My Journey.
"As a new graduate in a clinic with only two physical therapists, my confidence was through the roof. All of my patients were getting better (or at least I thought so) and I knew it all. The fire was lit at my 2nd continuing education course, the 1st was a waste of time and money. I witnessed two PTs with 20+ years of experience have discussions of patient management that far exceeded what I had learned in school and that which was covered in the most recently published clinical practice guidelines. It was then, I was humbled like no other. Thankfully, one of those clinicians worked for my same organization and the other was part of the institution I ultimately chose to pursue fellowship training. From that day forward, I made it my priority to seek mentoring from them in every way possible. When I started a fellowship program, I knew about the manual therapy certifications and benefits of one-on-one mentoring. However, I may have underestimated how much I would grow from venturing down this road only a select few have traveled. Choosing a program that I knew was rigorous, the COMT certification process pushed me to challenge myself outside of my comfort zone. It had such a strong emphasis on my growth in being able to effectively communicate and demonstrate clinical reasoning at a high level. I have a much more grounded treatment approach to patients. I have become very systematic in how I approach complex patients and expanded my ability to articulate my findings to my patients, colleagues and referring physicians. I am no longer intimidated by having the results of my assessment not fully match up with my initial hypothesis. To me, this means I am more fluid in my thought process and thorough in application of my foundational knowledge. I find myself utilizing referral options more appropriately. |
Your Favorite PT Fellow
Christopher Thurston, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, FAAOMPT, CSCS, TPI Certified
Dr. Thurston received his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of South Florida in 2012 after completing his undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida.
He became recognized as a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) in 2015 and a Certified Manual Physical Therapist (CMPT) through the North American Institute of Manual Physical Therapy (NAIOMT) in 2016. In 2019, he became a Certified Orthopedic Manipulative Therapist (COMT) and a graduate of the NAIOMT fellowship program, earning the title of FAAOMPT (Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists).
He currently works at the University of Miami in the outpatient orthopedic setting treating patients with injuries related to orthopedics, vestibular dysfunction and concussion.
He also frequently lab assists for NAIOMT continuing education courses taught in the state of Florida. He hosts monthly journal clubs that are open to physical therapists interested in discussion of the latest research on topics related to the orthopedic setting.
He has previous experience as a mentor in both sports and orthopedic residency programs and is an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor. He has successfully completed Emory and APTA’s Vestibular Rehabilitation: A competency-based course. He is involved in the University of Miami’s Pro Bono student run clinic. His abstract was selected for poster presentation at the 2018 AAOMPT conference titled, “The Manubrial Test: A Novel Assessment for Regional Interdependence in Adolescent Overhead Athletes: A Case Series.”
He is the creator of Your Favorite PT mentor program designed for physical therapists seeking to gain advanced clinical reasoning. Throughout his career, he has been involved in creating learning opportunities for his peers and interdisciplinary team through journal clubs, case reviews and numerous department presentations. Early in his career he served as a blog writer for Florida's #1 hospital in which he covered current sport injuries, specifically writing about athletes such as Peyton Manning and the late Kobe Bryant.
He truly enjoys devoting the time to helping others reach their full potential. Dr. Thurston is an avid sports fan and enjoys good music, foodie adventures and a good laugh with his closest family/friends.
He became recognized as a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) in 2015 and a Certified Manual Physical Therapist (CMPT) through the North American Institute of Manual Physical Therapy (NAIOMT) in 2016. In 2019, he became a Certified Orthopedic Manipulative Therapist (COMT) and a graduate of the NAIOMT fellowship program, earning the title of FAAOMPT (Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists).
He currently works at the University of Miami in the outpatient orthopedic setting treating patients with injuries related to orthopedics, vestibular dysfunction and concussion.
He also frequently lab assists for NAIOMT continuing education courses taught in the state of Florida. He hosts monthly journal clubs that are open to physical therapists interested in discussion of the latest research on topics related to the orthopedic setting.
He has previous experience as a mentor in both sports and orthopedic residency programs and is an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor. He has successfully completed Emory and APTA’s Vestibular Rehabilitation: A competency-based course. He is involved in the University of Miami’s Pro Bono student run clinic. His abstract was selected for poster presentation at the 2018 AAOMPT conference titled, “The Manubrial Test: A Novel Assessment for Regional Interdependence in Adolescent Overhead Athletes: A Case Series.”
He is the creator of Your Favorite PT mentor program designed for physical therapists seeking to gain advanced clinical reasoning. Throughout his career, he has been involved in creating learning opportunities for his peers and interdisciplinary team through journal clubs, case reviews and numerous department presentations. Early in his career he served as a blog writer for Florida's #1 hospital in which he covered current sport injuries, specifically writing about athletes such as Peyton Manning and the late Kobe Bryant.
He truly enjoys devoting the time to helping others reach their full potential. Dr. Thurston is an avid sports fan and enjoys good music, foodie adventures and a good laugh with his closest family/friends.