Today we are going to hear the first part from Laura McGuckin about her PT journey and how she is currently helping children in the area 😀!
​My career as a PT has taken many surprising twists and turns leading me to where I am today, including my work at Therapy Solutions. I have spent many years in pediatrics, working with children from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through 18 years old. Around 2006/2007 I had a series of events that changed my career forever. I learned of a bright young kindergartener that was experiencing fecal incontinence on a daily basis. Both of his parents were physicians, so he had access to good medical care. Despite this he was still fecal incontinent. At the time, I had 3 young children. I thought, if this was my child, I would home school. Days after this, I read an article about a PT treating children with fecal incontinence and other pelvic floor issues and saw an advertisement for a weekend continuing education course, 3 hours from where I was living, for pediatric pelvic floor evaluation and treatment. Those 3 events changed the course of my career.
In 2008, I started my first pediatric incontinence/pelvic health program in Vancouver, WA. Prior to moving, I trained a PT to continue that program, and it continues to treat children today. In 2010, I moved to the Tri-Cities and started working at the Children’s Developmental Center as an early intervention PT and in their specialty programs. I started my search to find the pelvic health therapists in the area and if they were seeing children under 18 years old. That is how I met Sara Nelson, PT, DPT; the owner of Therapy Solutions.
​I received a grant in 2012 and started the Pediatric Incontinence/Pelvic Health Program at the Children’s Developmental Center (CDC). I currently split my time, 3 days at Therapy Solutions and 2 days at CDC. I continue to consult with the early intervention program, but my patient care at CDC is focused on pediatric pelvic health. I have a wide referral base of about 50 pediatricians and specialists from Seattle and Spokane; however, I continue to have many referrals from word of mouth. If you know anyone with a child struggling with urinary incontinence, constipation, fecal incontinence, bed wetting, pelvic pain, or any other pediatric pelvic health concerns they can contact me at lauramc@childrensdc.org or 509-578-4037. CDC is a non-profit and welcomes donations and participation in our fundraisers. We take every insurance; I have a fund that anyone can donate into to support the work I do at that the clinic. If you want more information about our fundraisers or donating you can contact me or Diane Turney through our clinic number 509-735-1062. We are also on Facebook.