PHRC Pelvic Health Career Opportunity!

In Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy by Stephanie Prendergast2 Comments

By: Stephanie Prendergast

 

Physical Therapist Wanted for PHRC Los Angeles!

 

Do you want to become a leader in the field of pelvic floor physical therapy? Do you enjoy working with this patient population but are having a hard time finding mentorship? Do you want a collaborative supportive work environment vs  being ‘alone on an island’? If so, PHRC is the place for you!

 

PHRC Mission

Liz and I created the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation in 2006 with the intention of becoming the gold-standard for pelvic health physical therapy for men, women, and children. We are committed to improving the quality of life of our patients and the dynamic growth of our employees and students. We boldly tackle educating the community and medical professionals with our innovative and evidence-based practice. We compete by providing outstanding customer service and attracting, motivating, and retaining talented people.

 

Over the past ten years we have:

  • grown from one office to five
  • created our popular blog, As the Pelvis Turns
  • published our book Pelvic Pain Explained
  • we developed Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia and taught it 38 times
  • we have lectured around the world for multiple organizations
  • Stephanie was the first physical therapist to serve as President of the International Pelvic Pain Society

 

We owe our successes to the strength of our team, which is why you should consider working with us. Liz and I wanted to create an environment unlike any other that we worked in, an environment committed to ongoing learning and clinical success. In this post we want to share a few things that make us unique and that help us achieve our goals.

 

Professional development.

 

  1. TRAINING PROGRAM

 

We know from experience that committed professionals, whether they are new graduates or  veterans, add value to our company. As a team, we work together to continuously learn and improve our own skills. As a company, we have a diverse range of skills and experience, allowing us to create and provide a unique training program. We individualize each training program to meet the needs of our new team member. Our structured training program consists of weekly clinical and didactic goals.  Our entire staff works together to get our new team member prepared for a successful clinical experience at PHRC.

 

  1.   ONGOING MENTORSHIP

 

Mentorship and collaboration does not end when the training program does. In order to remain on the cutting edge we must stay current with literature and advances in the field. Therefore, we offer the following:

 

  • Weekly company-wide staff meetings that include the following:
    • Weekly journal article presentation by a PHRC therapist
    • Weekly case study presentation from a PHRC therapist
    • Case presentations of all new patients of the week from all PHRC therapists
    • Discussion of challenging cases with entire PHRC staff
    • Discussion of ongoing company-wide projects

 

  • Scheduled weekly meeting of the staff member and their supervisor
    • Review of complex patients
    • Opportunity to discuss personal and professional concerns and ideas
    • Professional development and leadership modules

 

  • Quarterly Inservices
    • We select one medical expert per quarter to present a one-hour in-service to our staff

 

  • Advanced Skills Discussions
    • Each quarter, staff physical therapists will review a complex case prepared by Stephanie or Liz for an hour-long discussion
    • Additionally, new staff members will meet with each of our physical therapists. The staff physical therapists at PHRC will prepare a case discussion for the new employee. This is an ongoing process and allows staff members in different offices to get to know each other.

 

  1. COMPANY CULTURE

 

We pride ourselves on the company culture at PHRC. All of our team members work hard to support our patients and each other. While the nature of of work is serious, laughter is often heard in our offices. Our company is set up to support a healthy work/life balance, a positive and cheerful atmosphere is part of this balance and very important to us.

 

We asked our therapists to comment on what it is like at PHRC. Here is what they had to say:

 

Training Program

 

“The hands on training was great because it’s rare to get that much personalized training in a new job, but I became very confident in my skills. And I love that it continues throughout the years because I can always check in with Steph and Liz or the other therapists in my office to try a new technique or tool or see if there is a better way to do something.”

 

The number of research articles provided to give me a solid base for how to treat and tackle pelvic pain. The hands on training was also essential and unlike any other place I have interned at.”

 

“The training program offers a safe environment to learn and practice with your mentor. I do not know of any other companies that offer a training program. This was important for me when I first started treating pelvic pain”

 

That I got a lot of personal time with different PTs and was able to observe how different people treat patients.”

 

Staff meetings

 

“Staying up to date because we are reviewing new literature, talking about what we learn, and problem solving with real cases.”

 

Both sharing and listening to the new cases. It is a great space to get feedback about how best to approach each patient. It is also a great space to learn about new conditions and how to treat them.”

 

The staff meetings help keep communication open and flowing between all 5 clinics. There is a sense of camaraderie even though we are all in different cities. The staff meetings are a great place to ask questions and for support, especially with difficult cases. The staff meetings encourage communication, support, and a sense of belonging to a great company.”

 

Being able to hear about what is going on in the office and about other people’s patients, bounce ideas etc.”

 

PHRC in general

“It’s a small company, so I know I am being heard. If I have a need, changes can be put in place quickly to meet it. I also get the chance to work with a very dedicated group of people. Everyone is here because they want to help patients. Who goes into pelvic PT for the glamour and fame? That being said, PHRC also gave me the connections to all the who’s who in the world of pelvic PT.”

 

The techniques are more effective, the approach is both patient and research based and new research is always being discussed. Also, the team approach and support from other therapists is incredible.”

 

Communication, support, camaraderie, journal club, staff meetings, weekly one-on-one meetings with your manager, holiday party, summer retreat, quarterly lunches, health benefits, vacation benefits, 401K, opportunity for bonuses, etc.”

 

The company culture is positive and everyone works together to be better both as clinicians and professionals”.

 

Why should a physical therapist consider working at PHRC?

 

For the glamour and fame and the sweet uniform shirts! OR If you want to help people pee, poo, have sex, have babies, wear underwear, and sit and if you want to break the stigma associated with pelvic issues, then PHRC will give you the training and tools to do so.”

 

“If you want to treat pelvic pain, this is the place to work. You will learn an immense amount about pelvic pain and get the support you need to tackle tough cases.”

 

“ PHRC is a great company! The minute I interviewed with Liz and Steph, I knew I wanted to work for them. I appreciate all the support I receive from everyone. We have a great team!”

 

You get a lot of support treating a difficult but rewarding patient population.”

 

This is PHRC in a nutshell. We are a growing company and are constantly on the lookout for talented and motivated professionals to join our team. We encourage interested people to reach out to us, while our immediate opening is in Los Angeles we will be hiring in all locations over the next year.

 

If you would like more information please visit https://pelvicpainrehab.com/employment-opportunities/. If you would like to interview with us please email your resume to [email protected].

FAQ

What are pelvic floor muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that run from the coccyx to the pubic bone. They are part of the core, helping to support our entire body as well as providing support for the bowel, bladder and uterus. These muscles help us maintain bowel and bladder control and are involved in sexual pleasure and orgasm. The technical name of the pelvic floor muscles is the Levator Ani muscle group. The pudendal nerve, the levator ani nerve, and branches from the S2 – S4 nerve roots innervate the pelvic floor muscles. They are under voluntary and autonomic control, which is a unique feature only they possess compared to other muscle groups.

What is pelvic floor physical therapy?

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy. Currently, physical therapists need advanced post-graduate education to be able to help people with pelvic floor dysfunction because pelvic floor disorders are not yet being taught in standard physical therapy curricula. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center provides extensive training for our staff because we recognize the limitations of physical therapy education in this unique area.

What happens at pelvic floor therapy?

During an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction the physical therapist will take a detailed history. Following the history the physical therapist will leave the room to allow the patient to change and drape themselves. The physical therapist will return to the room and using gloved hands will perform an external and internal manual assessment of the pelvic floor and girdle muscles. The physical therapist will once again leave the room and allow the patient to dress. Following the manual examination there may also be an examination of strength, motor control, and overall biomechanics and neuromuscular control. The physical therapist will then communicate the findings to the patient and together with their patient they establish an assessment, short term and long term goals and a treatment plan. Typically people with pelvic floor dysfunction are seen one time per week for one hour for varying amounts of time based on the severity and chronicity of the disease. A home exercise program will be established and the physical therapist will help coordinate other providers on the treatment team. Typically patients are seen for 3 months to a year.

What is pudendal neuralgia and how is it treated?

Pudendal Neuralgia is a clinical diagnosis that means pain in the sensory distribution of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a mixed nerve that exits the S2 – S4 sacral nerve roots, we have a right and left pudendal nerve and each side has three main trunks: the dorsal branch, the perineal branch, and the inferior rectal branch. The branches supply sensation to the clitoris/penis, labia/scrotum, perineum, anus, the distal ⅓ of the urethra and rectum, and the vulva and vestibule. The nerve branches also control the pelvic floor muscles. The pudendal nerve follows a tortuous path through the pelvic floor and girdle, leaving it vulnerable to compression and tension injuries at various points along its path.

Pudendal Neuralgia occurs when the nerve is unable to slide, glide and move normally and as a result, people experience pain in some or all of the above-mentioned areas. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in identifying the mechanical impairments that are affecting the nerve. The physical therapy treatment plan is designed to restore normal neural function. Patients with pudendal neuralgia require pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from medical management that includes pharmaceuticals and procedures such as pudendal nerve blocks or botox injections.

What is interstitial cystitis and how is it treated?

Interstitial Cystitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irritative bladder symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and hesitancy in the absence of infection. Research has shown the majority of patients who meet the clinical definition have pelvic floor dysfunction and myalgia. Therefore, the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. Patients will benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from pharmacologic management or medical procedures such as bladder instillations.

Who is the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Team?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Elizabeth Akincilar and Stephanie Prendergast in 2006, they have been treating people with pelvic floor disorders since 2001. They were trained and mentored by a medical doctor and quickly became experts in treating pelvic floor disorders. They began creating courses and sharing their knowledge around the world. They expanded to 11 locations in the United States and developed a residency style training program for their employees with ongoing weekly mentoring. The physical therapists who work at PHRC have undergone more training than the majority of pelvic floor physical therapists and as a result offer efficient and high quality care.

How many years of experience do we have?

Stephanie and Liz have 24 years of experience and help each and every team member become an expert in the field through their training and mentoring program.

Why PHRC versus anyone else?

PHRC is unique because of the specific focus on pelvic floor disorders and the leadership at our company. We are constantly lecturing, teaching, and staying ahead of the curve with our connections to medical experts and emerging experts. As a result, we are able to efficiently and effectively help our patients restore their pelvic health.

Do we treat men for pelvic floor therapy?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is unique in that the Cofounders have always treated people of all genders and therefore have trained the team members and staff the same way. Many pelvic floor physical therapists focus solely on people with vulvas, this is not the case here.

Do I need pelvic floor therapy forever?

The majority of people with pelvic floor dysfunction will undergo pelvic floor physical therapy for a set amount of time based on their goals. Every 6 -8 weeks goals will be re-established based on the physical improvements and remaining physical impairments. Most patients will achieve their goals in 3 – 6 months. If there are complicating medical or untreated comorbidities some patients will be in therapy longer.

Comments

  1. Hello,
    I am so impressed with your work and how diverse and open you are to listening to your patients. Also, not being afraid to try anything new that is a plus in my book!
    Are all your clinics located in Ca.? I live in the Phoenix/ Mesa area and would love to visit one of your facilities.
    I am a physician and also suffer from CPPS. I have found that it is difficult to find a provider for men and to have someone who is as enthusiastic as you.
    If you know of any pelvic floor providers who are as enthused as you are about treating this disorder in my area please let me know.
    Thank you

    1. Hi Michael,

      Thank you for your kind words. We recommend Diana Munger at Desert Physical Therapy. Her phone number is (602)264-3369.

      Regards,
      Admin

Leave a Comment