Meet a Member
Tom Rosinski, PT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy
My first job out of PT school was at a community hospital, seeing whatever diagnosis walked through the door. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to focus my practice, so this was a good fit for me at the time.
Due to some staff changes at the clinic, I became responsible for treating our patients with lymphedema. It was initially overwhelming, but after completing several continuing education courses, and connecting with a mentor, I began feeling more confident. I eventually left the community hospital and began working almost entirely with lymphedema/oncology patients at a private outpatient PT clinic.
Working with the lymphedema population led me to treating patients with other oncology related issues. I have continued to focus on treating outpatient orthopedic and oncology patient populations. My caseload mostly consists of patients with a history of breast, prostate, gynecological, head and neck or hematological cancers. I am now back working at a community hospital in an outpatient setting, which I feel suits me best. I was lucky enough to have several great mentors and colleagues throughout my career so far and I think it is great that new grads will have a way to formally connect with somebody who can help them as they start their careers.
As the profession moves more towards autonomous practice I think it is important to pursue specialization. This is a patient population that definitely needs and deserves clinicians with advanced knowledge of their conditions.