COVD: Fellow vs Associate?

[MommyX8]

What is the technical difference between the two? I can find a fellow who does the therapy himself, one that has therapist do all of the sessions, or an associate that does all the work herself (at half the price of a fellow.)

 

Thank you for all of your help. I would be lost without you.

[PeterPan]

I'm not sure *exactly* what the step up is in requirement, but I'm assuming to be a Fellow they've had more time and training in the specialty. At the place we used *all* the docs were associates and a *few* were Fellows. One of the Fellows writes for textbooks. When you take that step up, you're making a huge leap in experience.

 

As far as choosing between them, well you want the best qualified person you can find who has the personality and temperament to work well with your kid. That ability to click with your kid is 50% of the equation. A doc who is hiring a separate therapist is doing enough VT to keep that therapist employed, kwim? That means the doc is seeing more, doing more, and might in theory give better care. But then you get situations that are totally different, where you have a doc who's outlandishly good but does stuff so sophisticated (integrating sports therapy and sensory and lots and lots of physical, way beyond the norm) that it's really unique to the doctor, meaning he does it, not a separate therapist. Doodler's VT was like that for her dd.

 

So it's not necessarily a pat thing. Oh, Doodler's doc was probably a Fellow. He has a name you mention around the country and people know him. ;)

 

For me, I decided I wanted a place that was treating a lot of kids for VT, not a place where the doc rarely did it. And when I got to the place that does it a lot and had a good reputation, I picked the therapist that most worked for my dd's personality. I had word of mouth from local people confirming my choice. I visited their facility and went to their parent info meeting. So gather up info on your options, see what you can find. *In general* I would suggest you go with one of the Fellows, assuming the drives to all these docs are about the same. See if you're able to meet the therapists or see their rooms. Pry apart differences till you feel pretty confident.