MedWest occupational therapy team trains together in coordinated effort to improve skills and the level of care they give community members

6/14/2012

MedWest occupational therapy team trains together in coordinated effort to improve skills and the level of care they give community members

Clyde, N.C. – Members of MedWest Health System’s multiple occupational therapy departments recently trained together as part of their coordinated efforts to continuously improve their skills and the level of care they give the community. 

Orthopedic specialist Paul J. Cutting, MD led an “occupational therapy community” learning session and spoke about Dupuytren’s contracture and thumb carpal-metacarpal (or CMC) joint arthritis, including surgical interventions. 

Cutting practices with Western Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists, PA in the MedWest Outpatient Care Center at 581 Leroy George Dr. on the MedWest-Haywood campus in Clyde. He manages the full spectrum of orthopedic conditions and is a board-certified hand specialist with a special interest in hand and upper extremity problems, including traumatic injuries of the hand and wrist, fractures and non-unions, nerve and tendon injuries, Dupuytren’s disease and problems related to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. 

“By Dr. Cutting establishing working relationships with the therapists, it keeps us closely linked to provide optimal patient care,” said Susie Ransbottom-Witty, who is with MedWest-Harris and participated in recent cross-campus learning sessions. 

Other members of the occupational therapy team who participated in Cutting’s learning session were Donna Murray from MedWest-Harris/Franklin, Janice Leopold from Murphy Medical, Anna Walls from MedWest-Swain, Gail Davis from MedWest-Haywood, Rebecca Mashburn from MedWest-Haywood and Olivia Muse from MedWest-Haywood. 

All of the therapists who participated are licensed occupational therapists who are required to get continuing education credit hours annually to maintain their licenses and their knowledge base. 

Davis, Mashburn and Ransbottom-Witty also are all certified hand therapists, and additionally, Davis, Walls and Ransbottom-Witty are also certified in complete decongestive therapy for treatment of lymphedema. 

MedWest occupational therapists also met recently for a training session on splinting sponsored by Patterson Medical, with Ryan McCullough demonstrating new products and splinting materials. During that session, each therapist demonstrated a splint and explained how to make it, what diagnosis would benefit from it and what materials to use in fabricating it. Participants included Murray, Walls, Davis, Mashburn, Muse, Ransbottom-Witty and Children’s Developmental Services Agency occupational therapist Paul Witty. 

Throughout its multiple locations, MedWest Rehabilitation Services offers orthopedic manual physical therapy, occupational therapy, aquatic therapy, hand rehabilitation, speech-language pathology services, FCE (functional capacity evaluations) and occupational rehabilitation, continence and pelvic dysfunction therapy, sports medicine, spine care, balance and vestibular therapy, comprehensive wound care and orthotic and foot care. 


PHOTO CAPTION/CUTLINE: Members of MedWest Health System’s occupational therapy team recently met for cross-campus training. Susie Ransbottom-Witty from MedWest-Harris, left, Donna Murray from MedWest-Harris/Franklin, Janice Leopold from Murphy Medical, Anna Walls from MedWest-Swain, Paul Cutting, MD from Western Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists in Clyde, Gail Davis from MedWest-Haywood, Rebecca Mashburn from MedWest-Haywood and Olivia Muse from MedWest-Haywood participated in the group training.