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Kyan Sahba, PT, DPT, PhD is back on today’s episode for Part 2 of our series on clinical reasoning. Kyan is an assistant clinical professor and post-doctoral research fellow at Loma Linda University and the author of The Pediatric PT Playbook. Kyan’s clinical background spans early intervention, school-based, outpatient peds, acute care, and peds oncology. She felt passionate about creating a resource around frameworks that she wished she had had as a student, which led to her writing The Pediatric PT Playbook. Over these four episodes, we will be diving into these frameworks and how they can be utilized for clinical reasoning needed to excel on the PCS exam. Today we are taking the conversation from last week and putting it into practice! Kyan will talk us through pediatric cases and highlight the things she notices first, what questions she would ask, what would change her clinical decision making, and how she uses the “QFF”, “ALERT”, “PARTNER”, “VOICE”, and “SAFE KIDS” frameworks from her book to help organize that process. We close with Kyan suggesting 3 things to help those striving to become stronger pediatric clinical reasoners. Be sure to come back next week for Part 3 where we will take today’s introduction to these frameworks and dive deeper by applying them to setting specific situations.  Follow Kyan on LinkedIn Check out Kyan’s website: www.BeingThePT.com Get Kyan’s book, The Pediatric PT Playbook: A Practical Guide to Clinical Reasoning for Students and New Clinicians in downloadable PDF from her website (use code PushingPediatrics for 25% off!), or on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and kindle versions Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today’s episode of Pushing Pediatrics is Part One of a four-part series on clinical reasoning with Kyan Sahba, PT, DPT, PhD. Kyan is an assistant clinical professor and post-doctoral research fellow at Loma Linda University and the author of The Pediatric PT Playbook. Kyan’s clinical background spans early intervention, school-based, outpatient peds, acute care, and peds oncology. She felt passionate about creating a resource around frameworks that she wished she had had as a student, which led to her writing The Pediatric PT Playbook. Over the next four episodes, we will be diving into these frameworks and how they can be utilized for clinical reasoning needed to excel on the PCS exam. Kyan walks us through the difference between thinking as a pediatric physical therapist to thinking like a pediatric clinical specialist. She breaks down the difference between clinical knowledge and clinical reasoning and explains how a student, an experienced clinician, and a PCS-level specialist may approach the same child in very different ways. We discuss how experts develop pattern recognition and what they notice sooner. Kyan also explains why frameworks can help organize the overwhelming amount of information a pediatric PT needs to know, how it helps reduce cognitive load, and helps you be able to sort through the details of a PCS test question to find what actually matters. Come back Friday for a framework style Test Question Friday, and be sure to tune in for the rest of our series with Kyan! Follow Kyan on LinkedIn Check out Kyan’s website: www.BeingThePT.com Get Kyan’s book, The Pediatric PT Playbook: A Practical Guide to Clinical Reasoning for Students and New Clinicians in downloadable PDF from her website (use code PushingPediatrics for 25% off!), or on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and kindle versions Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

What happens when you have just three months to prepare for the PCS exam? In this episode, Sheila welcomes Anne Heinritz, PT, DPT, ATP, PCS, a former Pushing Pediatrics listener who became a PCS passer and is now joining as a podcast guest! Anne owns a mobile pediatric physical therapy practice in Reno, NV, and she shares exactly how she approached studying for the PCS over a three-month period while balancing a career, family, and the curveballs of life along the way.  Anne walks us through her study timeline, the resources she used including textbooks, PCS Advantage, and AI, and how she prioritized the content that mattered most when her study time was limited. She also shares how she let go of perfectionism, pivoted from perfection to purpose, and managed the stress of a quickly approaching exam. Plus, Anne reflects on what she learned from the experience and what she would do differently if she had to prepare for the PCS all over again. If you’re studying for the PCS and wondering whether it’s possible to prepare in a shorter timeframe, this episode offers an honest, practical look at what worked for one successful test-taker. Follow Anne and Ready To Roll Physical Therapy on Instagram and LinkedIn  Ready To Roll Physical Therapy website   Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Welcome back to Pushing Pediatrics for Part 2 of our conversation with Jessica Lewis and Helen Carey of PCS Advantage! Today we will be diving deeper into using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a study tool and sharing real, detailed prompts and responses to help further your learning. In Part 1 of this discussion, Helen and Jessica introduce the newest PCS Advantage study guide focused on using AI as a study tool which is available to download for free! If you haven’t listened to Part 1, which lays out the background and framework for using AI to study for the PCS, please go do so and then come back to listen to Part 2. Today Helen and Jessica share examples of source material you could upload into your chosen AI platform and how to create specific prompts using the C.R.A.F.T framework. We end the episode with two real prompts and the responses AI provided and judge them for their accuracy and depth of knowledge.  Download the FREE PCS Advantage Study Guide - AI Assisted Learning Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Season 6 of Pushing Pediatrics kicks off with a special collaboration with PCS Advantage! Sheila and Sara welcome back Jessica Lewis, PT, DPT, PCS and Helen Carey, PT, DHSc, PCS, creators of PCS Advantage, to talk about a new tool that is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives: artificial intelligence, or, AI. While AI can be a powerful resource for studying for the PCS exam, knowing how to use it effectively and critically is essential. In Part 1 of this discussion, Helen and Jessica introduce the newest PCS Advantage study guide, focused entirely on using AI as a study tool. Now with 31 study guides available, PCS Advantage continues to provide practical resources for physical therapists preparing for the Pediatric Certified Specialist exam, and this newest guide is available to download for free! The conversation explores how to create effective AI prompts, what types of questions to ask, and more. They also discuss the importance of verifying AI-generated information and suggest feeding the chat bot primary source information. And remember that AI should supplement, not replace, your own clinical reasoning, thinking, and learning. You’ll also learn about the C.R.A.F.T. framework, a helpful approach for creating more effective AI prompts and getting better results from your study sessions. Whether you are just beginning your PCS preparation or are deep into studying, this episode offers practical strategies for thoughtfully incorporating AI into your study routine while still keeping your own knowledge, reasoning, and learning at the center of the process. Join us next week for Part 2 with Jessica and Helen where we go deeper into study techniques utilizing AI! Download the FREE PCS Advantage Study Guide - AI Assisted Learning Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today is the final episode of the 5th season of the Pushing Pediatrics podcast! Sheila and Sara are welcoming guests Jessica Lewis, PT, DPT, PCS and Helen Carey, PT, DHSc, PCS, creators of the PCS Advantage, to help those of you in the home stretch of studying for the PCS exam. PCS Advantage is a prep course and study tool for those clinicians studying for the PCS exam, providing full practice exams and comprehensive study guides. Through the work of Jessica and Helen and the creation of PCS Advantage, they have helped hundreds of clinicians pass their exam! Sheila and Sara ask Jessica and Helen some critical questions you’ll want to hear the answers to if you’re taking the PCS in a few weeks! Topics like where to focus your studies in these last weeks, things TO do and things NOT to do as the exam date approaches, and several critical exam taking strategies. Good luck to those of you taking your PCS exam, and regardless of the outcome, you are an amazing PT. We will be back next season with more great episodes. And remember, you’ve got this!  PCS Advantage: PCS Prep Course Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Thanks for joining us for part 2 of our discussion on pain with Dylan Gawinski Stern, PT, DPT, PCS. In this second half, Dylan will be going into more depth on AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome). She will share how her facility evaluates patients to be considered for admission to the AMPS program, what specialties make up the multidisciplinary team, and what treatment looks like for those AMPS patients. Sheila and Sara will share “PT pearls" and how this topic ties into PCS exam prep.  Dougherty BL, Zelikovsky N, Miller KS, Rodriguez D, Armstrong SL, Sherry DD. Longitudinal Impact of Parental Catastrophizing on Child Functional Disability in Pediatric Amplified Pain. J Pediatr Psychol. 2021 Apr 16;46(4):474-484. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa127. PMID: 33491076; PMCID: PMC8056213. Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Another incredible guest is on the Pushing Pediatrics Podcast this week! Dylan Gawinski Stern, PT, DPT, PCS joins the show to discuss pain, most specifically AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome). Persistent pain is a new “hot topic” that is testable material since hosts Sheila and Sara took their PCS exam, which is why they’ve invited an expert to review this topic. Dylan will share her experience working in the AMPS clinic, how to differentiate AMPS from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) as a provider, what the therapy evaluation process looks like for AMPS clinic patients, how to incorporate Trauma Informed Care, and more. This topic will be broken into two, digestible episodes, so be sure to tune in next week for the other half of our discussion on pain.  Dougherty BL, Zelikovsky N, Miller KS, Rodriguez D, Armstrong SL, Sherry DD. Longitudinal Impact of Parental Catastrophizing on Child Functional Disability in Pediatric Amplified Pain. J Pediatr Psychol. 2021 Apr 16;46(4):474-484. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa127. PMID: 33491076; PMCID: PMC8056213. Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

SAFETY LISTENER NOTE: This presentation will discuss aspects of trauma, its impact on children, families and practitioners. We acknowledge that the content in this discussion may trigger your previous experiences with trauma or the trauma that your patients have experienced. We encourage you to perform self-care practices even within this podcast; if you need to take a break and pause, please do so as you need. Today’s episode is part 2 of this season’s Trauma Informed Care series with Katelyn McNamara-Kays PT, DPT, PCS and Bridget Griffin, PT, DPT, PCS. Kate and Bridget were on the show last season sharing their knowledge about TIC. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, they are linked down below - be sure to go and give those a listen, as well as last week’s part 1 of this series. Today Kate and Bridget share the other side of Trauma Informed Care known as Secondary Traumatic Stress and how we experience it as health care providers. Whether there is a big event at work or your role has heavy moments over time, Kate and Bridget will share why it’s important to be taking care of yourself in order to provide the best sessions for our patients.  Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Part 2  Join the APTA Mighty Networks! Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

SAFETY LISTENER NOTE: This presentation will discuss aspects of trauma, its impact on children, families and practitioners. We acknowledge that the content in this discussion may trigger your previous experiences with trauma or the trauma that your patients have experienced. We encourage you to perform self-care practices even within this podcast; if you need to take a break and pause, please do so as you need. Sheila and Sara are pleased to be welcoming back Katelyn McNamara-Kays PT, DPT, PCS and Bridget Griffin, PT, DPT, PCS, to discuss Trauma Informed Care. Kate and Bridget were on the show last season sharing their knowledge about TIC. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, they are linked down below - be sure to go and give those a listen. Today Kate and Bridget will be taking us on a deeper dive into Trauma Informed Care and also introduce their newest fact sheet releasing soon! This conversation is loaded with practical ways to incorporate TIC into your daily practice as well as how to translate this concept into PCS exam taking strategies. Be sure to tune in next week for part 2! Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Part 2  Join the APTA Mighty Networks! Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Thanks for joining us for our final installment with Mike Studer. Today we will be wrapping things up and making connections from the concepts found in Mike’s book to our pediatric practices and PCS exam prep. This week is also our last episode of 2025. We hope you have a restful break and we look forward to you joining us in January, 2026 for more episodes! “The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer   Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9 Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion with Mike Studer where we will be diving even further into the concepts of learning and neuroplasticity and how it applies to our pediatric patients and the PCS exam. Specifically, today, we discuss motivators and the difference between infinite games and other types of play. Mike also shares his list of other readings he considered while writing his new book and would recommend for those looking to take their learning on these concepts a step further! These episodes are full of so many “PT pearls” that will apply clinically and personally, you will not want to miss any of this content! Don’t forget to come back next week for the final episode of our trilogy with Mike.  “The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth  Katy Milkman’s book, “How to Change: The Science of Getting Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” and her podcast, Choiceology “Nudge” by Richard Thaler Other authors mentioned in today's episode: Jane McGonigal, Ellen Langer, Alia Crum and more listed in Mike Studer’s book   Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9 Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

This week kicks off a very special three-part conversation with our friend and returning guest Mike Studer. Over the next three episodes, we will be diving into concepts from Mike’s new book, “The Brain That Chooses Itself”, like learning and neuroplasticity. These concepts thoroughly apply to how we clinically treat our pediatric patients, but also how we parent, how we teach and coach friends and family, and how we prepare for the PCS exam. These episodes are full of so many “PT pearls” that will apply clinically and personally, you will not want to miss these episodes! And of course, we will be connecting all of this incredible information to PCS exam prep strategies.  “The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman   Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9 Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Welcome back to Pushing Pediatrics! We have another guest episode this week to bring you knowledge on a topic that has been widely gaining popularity and is now testable material, pediatric pelvic floor. Maggie Abbott, PT, DPT will join us to discuss why PT can make a big difference for children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. We’ll cover age and diagnoses Maggie typically treats, what her initial evaluation includes, interventions of pelvic floor therapy, and more. We will highlight how this subject translates to PCS prep with our “PT pearls” and walk through exam taking techniques. Remember, you’ve got this!  Calvo-Sanz, J., Bouallalene Jaramillo, K., et al. (2025). Electrotherapy in pediatric patients with non-neurological pelvic-floor dysfunction: TENS, biofeedback, and behavioural therapies applied individually or in combination. Journal of Pediatric Urology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2025.03.158 Wegh, C. A. M., Baaleman, D. F., Tabbers, M. M., Smidt, H., & Benninga, M. A. (2022). Non-pharmacologic treatment for children with functional constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatrics, 240, 136-149.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.09.010 Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Thanks for joining us today at the Pushing Pediatrics podcast! Sara is solo today to share some valuable additional clinical insight about Scoliosis. This additional material may or may not be testable information, however it is great to know when treating children with scoliosis in real-world situations. While today’s episode is focusing on scoliosis, if you need a review of other spinal conditions, please see the link below to our episode from Season 3. Background and basics of the different types of scoliosis, evaluating these different types utilizing the Sosort guidelines, non-surgical interventions, and surgical interventions of scoliosis will be discussed in today’s review.  Pushing Pediatrics Season 3: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and Spinal Conditions https://scoliosisjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13013-017-0145-8 Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!  Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes Follow us on Instagram This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.