Screening Social Determinants of Health in Outpatient PT

What does it look like when an early-career clinician steps up to solve real barriers patients face — not just their pain?

Wisconsin-based PT and Fellow-in-Training Rachel Beilfuss joins us to talk about her mission to integrate social determinants of health (SDoH) into everyday outpatient PT practice. As a Northwestern OMPT fellow with a clinical site at Marquette University, she's building systems to help clinicians screen, identify, and address the life factors that shape recovery and access.

Rachel is also this year’s FOMPT scholarship recipient, representing the next generation of OMPT clinicians who are redefining what comprehensive care looks like.

In this episode, we dig into:

???? Why SDoH screening belongs in musculoskeletal care

???? How Rachel is building clinic workflows + resource guides

???? Her experience as a Fellow-in-Training at Northwestern/Marquette

???? The importance of advocating for patients’ basic needs

???? What early-career leadership looks like in AAOMPT

???? How lifestyle, access, and equity affect rehab outcomes

???? Why clinicians need support beyond biomechanics to serve patients fully

This one is full of passion, practicality, and vision from one of the profession’s rising voices.