginning. So I went back to school and full sported my husband He's like all right, i'll work and you go back to school Took the prereqs And then I went to UNMC and was a student, as I said, introduced to this world, which is very different from most in the rehab world, and then, thankfully, i got a job here.
Speaker 1:So just like that. It was that easy, No, no no, no, no.
Speaker 3:I think it's good connections, good connections, right. So we see, you know, when people and relationships are developing. That helped, i think, jumpstart that.
Speaker 1:Did you think you'd be working with the populations that you're working with at QLI?
Speaker 3:Yeah, So when I was a student I was brain injury and stroke. I had a wonderful CI and I learned a lot. And then when I got hired on actually up until a couple of days before I started I thought I was going to be in that and I found out I was in spinal cord injury.
Speaker 2:So to my surprise.
Speaker 1:I was yes.
Speaker 3:I was quite a little bit nervous and excited at the same time to learn. But yeah, so the transition just being a new student to a rehab facility that is quite intense is amazing but also a little bit intimidating.
Speaker 1:How are you Conor?
Speaker 2:Well, i ended up at Nebraska Westland in Lincoln after starting my college at Benedictine College. I was pre-med track then quickly realized that sticking people with needles and then having injections going is not the path I wanted to go. So I was like, how do I be with people and practice medicine, but outside the body? And that's how I found physical therapy. I realized quickly that Atchison, kansas, didn't have many places that I could shadow to figure out what PTs do. At that point I decided to move to Lincoln and then actually shadow at Madonna to then decide that I wanted to go the PT route. So I was exercise science there, got into Regis in Denver, got through PT school 2018 and then got a job in Pueblo, colorado, in a hospital-based outpatient just real mixed setting which was by design. I really wanted that. I really wanted to get a broad scope of all different injuries, all different people, all different socioeconomic statuses, just so I knew where I wanted to go with my career. And so four years of that was plenty of time.
Speaker 2:In Pueblo, we had Wes and my wife said are we moving to Denver, where my family is, or which mine, not my wife's family? are we moving to Omaha where her family is. I was like well, i'm not sure, i'm tired of Denver, let's, let's try something, you know. And so at that point, through my friend group that lives here from the Wesleyan days, corey, one of our OTs found out that I was moving here and he just threw out, hey, you should really apply at this QLI place. Like we have a rare opening man and I'd be pleased to work. Like I appreciate, corey, i'll find my own job. I think so, you know, definitely. And then he kept you know.
Speaker 2:Another month goes by and like, have you applied for that QLI job? And this is he's really pushing me on this, i should really look into it. And so I did and that at that moment I knew like man, corey's really sticking an arm out for me. He's really wanting me to Be able to succeed here and be at a place that he knew I would love and be successful. So then at that point I applied and went through the interview process And I'm like so glad I did, because my plan was just to get out here, find a Part-time home health job and a part-time other thing and then dry needle people on the side, make some money. You know, i didn't know What we were gonna do, but I knew it would work out, so I'm thankful for him, for sure, yeah so that I want to kind of grab onto that.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad I did part of what you just said said because I think You know one of the things that everyone that works at QI loves is the culture. It's unique and From your guys's perspective, what's that? What has that been like for you in the last 12 months here, danny, you've you've been in the workforce, gone back to school and and started at QLI, and Connor, you, you were working elsewhere, right, and so you have a little different perspective that way. But can you guys maybe just speak to that and and How that's impacted you in the first year on the job at QLI?
Speaker 2:Yeah, i can start Yeah, I think, a little backster. As a student, i always wanted to be Get to the point in my career where I felt very comfortable and almost felt like a leader on the team and like Collaborative and you're not just nervous all the time, you know. And it took me a while to do that at my last place and I felt like I did accomplish that and it felt good and felt really hard to leave. And even with that, i felt there were days where I'd be in my car at seven o'clock in the morning, sitting in the parking lot like Man. I'm really dreading the next nine hours, like I I'd like my job.
Speaker 2:I help people. I don't really want to go in there right now. I'd rather do something else, which I mean that's, that's how it works, like we all have to work, but it might as well be at somewhere where you like to be too, and so That's kind of what I knew, and nothing against where I work before. But when I told Megan the other day in my yearly review, i said I can honestly say I haven't had that parking lot moment Where I'm sitting there. I really don't want to go, and there's times, yeah, i'd rather be with my family than be here at work. But like I haven't, like, when I get here, i'm, i'm, a hundred percent held in Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's. That's how it's been for me The last year, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, i think the culture at QLI is so much of the reason I wanted a job here. So when I was a student I I cried when I left and I thought, gosh, i'm never gonna have that opportunity. Just because It is such a cool place and people don't tend to leave quickly here And there's kind of this joke I've been hearing of some new residents come in and they say gosh, what are you guys drinking in the water? You know That's it's true, though It sounds almost too good to be true, but I think it's just. It's almost an expectation that when you're an employee here that You're just a little bit different.
Speaker 3:And I think QLI is very decisive and intricate with how they hire people In the hiring process and why that is so in depth and there's so many different personalities. Here too, it's not like we're all the same. You know It's. There's so many different personalities but figuring out how to be cohesive and here for the same purpose, i think when you come in you have to feel it. It's hard to even verbally explain, but you walk in and you know that something's different here.
Speaker 1:What are you all drinking there? What's in the water? People have been asking that for 30 years too, really, you know. So there's consistency, that's for sure. That's really cool. So, you know, just being being in a new job right, there's an element of like learning the skills that you need for that job, right, but also learning the company a little bit too, and like finding your place, understanding the language, how to operate with other team members. Can you guys just maybe talk about how you navigated that here in the first year? and and maybe you know, for anyone that's coming behind you, like, what kind of advice would you have for them too?
Speaker 2:I didn't know what to expect because I've only had one PT job before that and you're a new grad and so they expect you not to know anything essentially, and then you get your second job. Well, yeah, i've been a PT for four years. I've worked with people that have spinal cord injury in an outpatient setting. I've worked with people with brain injury. I know the population. But do I do popover transfers every day, all day? No.
Speaker 2:So I think coming into it with a lot of humility, that's super important And I think that's important in general, just in life.
Speaker 2:But as a PT we all know you got through PT school You don't need to prove how smart you are, just show up, learn from the people that have been doing it and express gratitude when they teach you how they do it, so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. So that's how I've tried to approach it, as I'm really trying to hit the ground running and take on the house. Six case load was really leaning on Anna, who was the PT before I got here for that house, and just hey, teach me your tricks as fast as you can, as safe as you can, because I want to do it as well as you, you know that thing And I think having that open communication of like, you're not going to hurt my feelings when you tell me to do it differently or ask me to approach something differently In terms of, like, the physical therapy skills. That's what I, that's how I've approached the learning curve, and there's obviously so many other roles or hats that we wear here that I'm still learning how to navigate.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think I think, like you said you said it, conor like it's a, it's a big learning curve anywhere you go. But we were just talking about this, the tridimensional rehab that QLI offers and that you know, we spoke a ton about this in PT school with whole person care, And that's kind of how I look at tridimensional rehab in a simpler term, but with that meaning involvement of, you know, medical team and clinical team and then our house team and how important they all are And we just spoke about this yesterday, or meeting of just they don't work. One doesn't work without the other. You have to have them all together.
Speaker 3:So I almost think me coming into this year and learning these things a little almost opposite of what you were saying, because I did work in the the quote unquote real world for a few years non-traditional student, a little older, going back to school, coming here. Although it's my first PT job, it's not my first job. So I think just I had to find a real balance of humbleness but also with confidence. There was a lot of things I think I struggled more with confidence. Surprisingly, i it's easier for me to be humble and just kind of doubt myself in those situations, whereas a new grad, i had to remind myself you do know things. Just because you're in your first year, it doesn't mean you don't know things. So humbling, but also confidence and balancing skills, but with willingness to learn, i think it was my big thing for the first year.
Speaker 1:It's been. It's been a hot minute since I was a student now, but I did have a rotation at QLI as well And I was going to PT school and one of the like best things that I was told even before I started was Hey, you know, you'll have a lot to learn from the PTs here as a PT student, but there are a lot of other people to learn from around here too, and I think you guys really just captured that in in what you're talking about, like, hey, i've got my roles and I'm learning some of those specific skill sets, but I've also got a lot of different people that make this whole thing move forward right.
Speaker 1:We always talk about picking up the shattered pieces of life, putting those back together again for people, and it's not just a physical aspect of their lives that that is being addressed, it's all of these other aspects that really contribute to healing and moving forward again, not just for individuals that we're serving in the rehab process, but their families and their support systems as well. And so I love hearing you guys talk about some of that and even just recognizing your, your place on the team and how to support one another and and how to support the team as well. So it's really cool. So one thing I think about you know you guys are PTs, but a skill that I think a lot of people probably develop when they start working at QLI is a skill of having challenging conversations right Along those lines, of helping people pick up the the shattered pieces of life again.
Speaker 1:you're often times, you know, in a position where you may be consoling. you have people that are in grief, you have people that are, you know having really a really tough day. How have you guys maybe started to learn that skill of having challenging conversations? Do you have maybe any examples of how that's gone well for you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think so. Interestingly enough, I was just talking to another coworker about a month ago. I probably had the hardest conversation yet in my career my one year career. But as soon as I got on, like I had mentioned, I thought I was going to be working with brain injury and stroke, which entails quite a bit different conversations. When you come into spinal cord injury those conversations look a lot different because they're generally cognitively intact. So the conversations over the last year, as you said, have just come through experience and natural flowing and learning.
Speaker 3:I've had some really hard conversations and really sweet conversations And I think they've really actually developed me as a person, even outside of work.
Speaker 3:They've really challenged me in many ways to meet people where they're at and to really be quick to listen, realizing that sometimes these people just want you to listen before you're giving any response. Of course you want to encourage and support them up, but just listening to these people who are in the most challenging time of their life, I think a conversation I had with a higher level spinal cord injury just really hopeful for returning to doing activities they did before and things that were at this time not realistic for them. And how are we maintaining the balance of hopefulness with encouragement, but also giving them the reality of where they're at right now and how we can make their life have meaning and purpose, the here and now with maintaining that hope. So I think it's a really big challenge and I think everyone kind of approaches it a little bit differently, But I think they all really build us up just as much as they build the residents up.
Speaker 2:Well said, i do have a couple examples and I want to say that I feel like I've been working on this muscle my whole career. You know, back even in undergrad, reading books like the obstacles, the way, like the chat, the road, you know less traveled, that kind of stuff like that's what builds us as people and that's what makes life fulfilling and so all that sort of stuff. But when you ask for an example, i can just think think back to one of our residents who is already discharged and I keep in contact with and I'll never forget. There was a time when you know he's, he was asking me some pretty tough questions and you know you hear you feel your heart rate kind of increase. You're trying to stay calm on the outside. What you're doing, you think you're doing a good job of, and and then you, you really just talk with a passionate tone and just and just tell them the facts.
Speaker 2:And I'll never forget he, he kind of started crying and gave me a hug and I said are you doing okay? and he goes. I just appreciate that you're willing to tell me the truth And like it's and you know the news is was tough to hear And it wasn't, like I know have all the answers, but at least he knew that I'm not going to lie to him. You know, and to this day we're friends, you know, and so I guess what I'm trying to say is, sometimes, when you feel that heart rate Accelerate a little and you know it's one of those obstacle moments like, take it because it'll be worth it, usually you know, so yeah, That's what a great example.
Speaker 1:You know, one of the things that in a previous podcast conversation that I had And we were talking about challenging conversations and one of the themes that came out of that was like, hey, each of these people that I have had a hard conversation with is actually one of the people that I'm close to, we're still close to where we stay in contact, whatever it may be right, and so there's certainly like it doesn't happen all of the time, but I think it's just really encouraging to hear you guys like trying to strengthen those muscles, not shying away from it, building relationships with the people that you're working with that And it's so important and coming alongside and being able to meet them where they're at right.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it probably means I don't know the answer to that. Can I let me go look into that? or let's learn together as we do this right, and other times you can be straightforward and you can be honest if you know the person well enough. Right, style probably still matters and all of that. No, that's really good. I think the last place that I would love to land with you guys And thank you for the time you've given me so far is just trying to figure out, like you know what, what kind of things have been most challenging for you in year one on the job here.
Speaker 1:Obviously it's different circumstances then you know, then just going straight through school and going through the job and jumping into the clinic. but you know what kind of challenges have you guys face and how are you kind of learning through those challenges?
Speaker 2:One of the main challenges is just figuring out the ebbs and flows of the, the PT role here at QLI. Not ebbs and flows, but more like what. What are we all supposed to take on, like, you know, who's in charge of doing this part? Who's in charge of doing that part? At my last place, we had a person who did the scheduling. All we did was provide physical therapy. You know And this is what I love about QLI It's like, yeah, i provide physical therapy, but I'm also involved in the discharge planning and the you know recommendations for DME, obviously, writing the elements, all of these, like things that are part of our job within our scope, but didn't really know necessarily where to fit that in in the day, and so I think that's one of the biggest challenges for me.
Speaker 3:Oddly enough, i actually you said that very well, connor I think the first word that came to my mind when he said challenge. I just sat here for a second and a roll came to mind in my head, like what is my role? As you mentioned, oftentimes in PT and school and clinical rotations they teach you wonderful things, but a lot of PT places are you're the PT and you kind of have to fight for that whole person care in order to cover all your bases, whereas here we have a wonderful team who helps pick up some of that slack And I think, coming out of PT school, we are achievers and we are people who think, you know, we got this, we're gonna figure it out, even if we're drowning, like he said. So I think it's been humbling but encouraging to kind of take a step back and be like, okay, i have a team of people who we figure out where our roles are And in that saying, if we all wash windows here, sometimes I am doing intense physical therapy And other times I'm helping out doing something that I probably wouldn't even have imagined, like let's, we're gonna get coffee, because that's what you need today, you know.
Speaker 3:So I think it's just or helping out, clean up something, clean up something that is in the house. I think it's just been humbling to experience and figure out your roles within QLI as a whole, but then also within our team. So I have to give a little bit of credit to Connor. It's been on my mind So we both started around the same time. So new PTs to this world And it's been sweet to see him encourage me as a new grad, all while he is a new PT in this world. So, being part of that team of gosh, i can lean on him, you know, even though we're both new. So you can lean on some veterans, but you can also lean on some rookies in this world too.
Speaker 3:So, I think, yeah, just overall, finding our role here and finding how that works and that it's a flexible role.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. One more question Mentors all right. I think anytime you step into a new job, like you're looking ahead, like who can help me grow, certainly wanna help other people grow and you wanna build into them, but you guys are maybe both at a point where it's like I need someone to kind of help me learn. So who have you maybe sought after as a mentor or who's kind of become a mentor for you in the last year?
Speaker 3:There's so many people that I feel like I've learned from, even outside of PTOT Gosh, i really feel like I have learned a ton in one hand from Anna and Sarah, both just being in spinal cord injury and helping me humbly transition into the things I really don't know about this world. But then I've also just learned from again, like I said, connor and Megan, and even you, brad, honestly, transparently, just people that are a part of this team. It just depends on the situation. How many times in PT school did we get told it depends. So I think I did that tattoo on my forehead, but yeah, i've had so many mentors it'd be really hard for me to nail one down. I will say I really appreciate Megan. I think she takes on a lot being the leader of our team and that we know we can always go to her when we are feeling a little confused And if she doesn't know, she's gonna direct us to somebody who does. Yeah good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i agree with all of those people I did mention, especially off the bat. Anna was pivotal for me, taking over her caseload and giving me the ins and outs of all of her people. So that was great And she did a good job of like not treating me like a PT student but treating me like a PT. That's taking over her role, which I appreciate. And then, as I've kind of grown into now the house 6PT, she's gracefully kind of stepped out and then was working on the motor learning program. But I know I can always go to her if I have questions and sometimes she'll pop in and be like have you thought of this? Just like that subtle nudge and challenge, you know.
Speaker 2:But also I got to mention Melissa, just with her experience with SCI. I know like she's an OT but and she works, she kind of runs our driving program, but she's always a good person to throw ideas across the table and then also get some insight on, based on what you've seen in your last four year career at Madonna, like generally, what's the prognosis for someone who comes in like looking like this, you know, for example, and she like, oh, you can expect to probably see this in a couple of years, it's like wow, that's valuable versus. You know, if I'm only seeing a total of maybe 25 people in the course of the 10 person house we have at QLI over the year, it's hard to get a good grasp on what's a prognosis look like, So she's hard to generalize that right.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and so it's always, and I can always ask her a question and she won't look at me like I don't know what I'm doing, which is very, which is very nice, and I feel like that across the board at QLI, but I sit next to Melissa, so she's been giving me some mentorship as well.
Speaker 3:Thanks, I do have to add. I just thought of something. I think there's one person that you probably are gonna agree with on this that goes a little bit under the radar and is a huge mentor Sam Sam is. She has been here for almost five years, I believe, And we've made jokes back and forth. You know, technically we go, we have a higher education than you. Sam knows way more than I do about spinal cord injury And she's a great teacher, I know, to both Connor and I. So I feel like Sam is someone who's kind of quiet and hidden about it, but she's very knowledgeable and a really good mentor to us, just from her experience alone, That's awesome.
Speaker 1:All right guys. Thank you for giving me the time. Thanks for sharing your stories and things that you've been learning along the way. Hope it's valuable to our listeners, anyone else that is new jumping out of school into the workforce. Hopefully you guys can pick something up from this as well. Hope you tune in next time for our next episode.
Speaker 3:Thanks for joining the conversation with us today. If you found it helpful, please share with your family and friends. You can learn more about us on our website at continuetellarehabcom, or check us out on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.