The Power of PT: A Chat with Ian Lonich, DPT ‘14
Chatham University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program checked a lot of the expected boxes for Ian Lonich, DPT ‘14, a California University of PA grad from Charleroi, PA. But what sealed the deal, and set Ian on a path to becoming a Chatham graduate and now a certified neurologic clinical specialist, was seeing his own passion for quality care reflected in his professors, classes, and fellow Chatham DPT students. We chatted with Ian to learn more about his inspiration to become a physical therapist, his time at Chatham, and how COVID is bringing changes— and not all of them bad— to the practice of PT.
Ian Lonich, DPT ‘14
What inspired you to become a physical therapist?
I didn't have an interest in physical therapy until my grandmother was a patient. She had some success at first and was showing progress towards her goals. Unfortunately her therapist became less motivated and the quality of her therapy declined. Becoming a better therapist and keeping in my mind that I have a big role to play in a patient’s quality of life has always been my main focus and a motivator to always provide the highest level of care.
Why did you choose Chatham to pursue PT?
When I started searching for a PT school, I was looking at schools that were local and had a history of a high pass rate for the boards. Chatham met both of those criteria, but initially I didn't know a lot about the school. It was the interview process that ultimately lead to it being the #1 school on my list. I really liked the idea of problem based learning (PBL) and the ability to focus on clinic cases to connect information gained in lecture and labs. It would also get me out of my comfort zone as an introvert by working frequently in groups. I also appreciated that the majority of the professors had a specialization in the area they taught and had strong clinical backgrounds behind them.
The students that come out of our Health Science programs seem to have a strong bond with each other. Was that your experience in our PT program?
We definitely had a strong bond while we were in school, and I truly felt we were all supportive of each other. Before every exam or practical you would find large groups of us in the labs studying and going between groups to get ideas and help each other understand concepts. Ultimately we saw more of each other than pretty much anyone else in our lives at that time. Since graduation many of my classmates have spread out, not only in Pennsylvania but across the US. I stay in contact with a few friends quite frequently even though they don't live close by, and I know that is true for the majority of my class. I also frequently run into many of them at national conferences or back at Chatham helping out with interviewing new students. We generally are able to catch up as if we left school only a few weeks earlier. Social media has also been a great tool to see what people are doing now and how many of us are continuing to progress in our careers.
“The professors had a different approach compared to other schools I had interviewed at and toured. They were all excited to talk about physical therapy and I felt they wanted to foster growth.”
What’s one thing you wished people knew or understood better about PT?
That we do a lot to help improve the quality of people's lives. Most people have experience with physical therapy related to someone having a knee replacement, or a torn muscle in their shoulder, or back pain - orthopedic conditions. And while this is a big component of PT, we can help with so much more. Take for instance my specialization in neurological physical therapy. I specialize in working with people following brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and strokes with a goal to help them improve their quality of life and mobility. Beyond that I also work with individuals who have progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). I not only work on ways to increase independence after progression but have a role in maintaining function and preparing an individual for what is likely to come because of their progressive disease. Frequently I am involved in educating patients and families on how to optimize the setup of their homes and appropriate techniques to assist with caregiving to allow the individual to maintain quality of life and remain in their homes for as long as possible.
Physical therapy can be a first line of treatment for many conditions that people don't commonly associate with the profession. This include pelvic floor therapists who can assist with incontinence and pain, vestibular therapists who help with dizziness and balance issues, and oncology therapists who aid someone going through cancer treatments to maintain their strength and endurance. The list goes on and on including pediatrics, lymphedema, wounds, sports performance, aging well, and many more.
Ian at Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania’s annual walk and community festival “Step Forward.”
How has your practice, and your outlook, been affected by COVID-19?
COVID-19 has sped up some progress in some areas and has created setbacks in others. The good has been almost overnight access to telehealth physical therapy. Telehealth has given some individuals access to more specialized care than they were able to receive previously. During the peak of the quarantine, I was able to have more frequent video visits with individuals who lived 2-3 hours away from the clinic. I was able to see firsthand how their home setup lead to unique situations that I may not have realized had we only seen each other in the clinic. Generally I would only see these patients every 3-6 months during multi-disciplinary clinics with their physicians, but telehealth allowed for more timely follow-ups. While telehealth allowed for continued therapy for many people that were at a higher risk and unable to come into the clinic, many of these individuals did not have internet access or felt uncomfortable using technology.
I feel overall it has lead us to slow down for a minute and look at our practices and priorities. Moving forward I hope that conversations continue about increasing access. I also feel that it has helped a lot of us take a step back and look at what we do within our treatment sessions. Many therapists had to adapt and change our approach because we were not able to physically demonstrate or assist our patients, but only able to verbally provide guidance. It also lead to a change in what people had access to. For many, access to specialized equipment was gone and replaced with household items. I want to remain positive and think that it has helped us step outside of our boxes and given us the chance to try and figure out how we can improve the quality of care we provide.
What’s rewarding about being a physical therapist?
This sounds canned, but honestly it's the patients. When a patient comes in after multiple sessions and talks about how they are able to do something they couldn't when they started therapy is extremely rewarding and it’s amazing to know you can positively affect someone’s quality of life.
Curious about Physical Therapy, and how your career can help change lives for the better? Visit our PT program website, or check out all our health science offerings.