On April 2, the Department of Physical Therapy conducted a live video link with Chris Remillard '04, a physical therapy major who is now a captain in the U.S. Army and deployed in Iraq. Chris was eager to respond to questions from PT students regarding his rights in the military as compared to civilian practice.
Chris was in the Army ROTC program at Cornell University while he was a student in our PT program. He had been based at Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky, since 2005, then was deployed to Iraq in October 2007. Chris had made several offers to share information with our students regarding the practice of physical therapy in the military, so when the PT students in a Current Issues course identified the topic of the rights of PTs in the military (greater than civilian practice), Chris was contacted to share his information.
The event was postponed twice to obtain the necessary clearances and to resolve technical issues, but it finally occurred as a class session on April 2. We are truly indebted to the technical personnel on both sides of the globe who made this happen.
Besides the six students in the seminar course, over 30 PT students and faculty attended the event. The audio was in real time, but the video had a 15-second delay. This was inconsequential relative to the opportunity to conduct a live discussion with an active duty PT in Iraq. Unfortunately for Chris, this was at 2:00 a.m. Iraq time, but he was eager to join us.
In response to questions, Chris indicated that he has the right to prescribe a limited scope of medications (pain relievers and muscle relaxants), order imaging studies, and authorize limited duty for his patients. When asked what other disciplines he works with in his clinic, he replied, "I'm it. I am the PT, OT, dietician, chiropractor, and ortho. Makes life a little interesting." Through photos he forwarded, he was able to walk us through his clinic that exists in a tent. It was not luxurious, but it gets the job done.
This was a very special event for the participants at IC. Chris encouraged students to visit his blog (http://chrisremillardmpt.blogspot.com) and contact him for further information ([mailto:christopher.w.remillard@us.army.mil]). We offered him heartfelt thanks for this time, information, and service to our nation.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/2008040817094572