Here at pt Health, we’re honoured to have so many incredibly driven and ambitious people working at our clinics across the country. We love clinician spotlights because they are a chance to introduce these fantastic clinic team members, give them a platform to share what they love about their careers, and learn a little more about the people that make pt Health so great. Today we’re spotlighting one of our most traveled physiotherapists and Clinic Team Manager Waleed Abdel-Razek.
Education: Bachelor of Science (Honours.) in Neuroscience from Memorial University and Master’s of Science in Physiotherapy from the University of Toronto
Clinic(s): I’m currently working at Caledonia Physiotherapy, but I’ve worked at 15 different pt Health clinics in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia!
Area of focus
My primary focus is on interdisciplinary patient care. I’m always focused on providing the best outcomes for my patients by leveraging the skills of all the clinicians I work alongside with.
Motto or personal mantra
My responsibility as a health care practitioner is to educate my patients as much as possible on their condition and their options for recovery so that they can make the most educated decisions for their own healthcare needs and goals.
What originally drew you to pt Health?
I was drawn to pt Health (and still am) by the family type feel that we have. For such a large organization it is remarkable how close everyone is. At the same time, with such a large group of clinicians, we all feel like a team, and each of us can access support resources from across the country to assist with patient care. Moreover, the growth and development I have been afforded both on a professional and a personal level have helped me grow into who I am today!
What’s your average day like?
Depending on the day of the week my day could vary greatly! pt Health has offered me a lot of non-clinical opportunities, the latest of which involves working alongside a product development team. This has enriched my skills and experiences as partnering with this team during the creation, delivery, and production of a clinical note taking platform for allied health professionals has helped me gain some much-needed knowledge on technology development.
But, honestly, the most rewarding part of my day is meeting and working with patients as they continuously challenge my skills and knowledge as I assist them with their recovery. I thoroughly enjoy getting to know each of my patients and affecting a long-term change in their level of function.
How long have you worked at pt Health?
I’ve been working for pt Health since I graduated in 2010!
What is one of your favourite stories of how you helped a patient?
One of the most rewarding experiences I have had working with patients came when I was treating a mother that had developed severe plantar fasciitis in both her feet. When she came in, her plantar fasciitis was at the point where she couldn’t stand for more than a couple of minutes. As you can probably guess, this had a substantial negative impact on her quality of life. The patient was unable to keep working and had to give up her occupation; she was unable to do regular daily tasks like grocery shopping, child care or spend quality time with her family.
I worked with the patient and suggested we use a newly developed modality called ballistic shockwave therapy along with several assistive devices and other forms of treatment to ease her symptoms. I was also able to leverage the skills of the rest of the staff in my clinic and work alongside her family physician and orthopedic specialist to address her other concerns.
When the patient came in it had been almost a year since she was able to stand for an extended period of time. After completing her treatment plan, and with a lot of hard work and effort on her part, she was able to return to work, enjoy her daily activities, and spend quality time with her family. It was truly rewarding to see her return to function.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I have a moderate phobia of needles. Even though I administer acupuncture as a form of therapy regularly to patients and to myself as well as give blood regularly, I can not really stand the things. I am also taking a dry needling course later this summer!
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