A Physio’s Journey with PPPM
In the healthcare field, continuous professional development is crucial for practitioners to both thrive in their careers and provide optimal care. Physiotherapists transitioning to pelvic health encounter unique challenges in gaining access to learning opportunities, particularly in regional settings where access to expert mentorship is limited.
Today we sat down with Danielle Wieland, a Physiotherapist working in a multidisciplinary clinic in rural Bundaberg, Queensland, to gain insights into her mentoring journey with PPPM (Pregnancy and Pelvic Physio Mentor) and the impact it has had on her professional growth.
Danielle has been enrolled in the PPPM for 1 year. She joined a short time after she completed Mandy Roscher’s (PhysioSkills) Introduction to Pelvic Health Course.
Early on after moving into pelvic health, Danielle identified the need for support in applying her newfound clinical knowledge. Due to working in a general clinic with no other pelvic health physios, she was unable to access this in her workplace nor in her geographical region.
"Ultimately, I joined PPPM to improve my knowledge and clinical skills. In a regional setting, there is a void in health services and fellow health professionals. I do not have access to a mentor within the town who has pelvic health experience."
During her first 12 months in the PPPM program, Danielle reflected ,"The program has helped me to bridge the gap between professional development and implementing clinical reasoning and practical skills." Many practitioners tell us that they find having a mentor beneficial to help them reflect on clinical cases and obtain an experienced clinician's opinion in order to refine their clinical reasoning skills. She noted, "I am a lot more confident in treating women's health clients. I also find that I have a deeper understanding of clinical reasoning behind presentations." Danielle reported that the mentors at PPPM "explain everything in a very easy to understand manner and are very accommodating for all skill levels."
The program has also been instrumental in allowing her to increase the saturation of women's health and pelvic health clients in her caseload which has enabled her to craft a role in the clinical area she loves. “The mentors have assisted me with business strategies and networking to further increase my client base”, she said.
As well as benefiting from the 1:1 case discussions, Danielle has found the extensive educational resources on the Kajabi database an invaluable resource for a busy clinician like herself. She felt the Slack (instant communication) platform was a fantastic tool for discussing cases and asking questions to the mentors and fellow participants in real time, between the mentoring sessions. "It allows near-immediate communication with mentors and fellow participants for complex clients and any questions that arise day-to-day" she said.
Danielle’s advice for those wanting to join the program is that "it is a must for physiotherapists who are new to the pelvic health industry or those who are isolated from fellow allied health practitioners. I have loved every aspect of being a part of the mentoring program and would highly recommend it to anyone considering."
PPPM is a pregnancy and pelvic health mentoring program designed to help clinicians bridge the gap from course to confident clinician. The program is multi-faceted, providing clinicians a variety of ways to learn through different learning styles/ approaches. The program allows physios from all over the country to have access to leaders in the pelvic health field direct to their clinic.