Just a year and a half after graduating from the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professors (RMUoHP), Andrew Boynton, PT, DPT, was asked to direct the RehabAuthority physical therapy clinic in Caldwell, Idaho. For Boynton, his education and experiences prepared him to lead early in his career.
As an undergraduate student, Boynton’s anatomy and physiology coursework sparked an interest in pursuing healthcare as a career. He ultimately decided that physical therapy was right for him as it would provide opportunities for ongoing and constant patient interaction while gaining clinical expertise in a specific field of medicine, and RMUoHP was just down the street from Boynton’s hometown.
Boynton attributes his academic and professional success to the individual time he spent with faculty during his graduate program.
The DPT faculty “provided opportunities to learn, observe, and experience how I personally retain information,” said Boynton. “Yes, the content and subject matter was crucial to retain for testing, skill demonstration, or proving competence in a given topic, but I continue to utilize those discovered learning skills to improve my daily practice and retain information related to other areas of life, personal interests, and hobbies,” said Boynton.
Nearing the end of the DPT program, Boynton completed his last clinical rotation at RehabAuthority physical therapy in Kuna, Idaho. Upon graduating, Boynton returned to RehabAuthority as a staff physical therapist.
“Working in rural Kuna, Idaho, means working with a wide variety of patient populations which require adaptation as a clinician to meet patient needs,” said Boynton, “This is one of my favorite things about a career path in physical therapy–its variability. I worked with pediatric, geriatric, and neurologic (CVA, SCI) populations among the steady populations of orthopedic injuries and post-surgical cases referred to our care.”
As a new clinician, Boynton continued to build his expertise through continuing education opportunities. For example, he took the opportunity to spend a weekend with Dr. Adriaan Louw, who has spearheaded research in pain science and neurodynamics.
A year and a half into his professional career, Boynton was offered a position to direct the RehabAuthority physical therapy clinic in Caldwell and has been there since June 2019.
“The clinic was under stress, using broad terms, from a variety of factors, and it had seen multiple staff changes, including three director changes, in a short year-and-a-half period,” said Boynton. “In the past year, we have seen some excellent improvements take place, which I feel I have been able to directly impact in a leadership position.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has provided its own unique challenges, Boynton is excited for the clinic’s future. “I hope to be a part of new professional strategies as the field of private outpatient physical therapy rapidly changes from how it has operated in the past couple of decades.”
Aside from directing the clinic, Boynton enjoys giving back as an educator at the College of Idaho and as a clinical preceptor for physical therapy students.
“Working with faculty and students from the College of Idaho has provided opportunities to mentor and prepare students for other professions, as well as students who are applying to physical therapy programs. Additionally, taking multiple DPT students from a variety of programs in the nation has provided opportunities to teach and mentor future PTs,” said Boynton.
Boynton advises students to be humble during the education process. “I have observed in a short timeframe that the vast majority of people around you genuinely want you to succeed just as much as you want to succeed.”
Boynton continues toward success in his own career. He received his certification in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy and is currently studying for the Orthopedic Clinical Specialist certification board exam.
Boynton’s dedication to education has positively impacted many students, as well as fellow clinicians and patients at the Caldwell RehabAuthority clinic through the improvements under Boynton’s leadership. Boynton also serves as a member of the RMUoHP Alumni Association Board.
