Quick Access to Quality Care

The Zoom connection was spotty.

“So you said you’re from the Twin Cities? I love Minneapolis,” I stated.

“Not Minneapolis,” she said. “Leopolis!”

Wait, what?

“And now I live in Pella.”

After the reconnect, I had Sally Egan of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine (APTSM) begin anew.

“As an onsite provider at three companies and a municipality in Northeastern Wisconsin, it’s my job to help create and maintain healthy environments for employees,” said Egan. “And the best way to do that is to provide quick access to quality care.”

Egan is a veteran of APTSM’s industrial rehabilitation team, a group of licensed athletic trainers and physical therapists dedicated to keeping employees healthy, safe, and on the job. Like many of her colleagues from the athletic training world, she began her career in the high school setting, as the athletic trainer at nearby Shawano High School (about 15 minutes away from what she refers to as the “Twin Cities”) for nearly a dozen years.

She stresses the similarities between the two environments.

“What we do as industrial athletic trainers is bring the sports medicine model of immediate, consistent care to the workplace,” said Egan. “And we do this at no cost to the employee.”

Which is so important to her clients, everyday people who are just trying to make a living and put food on the table.

Egan understands that concept well.

“I grew up in this area on a very small dairy farm. I know what it's like for a family to live paycheck to paycheck and not able to get healthcare when you really should, because you just can't afford it,” said Egan. “So being able to provide that service—literally in my hometown—is just an amazing opportunity for me.”

Interesting that she and her chiropractor brother (“two tiny farm kids”) both pursued careers in health care. It makes complete sense, though, as she describes it as a simple transition from fixing tractors or boards on a wall to fixing people.

The similarities don’t end there, as Egan quickly points out.

“You have to be adaptable and inventive because you don't usually have the resources. That's what onsite rehab is. You don't have a lot of equipment, so you have to work with what you have,” she said.

The companies and organizations she works with rely on Egan to deliver services known as “rapid response,” where direct access to care means employees will be seen in 24-48 hours for an evaluation. That kind of quick care creates the opportunity for an improved healing timeframe, as the onsite provider can swiftly address and manage issues that, if left untreated, could become a recordable injury.

“We can prevent that from occurring,” said Egan. “So you’re keeping the employee healthy and keeping them at their job, and you’re saving the employer money by reducing direct and indirect costs that result from such an injury.”

Again, she leans on her sports medicine background.

“One domain of athletic training is about reactive and emergency care, which in industry is rapid response and OSHA first aid. So we're there for that assessment, and occasionally wound care and emergency care,” said Egan. “For injuries, we’re able to assess and make appropriate decisions if this is something that you can rehab or treat, or make that decision for a proper referral and guide them to where they should go for the best quality and line of care.”

Developing a relationship and a rapport with her employees is crucial.

“Well, it’s on me to get out on the floor and make connections,” said Egan. “You need to show them that you're there to know them as a person, not just a patient.

Forming such bonds requires a level of trust, something Egan says comes naturally when employees get treated right away and feel better. Whether it’s Egan making the rounds on a factory floor or working with a patient who scheduled an appointment in a (usually) small treatment room, the brief interactions are the sources of the best kind of marketing there is word of mouth.

“One employee will say, ‘Sally has done great things for my shoulder. Go see if she can help you.’ And that keeps my days full,” said Egan.

Egan highlights additional services she can provide if companies so choose. One company, for instance, wanted to offer their office personnel some strategies to improve general wellness. So, every week at the scheduled time, staff members stop what they are doing, grab a chair, and join Egan at the center of the office, where she leads them in fifteen minutes of stretching and body mechanics.

“It’s just a special need that the company felt strongly about, and we can do those types of things,” said Egan. “We individualize services based on the company. I meet with HR every single week at my companies just to keep the lines of communication open. We’re there to prevent health issues as much as possible, so that kind of collaboration ensures their needs are being met.”

The stability of the Wi-Fi connection notwithstanding, someone needed to get going. Technically her “day off,” Egan was headed to a side gig, teaching chair yoga to retired adults. But she wanted me to know she hadn’t looked at list of questions I had sent her prior to the interview.

“I wasn’t going to prep for this. Because what works in this field is that we're ourselves. We're not scripted. You get the real me,” said Egan.

The small-town country girl paused, and before signing off acknowledged one final similarity between her job as an industrial rehabilitation specialist and her work with high school athletes in a previous life.

“We’re in healthcare for a reason, and that’s to help people. I get to make those personal connections with industry clients just like I did in sports medicine. And the best part is when I get somebody that comes in and says, ‘Thank you so much for helping me. I feel so much better, and I didn't know if I was ever going to feel better.’

“That’s the best part of my job.”

—

Click Here to learn more about our Industrial and Tactical Medicine and Wellness programs.

The impact of Athletic Trainers in Industrial Medicine

Heidi demonstrates a simulated pull during a post-offer test to assess the employees ability to perform their job duties.

Advanced PT’s Heidi Bohl had the opportunity recently to share her experiences as an industrial athletic trainer to college students on the AT track in South Carolina. The college seniors who comprised her audience have been the beneficiaries of a number of presenters who highlighted a variety of topics related to pursuing a career in athletic training, but this was their first exposure to industrial athletic training.

While there are many paths open to those earning an athletic training degree, the majority make their debut in organized athletics (secondary schools, colleges, etc.). Already employed at the YMCA when she joined Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, Bohl was initially hired for on-call work, covering for full-time athletic trainers to provide care to high school and middle school athletes as well as to club team participants.

Bohl enjoyed the work but made clear to her audience the importance of considering options and thinking about what is most important to each individual as they continue their education and pursue their career goals

“The schedule of a high school athletic trainer isn’t necessarily conducive to raising a family,” Bohl said. “My husband and I knew we wanted kids, and I wanted to be home for them.”

Bohl continued with part-time efforts at both jobs until her position at the YMCA was eliminated due to COVID; to replace those missing hours, she looked to the bourgeoning field of industrial rehabilitation, where companies hire providers to deliver healthcare services onsite to their employees.

It just so happened her current employer was a leader in the delivery of industrial onsite services. And because of the growth in that area, Advanced was looking for additional providers.

“Rob Worth (President of Advanced PT) knew me through the PRN work I had done, and we discussed the kinds of services Advanced was performing at companies,” Bohl said. “We both thought it would be a great fit for me.”

Advanced PT works with over 60 industrial companies, who employ physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and, of course, athletic trainers from Advanced to deliver the services necessary to keep employees at their best. The idea driving the model is simple yet profound: reduce the time and money lost to a company by reducing employee injury.

“We look at the employees at our companies as industrial athletes,” said Bohl. “Our presence onsite allows them to work safely at their job and enjoy life outside of work.”

Bohl’s skill set is vast, and good thing, as there are a multitude of areas on which to focus, including early intervention services, job testing, injury prevention, ergonomics, and wellness initiatives, to name a few. Programs are customized by the employer; they choose what best fits their needs and objectives.

After three years in industry, Bohl now dedicates all her hours to a single employer. She’s available onsite, naturally, but she’s also available by phone, text and email when not onsite to discuss injuries and determine plans of care.

“We promise opportunities for access to care within 24 hours if we aren’t onsite, which includes access to orthopedic providers we partner with,” said Bohl. “That kind of rapid response is a win-win scenario for employees and the employer.” Typically, companies utilizing the onsite model will see a reduction in OSHA recordable injuries by at least 50%, along with significant reductions in healthcare costs from both work-related and non-work related injuries. Bohl covered a lot of information in her thirty-minute presentation, but she saved a few minutes at the end for questions.

“Can you discuss the importance of developing rapport with the employees and understanding the company culture?”

“It’s vital,” said Bohl. “You have to know your employees and know how to interact with them. I provide services at a concrete and construction company. My dad was a general contractor. My uncle does concrete for a living. This is just a natural fit for me.”

If students didn’t understand the concept of variety in the world of industrial athletic training at the beginning, they sure were on board at the end.

“You’ll be on the floor, moving from area to area, employee to employee, encouraging people to come talk to you if they have questions, then you’ll head back to meet with the employees who made appointments to see you. Afterwards, you’ll be at a safety meeting sharing data and ROI; following that, it’s time to perform a jobsite analysis and then an ergonomic evaluation,” said Bohl.

After a busy day that included many of the aforementioned tasks plus the Zoom presentation to prospective industrial athletic trainers located a thousand miles away, Bohl was back at her full-time job, the primary focus of which revolves around getting her children to and from a plethora of practices, games and competitions.

She has a vast mom skill set too.