We head to Michigan for today’s PT Profile, to meet Shawn Edyvean, PT. Shawn grew up in Ironwood, Michigan in the upper peninsula (commonly referred to as “Yoppers.”) He attended Central Michigan University and earned his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science in 1997 and a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy in 2001. Shawn currently resides in Wakefield,MI with his wife Jean, and enjoys golfing, snowshoeing, and working with local sports teams and athletes.

I currently practice at Great Northern Rehab in Ironwood, Michigan.

I took a human anatomy class in high school that I enjoyed and began looking at careers where I could work with people and utilize knowledge of the human body. I came across physical therapy as an option and volunteered at a local PT clinic for a few summers while in high school to get a better idea of what a therapist does.

I was surprised by the complexities of human movement and the complex interactions that human emotion and trust has on obtaining positive outcomes and results.

I enjoy treating a variety of issues, but the main areas I find to be high on my list are areas that challenge my clinical skills/reasoning. Shoulder dysfunctions; lumbopelvic and vestibular issues are a few of my favorites.

The company I work for held a contract to provide services for a local hospital on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. A few years ago the hospital decided to not renew the contract, and we had to leave the hospital umbrella and open a new outpatient clinic and develop contracts with local SNF’s. With aggressive marketing and public education we have been able to develop an independent practice that covers a variety of practice settings that includes outpatient, SNF, and Home health.

I place a high value on interacting with PTs around the world to learn from others’ experiences and expertise. It is a great way to increase your knowledge and skills. It is also a great way as PT‘s to problem solve not only with patient care , but on the political and practice front as well.

I think it is important to always be learning new or different manual therapy techniques because of the variety and type of people we treat. The various body types and sizes make it crucial to develop skills to be able to treat each person effectively.

A mentor in my practice has been our clinic supervisor. She has been influential in teaching me all the things that are not necessarily taught in school. I hope that I have been a mentor to PT students that have come to out clinic. We currently have a high school athlete that we treated coming to the clinic on contract with the high school with an interest in pursuing a PT career. Hopefully we can portray an image of what PT is all about and help him make a decision on a career.

We subscribe to FOTO a nationally recognized outcomes database. We have consistently ranked in the upper 10th percentile in the country for outcomes and effectiveness in treatment. I think we provide quality PT care in a friendly and team oriented environment.