Page 22 - OPTA Access Spring 2017

PR RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
STUDENT ESSAY WINNERS RECAP
Marie Ruskin, OPTA Member Engagement Specialist
One of the many bene ts of being
an OPTA/APTA member is unlimited access to resources that can help
you grow your business as a physical therapist Whether you work within a larger network, or own a practice of your own, learning how to utilize the PR resources that APTA has to offer will help to grow and strengthen your business and your professional brand
If you’ve ever had a chance to scroll through the many bene ts APTA offers with your membership, you will see a considerable amount of marketing and PR tools available for your use
One of the most popular forms of PR that we still see today is the use of news and press releases This method is the most basic and accepted way to convey information to the media Maybe you’re opening a new clinic, or want to promote a fundraising campaign, a press release is the way to get factual information to your audience APTA provides great resources on how to concisely write in a way that the media will understand
Another aspect to growing your professional brand and business is building and strengthening your relationships with other health care professionals (primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, dietitians, etc ) APTA provides resources that will teach you how to effectively create a marketing strategy that can target potential referral sources. You can nd a
APTA National Student Conclave Recap
Alexis Smith, SPT –Mount St. Joseph University
When individuals think of physical therapy school,
the thought of studying for hours on end comes to mind However, once in a while, we are given the opportunity to gather with other physical therapy students and receive the rejuvenation needed to power through the rest of school
In October, three Mount St Joseph University’s second- year DPT students and I were given the opportunity to travel to Miami, Florida to attend the APTA National Student Conclave This event presents the opportunity for PT students to gather from all over the country to learn how big of an impact our generation is making on the profession, as
Marketing to Health Care Professionals guide and best practices on the APTA website under ‘Practice & Patient Care ’ Maybe your goal is to reach and educate the consumer
of physical therapy? There are many resources that will help you navigate through the world of advertising, social media and community event planning Learn how you can reach your consumers through effective marketing with the Marketing to Consumers toolkit and how to develop social media strategy with the Social Media Tips & Best Practices These are all available to you by visiting APTA org/PRMarketing
Of course, we couldn’t leave without highlighting some of the great PR resources exclusively available for our OPTA members through our website makepthappen com This consumer site was created as a public resource, with you, the physical therapist, in mind We wanted to create a site where you could direct someone interested in learning more about the bene ts of physical therapy and a place where they could nd a PT in their area. Complete with a symptom & condition section, videos and a news & article section, consumers have a place to go to learn more about how PT can improve their lives We encourage you to share this site with your patients, friends, and colleagues, so together we can all #makePThappen.
For more information, contact Marie at: mruskin@ohiopt org
well as networking with other students and professionals for our future We spent the weekend attending different educational sessions led by some of the most in uential practitioners in the eld, all while enjoying the new-found relationships, and the occasional Miami sunshine
I had the opportunity to attend sessions on the
bene ts of a residency program after graduation, PT in the emergency department, and PT global service opportunities Learning all the different opportunities of residency programs and hearing a past resident student talk about
his experience was valuable to help me determine if this would be something I would want to pursue in the future I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how physical therapists have begun a global movement of providing physical therapy overseas in countries that are less fortunate, especially since mission work has always been a passion of mine
22 | March 2017 | OPTA