Ethel Frese On Acute Care: Pearls That Will Energize Your Practice and Growth

Show Notes

Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, MHS, CCS, FAPTA is one of the most respected voices in acute and cardiopulmonary physical therapy. In this episode, she shares the pearls that will energize your practice and growth—from building stronger patient connections to fostering collaboration with the healthcare team. Whether you’re new to acute care or a seasoned clinician, her insights will challenge, inspire, and remind you why this work matters.

Today’s Guests:

Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, MHS, CCS, FAPTA

Professor Emeritus Saint Louis University, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Certified Clinical Specialist

ethel.frese@health.slu.edu

Guest Quotes:

17:46 “ the therapist who took my place in Chattanooga… she’s always told students and people that I’ve worked with that one of the best gifts to me as a teacher is to have someone you’ve taught do better than the teacher. And I have a lot of really good gifts that way. Lots of people I’ve seen have gone way beyond their teacher and, and that’s huge to me.”

28:54 “ I think that’s a value of teaching. You have to go back and think, now, why do I do it that way?”

Rapid Responses:

Name one therapist that has been influential in your career.

“Oh, that’s an easy one. Her name is Mary Chrisman. She was the therapist that I went to at the hospital when the other therapist would not answer my questions. And she’s a friend even to today…

You know you work in acute care when…

“When you can manage. I’m gonna say acute illness, but you know, ill patients who need specialist, very specialized care. And that you can manage the, the really sick patients and the not so sick. Yeah. And you know, you’re good at vital signs and ECG and ventilators and all the machinery that you see in acute care. Yeah. So, I guess that’s my answer.”

🎧 Connect with Our Hosts

Leo Arguelles (pronounced LEE-O R-GWELL-IS)

📧 largue2@uic.edu

🐦 Twitter: @LeoArguellesPT

Nicole Neveau, PT, DPT, NCS

📧 ngunder1@gmail.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Nicole Neveau

Danny Young, PT, DPT, PhD

📧 daniel.young@unlv.edu

🐦 X: @DLYoungDPTPhD

🌐 Bluesky: @dlyoungdptphd.bsky.social

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