Mary Kaleta didn’t have to apply for jobs. Following her year-long pediatric physical therapy residency at UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, jobs applied for her.
The bubbly 28-year-old dreamed of working at a top children’s hospital. Now she had them calling. Boston. Phoenix. St. Paul.
“They were all knocking on my door and asking me to come for interviews,” Kaleta recalled. “It was a crazy position to be in.”
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She eventually chose Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Minnesota. Although she deserves all the credit for her good fortune, Kaleta is quick to recognize her residency training and, more importantly, her mentors at MMI.
There was Amy Beyersdorf for outpatients. Sandy Willett in the NICU. Tammy Molinelli for early intervention. Amber Lawrence in the schools. Wayne Stuberg, Ph.D., in the gait lab. Each of them has shaped the physical therapy residency, now in its fourth year.
“When we received accreditation from the American Physical Therapy Association, our goal for the residency was to provide students with an intensive, well-rounded learning experience in pediatric physical therapy,” said Dr. Stuberg, former director of physical therapy and current associate director of MMI.
The comprehensive experience was exactly what drew the Marquette University grad.
Omaha’s big draws
“One of the biggest draws to Omaha and Munroe-Meyer was the gait lab and the opportunity to study under Wayne Stuberg,” Kaleta said. “I love biomechanics.”
The state-of-the-art gait lab uses multiple, high-speed cameras and reflective muscle markers similar to video game technology to analyze abnormal walking patterns pre- and post-surgery. Performing gait assessments, completing clinical work, supervising students in the schools and collaborating with the early intervention program kept Kaleta very busy.
“It was phenomenal,” she said. “I feel like words can’t do it justice.”
The residency is offered in conjunction with the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, which means the opportunity to do research. Kaleta worked on a case study on crouch gait. She’s considering tackling her Ph.D., but for now loves being in the field.
At Gillette, Kaleta sees pediatric patients from 54 days to 18 years old.
“I see the full spectrum of diagnoses, from various forms of neurodevelopmental, musculoskeletal, genetic and orthopedic conditions,” she said.
In her down-time, Kaleta rows and runs marathons in between studying for the Pediatric Clinical Specialist exam she’s scheduled to take this month. If history is any indication, she won’t be taking the test. The test will have to take on her.