Late Bloomer - Detours to Pelvic Health

January 7, 2025

Posted By: Kymberli Able-Brown in Member Spotlight,

I graduated in 2014 from Hampton University. When I originally decided to pursue a career in physical therapy, I knew I would become a pediatric PT. Upon graduation, I began completing travel contracts. During that time, I worked in outpatient, home health, and then finally (the dream) pediatrics. I stayed at that contract for 7 months before landing my “forever job”; a full-time position in an outpatient pediatric clinic in Las Vegas, NV. I wrapped up my contract, packed up my truck and drove cross-country from Mississippi to Las Vegas to begin my new life.

The transition to Las Vegas was an easy one. I had a cousin that lived there so finding people to connect with was natural. The clinic was amazing; the best equipment, and plenty of patients to see. I was able to utilize my experience from an internship and provide aquatic therapy to some. Everything seemed to be going amazingly until a company-wide email came; there would be changes to the billing structure. A month later when the change was to go into effect, I decided this clinic was not the right place for me.

After a month-long staycation in Las Vegas, I decided to return to travel work. After completing 2 contracts, I received a job offer with Florida Hospital (now AdventHealth) as a home health PT. This eventually progressed to an acute care position within the hospital system. And this is what led to gaining an interest in pelvic health.

After having my first son in 2018, I gained a love for women’s health. Two years later during the thick of COVID-19 and while pregnant with my second son I worked to become a certified breastfeeding specialist. My goal at the time was to fill the void at my hospital as a lactation consultant. During this pregnancy, I suffered an injury on the job. By preventing a patient from falling, I sustained an injury to my left hip. At the time the doctors suspected it was just a groin strain and restricted me to light duty through the remainder of my pregnancy. After having my son in January of 2021, I complained that the pain was not better. An MRI revealed I had an acetabular labrum tear, and given the severity, I needed surgery.

I decided to rehab at the outpatient clinic attached to my hospital for convenience during my workday. This allowed me to be treated by a colleague who was also the pelvic health PT for the clinic. During my treatment sessions, she would rave about pelvic floor therapy and how I “would be perfect” for this population. She knew my passion for helping people and ensuring they had access to the support they needed. She also knew from my hospital days that I didn’t mind rolling up my sleeves and getting “dirty.” I had convinced myself that acute care was where I was meant to be. I had already begun climbing the proverbial ladder and was the rehab supervisor with 15 direct reports across 2 hospital locations. Society will often make you feel as though you need to have your life perfectly planned out by the time you graduate college. At this point, I was in my mid-30's and had already transitioned from pediatrics to home health to acute care. Pivoting a fourth time to a completely unfamiliar patient population and an outpatient setting that I did not feel 100% confident in was terrifying. However, this planted the seed that would eventually bloom into the dream I didn’t know I had.

Two years later, yes you read that right, as I was leisurely checking emails, I saw I had a request to apply for a position within my hospital system. The position was for a pelvic health PT. Crazy right? So, I decided to email the recruiter back and let her know that I was already employed by this same hospital system but interested in potentially transferring. Through our conversation, she learned that I worked with one of the clinic managers, who is also a pelvic health PT. This clinic manager is the same clinician that treated me during my recovery from hip surgery and initially planted the pelvic health seed.

Within a few hours of having this phone pre-interview, I was contacted by a center manager to set up an official interview. I couldn’t believe it. Although at this point, I had been a PT for nearly 10 years, I didn’t think I was qualified to jump into pelvic health. On top of that, transitioning from an acute care rehab supervisor to an outpatient staff therapist would be a significant drop in salary. I discussed it with my husband, and he basically said if it’s the job that will make me love PT again to do it. At this point in my career, I was completely burned out. Working in the hospital during COVID really took my spark. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to practice PT anymore.

I called the PT that had treated me and asked her opinion. We had known and worked alongside each other for approximately 4 years, so I wanted her insight. She encouraged me to really consider it. I agreed to the interview and was very upfront that I had no pelvic health experience, but I did have passion and a willingness to learn.

I was offered the position at AdventHealth Sports Med and Rehab and transferred a month later. I began taking the APTA courses to work towards CAPP-Pelvic certification and shadowed the clinicians I worked alongside to learn everything I could. Within the first week, I knew this was where I was meant to be. Although it took me 10 years to find my niche, I believe the route to get me here was very beneficial. My homecare experience allowed me to assist patients in being more compliant with their home exercise program and problem-solve modifications. My pediatric experience and having 2 kids of my own helped me answer questions regarding infant development and figure out how to prioritize yourself when life is chaotic. My hospital experience allowed me to easily treat colorectal patients and not physically react to “messy” situations.

Since joining the AdventHealth Pelvic Health team in Central Florida, I have taken all courses except PH-3 to gain the CAPP-Pelvic certification, and I am working towards board certification in Women’s Health. I have a love for my profession again and had an opportunity to advance into a leadership pelvic health position. I am truly making a difference in the lives of my patients and families, coworkers and the community. Learning about how much your pelvic health can affect your mental health has been extremely eye-opening and provided even more of a fire for advocacy. This transition has also made me realize that no matter the setting, my work through physical therapy has the potential to assist in healing this world physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is never too late to make the pivot. It’s never too late to learn a new technique. It’s never too late to change lives. I know God makes no mistakes and everything blooms in his time. Turns out this is His time for me.