Student Internships
Testimonials
Cape Ann Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Center has been a clinical site for physical therapy students since 1990. To recognize her contributions to student education, founder Dr. Jodi Llacera Klein was awarded Excellence in Clinical Teaching by the New England Consortium in 2004. Dr. Llacera Klein and her staff have mentored masters and doctoral students from MGH Institute of Health Professions and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
The clinic is an outpatient orthopedic center with a strong emphasis on manual therapy. The intimate setting of the clinic allows for a great deal of individual mentoring and clinical instruction. The clinic fosters a nurturing learning environment with weekly mentoring sessions. These sessions include hands on practice with expert guidance, as well as article reviews and case studies. In addition, the clinic facilitates observation of orthopedic surgeries with selected Orthopedists on the North Shore to enhance students’ understanding of orthopedic operative procedures. Most importantly, students benefit from the clinic’s emphasis on providing the highest level of quality care to its patients.
Please read the following testimonials from some of the clinic’s current and previous students.
Student Testimonials
“Cape Ann PT exemplifies the DPT level of practice. They set the bar high and you have to work hard to meet the standards of this clinic, but I am confident that I will leave here with a much higher quality of practice as a result. Personally I have benefitted tremendously from Jodi’s weekly mentoring sessions where we have reviewed lumbopelvic and cervical examinations (among many other things!). I was independent early on with evaluation and treatment, so these sessions were great to ensure that my examinations were thorough. I have had the benefit of being independent here but within a team where I feel I have as much guidance as I need from every therapist in the clinic. The team boasts 2 orthopedic clinical specialists, and Jodi has taught at MGH. This really creates an atmosphere of learning and the therapists are constantly discussing ways to improve their quality of care by sharing techniques or discussing the latest literature. They inspire me to continue my own education and they remind me why I chose this field in the first place. As an aside, the town of Manchester is beautiful, and it is a real treat to walk up to Singing Beach before work.”
Dr. Jane Cote-Polz, PT, DPT
MGHIHP Intern
August 2011-August 2012
“I completed an eight-week clinical at CAPT in the summer of 2011; and I wish I could have stayed longer! The small clinic atmosphere was ideal for learning. There are private treatment rooms and thirty-minute appointments to make sure you have plenty of time with each patient. Jodi as well as the other therapists were wonderful teachers and completely approachable for any questions that may arise. I impressed myself with how much knowledge I had gained over eight short weeks; especially concerning to manual therapy skills on the spine. The patient population at this facility is unlike one I have ever experienced in all of my clinical affiliations. Patients are eager to learn about what is going on with their bodies and respect the knowledge of a PT. I truly could not have asked for a better outpatient clinical affiliation.”
Jillian Cunningham, PT/S
UMass Lowell Intern
May 2011-July 2011
"I was adamant at the start of PT school that I wanted to work in OP orthopedics. What is more, after finishing all the MGH course work, I knew I wanted to be a manual therapist and needed to find the perfect internship that would help to further develop my skill set. I heard from other classmates that CAPT was one of the best affiliations in manual and spine. It was my last interview and first choice.
Upon starting in August, I was a bit worried because I was not current on my manual skills or orthopedic special tests and did not have the first clue on how to develop a great POC that would get my patients better. I, like every other MGH student, had just come out of a ton of neuro classes and a rehab affiliation, so I needed to get back into the ortho world. Well, Jodi, Rebecca, Julia, and Heather welcomed me and reassured me that I had nothing to worry about.
Over the next few months, they began to teach me what they knew. I slowly began to take on a case load of my own, while learning aside some of the best manual therapists I have ever encountered. I sat in on evaluations and they sat in on mine. They treated a patient and then allowed me to treat the same patient, so I could get feedback, which was helpful in gaining confidence and learning what was "correct" and "incorrect" treatment methods. My hands began to "talk to me," as Jodi always told me they would, and I began to look at the body as a biomechanist. Every Thursday morning, we had a 30-min education session where all the therapists met to review treatment methods or discuss recent research. It was a great help to have four manual therapists in one room, all working on developing the same manual skill, and then to be able to turn around and practice that skill on any given patient.
In January, I think I was managing pretty close to a full caseload and studying for the boards, which was tough. But, I do have to say, I did not feel like I had to study very hard for the ortho section of the test, because I was having thought-provoking conversations about patient care on a daily basis. Do you know how great it is to be able to ask a question and get a clear answer regarding a patient and then be able to expand that question into a dialogue, while not feeling intimidated?
Before and after the boards, I carried my own caseload and continued to pull Jodi and other therapists in the room to confirm what I was palpating. There are times, even today, when I wish I could do the same thing, walk out of a treatment room and ask Jodi or Rebecca to come take a second look. It is a wonderful thing. My education continued until the following August, when I sadly decided to leave and return to the South.
I am currently working in an OP orthopedic clinic with four other clinicians. Each of us has a very different education and skill set, and I am the only manual therapist. I am the only therapist who is not afraid to treat the spine and knows what she is looking for and feeling. The level of confidence I left CAPT with is priceless and I thank MGH and Jodi as well as all the therapists at CAPT for all their help in making me the holistic manual therapist I am today. I hope your next intern knows how fortunate he/she is to be a student intern at CAPT."
Melissa McKeon, PT, DPT, M.Ed
MGHIHP Intern
August 2009-August 2010
“I reflect upon my year long internship with CAPT 2008-2009 fondly. From the beginning I was warmly welcomed into the company and supported by all of the staff at CAPT. Now that I have been practicing as a PT for 3 years, I can truly say I use the manual skills I learned at CAPT on a DAILY basis! I have worked for two different outpatient companies since graduating from MGHIHP and in both settings my fellow colleagues have come to me for advice on manual skills.
My primary CI was Rebecca. She was bright, experienced and deeply dedicated to my success. She spent many long evenings discussing my days with me and providing constructive feedback to better my skills. I will always be grateful for such a positive experience. She helped me establish the confidence and skill set I take to work with me everyday. At times I worked with the other PT's including Jodi. I was constantly mentored by the entire staff and they all took the time to thoroughly review my notes and offer advice. Even with Jodi's busy schedule she took the time to sit and reflect with me.
I can honestly attest that I would not have such strong manual skills if not for the internship at CAPT. I could not imagine a better fit for my interests and feel truly lucky I was able to work with this company for a year. If not for a move to another state I would have applied for a full time position after my internship. Due to such a rewarding internship with great role models, I have had the confidence to mentor PT students as a CI. I am forever grateful for this enriching experience.”
Dr. MaryHelen (Curran) Gustafson, DPT
MGHIHP Intern
August 2008-August 2009
“I was a student at CAPT in 2000 and the outpatient experience was invaluable to my physical therapy education. Jodi’s mentoring and personal approach to physical therapy excellence put me ahead of my peers at graduation. CAPT’s commitment to excellence and the student experience is rare.”
Dr. Brian Wallace, DPT
UMass Lowell Intern
2000
“I was fortunate to have completed my orthopedic clinical rotation at Cape Ann Physical Therapy. It was an excellent learning environment that emphasized a moderate amount of individual mentoring. Jodi's knowledge, clinical skills, and hands-on experience helped me establish a solid foundation of manual therapy techniques. The clinical experience and education received at cape ann helped me transition from student to a confident and efficient practicing physical therapist.”
James Corrente, PT, ATC
UMass Lowell Intern
1999
"I found my experience at Cape Ann Physical Therapy to be both fun and educational. I enjoyed and feel much gratitude for the opportunity I had to learn directly from owner and physical therapist Jodi Klein. She had a professional, friendly, non intimidating way of teaching. I gained an excellent foundation in evaluation, joint mobilization of the spine and extremities, MET techniques and exercise prescription. Being a small facility, it allowed me to spend time developing my manual skills. Jodi and her staff were highly skilled in manual physical therapy techniques. I would highly recommend this facility for any student looking for a smaller facility and desiring to develop both basic and advanced manual physical therapy skills as well as exercise prescription.”
Dorrie Martell, PT, DPT
UMass Lowell Intern
