Neuromuscular PT: The Secrets to Passing Your Course Nightmare

By Lauren Fitzpatrick, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist

So, picture this…

It’s your last first day of PT school.

For some, it might be August – others, September. Regardless, it is a pivotal time as you enter your final year. Due to my school’s curriculum schedule, only Neuromuscular PT and two more practical exams stood in my way between me and my DPT degree. Neuromuscular physical therapy often gives students a sense of discomfort. It is a more challenging course than its Musculoskeletal counterparts (of course – generally speaking).

Most students complete their volunteer hours for program admission at various outpatient orthopedic practices. In a DPT program, musculoskeletal is usually a familiar place and a nice way to build confidence in your skills.

Neuro, however, is often a course that opens its arms with a great big hug of unfamiliarity, and for me… dread. But I was not going to let this last of my major systems courses stop me from obtaining my goal of becoming a skilled, knowledgeable Doctor of Physical Therapy.

And guess what? … I passed. You can, too.

Here’s how I did it:

BE AN ACTIVE LEARNER

Now is not the time to be passive. In order to effectively retain – and, dare I say, understand – the material, you have to put in the work.

Tips to becoming an active learner:

ASK QUESTIONS

Pay attention in class. Try to log off your social media. I promise this is actually attainable. You must be purposefully attentive and engaged. There are times when you are going to be completely lost in information and that is okay. But this is why we have our professors.

Ask away!

Not comfortable raising your hand in a large classroom of people? Just jot the question down as soon as it enters your mind and ask it after class.

VISUAL AIDS & MNEMONICS

Draw, diagram, and write. And then… write some more. I spent hours writing and re-writing concepts on a whiteboard during my studying. Something about writing facts over and over helped me carry over concepts and associated facts into my muscle memory. When I was presented with an exam, I felt like I could write some of my notes verbatim in the same fashion I had practiced in my studying.

It would be fantastic to fully understand every minute fact. But let’s face it, sometimes there are just certain facts that never seem to find a home inside your brain in time for the exam.

Retention is definitely maximized when supplemented by little sayings and mnemonics.

Now, I could go into my own neural archives, buried somewhere deep away, and then present you all with different facts, but I don’t want to keep you here all day. So, I will leave you with something even more valuable: There is a public group on Facebook called, “Doctor of Physical Therapy Students” with nearly 34,000 members. This is a fantastic resource for sharing study tips, and it’s a decent contributor to how I survived.

Once inside the group, you can search any topic or principle relating to physical therapy, and fellow students (or new grads) provide information and tips on how to memorize large quantities of Neuro-filled goodness.

I also was able to find several mnemonics and study aids in Pinterest by searching “Mnemonic Neurology.” Yes, there is actually more on there than just living room décor ideas and pictures of puppies.

FOCUS ON THE “BIG” STUFF

Some of us know we want to specialize in Neuro PT. Others may not have the same aspirations.

If the latter sounds familiar, then try to steer clear of the minutia. Focus on the large concepts of the main therapy topics, for example: CVA rehabilitation, SCI/TBI rehabilitation, neurodegenerative disease and pediatrics.

Allow your brain to hone in on major themes rather than stressing over understanding something like the limitations to the Reflex Theory of Motor Learning. (Okay, I definitely don’t remember that.) This will undoubtedly keep you sane and organized in addition to better preparing you for both the NPTE and your patients in the real world.

FORM A STUDY GROUP

I am typically an independent worker and often feel overwhelmed in a group, especially when others start spitting out heaps of information that I don’t know yet. However, whether it’s one person or 10 people, it is imperative to run ideas by others who are working with the same material.

For me, I opted for a one-on-one study partner- my best friend and plinth partner. We helped each other fill in the blanks that either of us may have missed while frantically typing into PowerPoints during lectures.

Our biggest study trick was to create a Google Doc that was shared between the two of us. We would create outlines that compiled the main parts of lecture and combine them with  any diagrams or extra pieces of information we had read from textbooks or found online.

Google Docs is a nice resource because we could be in different places, yet typing into the same document on an online platform in real time – #SuperEfficiency.

Once completed, we would print these comprehensive “master outlines,” and, in self-study, highlight all over them in the library like our lives depended on it. Study groups are a great way to ensure that you are on the right track and have an accurate grasp on the information. They’re also an outlet to vent your stressors with people who understand the exact situation you’re going through.

I’m sorry for complaining so much, Mom!

This takes me to my next topic…

PRACTICE SELF-CARE

You must take care of yourself in order to be your best self and have the willpower to achieve your goals. Stress management is crucial to your success.

Here are a few things that I have found to personally work for me:

• Going regularly (or even sporadically) to the gym or yoga: Keep your body active. Release endorphins and clear your headspace.
• Journaling: Let the stressors leave your mind and stay on the page.
• Healthy nutrition: Keep your brain health functioning clearly. But with that said, EAT SOME PIZZA if you need to get through!

BREATHE AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

You’ve already got this far in DPT school. This is just another opportunity for you to challenge yourself for the betterment of your future patients.

I’m not going to lie to you; we all know this is difficult. If it wasn’t, anyone would do it. But you are a future Doctor of Physical Therapy. You are going to change lives and rehabilitate spirits. Always remind yourself of this end goal and never lose sight of your purpose.

While the person in this article is a real FOX clinician, he is not mentioned in this article.