Susie Touchinsky, OTR/L, SCDCM, CDRS: OT in Driver Rehabilitation
In this post, we will learn from Susie Touchinsky, OTR/L, SCDCM, CDRS, an occupational therapist who specializes in Driver Rehabilitation. Susie is a certified driver rehabilitation specialist who has achieved her Specialty Certification in Driving and Community Mobility from the American Occupational Therapy Association and her certification as a driver rehabilitation specialist from the Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. Susie offers extensive clinical and professional knowledge with over 20 years of experience as an OT & driver rehabilitation specialist. While she started her career at Johns Hopkins Hospital, she now owns and operates her own private driver rehabilitation practice, Adaptive Mobility Services, LLC. In her practice, she evaluates and treats drivers with medical conditions impacting cognitive, motor, and visual skills. She works closely with her drivers and their families to help determine the highest and safest level of engagement in mobility. Susie also is the leading educator for occupational therapy practitioners entering the field of driver rehabilitation. She is an active volunteer with CarFit, a published author, adjunct professor, lecturer, & mentor.
Q & A with Susie:
Please tell us a little about yourself and some of your favorite occupations.
- OT since 2000. Obtained my BS from Elizabethtown College. - Squeaked in under the original Uniform Terminology and then had to learn the OTPF. - Started at Johns Hopkins Hospital - 2003 trained to become a driving specialist with Susan Pierce - previous owner of Adaptive Mobility - worked at Johns Hopkins Driving Program ~3 years - married, moved, changed name - entered witness protection :-) lol - teasing - transitioned into long-term care. loved this, got to really explore and understand the continuum of dementia - my SNF was acquired by Genesis Rehab - 2008 began advancing clinically - become a clinical specialist and educator for this group - got really involved in CarFit - still keeping hand in driving - 2009 started the legwork for building the Genesis Driving Rehab Program - this launched in 2012 - by 2013 we had 7 specialists, I was director, we were in PA, NJ, MD, Florida, Mass. - really fun - 2018 part of a massive layoff - had no clue what to do with my life - Susan Pierce had retired, with some encouragement I FINALLY realized I could do this - I could run my own business. - Purchased Susan's education - restarted this training for OTP looking to become specialists and started my own driving rehab program. - Now I treat clients 2-3 days a week and support OTP interested in either addressing driving in their general practice or OTP wanting to become specialists. - Really proud to carry on Adaptive Mobility - we have been the leading provider for OTP Driver Rehab Education for over 35 years. That's huge. The specialty profession is only about 45 years old, so this is big.
What motivated you to contribute to this podcast series?
Part of my personal mission is to empower OTP to think outside the box. I have never felt MORE like an OT than I do today, working for myself. I do think a big part of that is running a cash-based practice. For me, I never realized the looming influence of insurance on my clinical reasoning until that was no longer a factor. It's huge.
Please describe the UncommonOT work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve and the needs that you address.
- driving rehab - I work with licensed individuals who want to return to driving after an injury or illness. This includes clients who want to compensate for loss of limb function and need adaptive equipment - like a hand control or left foot accelerator. I also do a lot of work with MCI and cognitive conditions. This is my jam. I love helping to determine fitness to drive and supporting successful transitions from the driver's seat to the passenger seat.
What inspired you or drew you to this type of OT work?
My mentor - Annette Lavezza. She was starting the Johns Hopkins driving program and she was the kind of OT that whatever she was doing - I was going to do that too.
How did you get there? Can you describe your path?
OTP looking to get into driving rehab needs to: - complete advanced education with hands-on training - obtain specialized liability insurance coverage for yourself and your vehicle - have access to a specialized driver rehab vehicle - have a clear understanding of your state's licensing and regulatory procedures
Please describe a typical day or OT session in your uncommon setting. What OT skills do you utilize?
- I travel to my client's home. - At most, I complete two appointments a day. - The comprehensive driving evaluation is about 3 hours long: clinical testing, on road assessment, and outcome discussion. - then there are phone calls, paperwork, marketing with doctors, etc.
Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role?
highs - able to add a new vehicle to my fleet. that's been fun! AND my PRN employee has decided to stay with me. lows - my other vehicle has had to go through some major repairs and that is so frustrating, but part of the process and part of what we plan for...
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role?
Truthfully, I am one of the leading practitioners in this speciality field, so I spend a lot of time look at both the other specialists and researchers within the field AND outside the field. For example, I spend a lot of time researching and understanding trends with cognition. This spring I'm attending (and presenting!!!) at the Pat Summitt Symposium in Tennessee - this is physician based conference focused on dementia and I am so excited to be part of this.
Can you share a little bit about salary and compensation in this setting? How do OT or the services you provide get funded?
Driving rehab is cash based. I have a base evaluation price and then an algorithm to charge for travel. For me, I generally see $2500-$3000 coming in per week on the client care side. Then I pay myself a % of my revenue. Generally you want to pay yourself about 40-45% and keep the rest allocated to taxes and the business.
Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started on this path?
My perception is that OTP are predominantly female. And as a female lead profession - intentionally or unintentionally, our education has been preparing us to work for someone else for some other system - like a hospital, healthcare, or school system. In my opinion it is a HUGE opportunity lost that our education does not include a bigger focus on creating and establishing our own private practices. As OTP we have the skills we need to do this and MORE OF US should be doing it. If you have any interest, reach out to myself or to NextLevel OT or to anyone in private practice. The risk is worth the reward.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your job/role you’d like to call out or demystify?
You can not become certified until you have worked in driver rehab for 800+ hours. Most think you need to start by becoming certified, but this is not true. AND certification is currently offered to a range of medical and non-medical professionals... currently the field of driving rehab includes driving instructors, special ed teachers, counselors, OTP, PT, recreational therapist, etc. It's very interesting...
How do we find you , follow you, be in touch with you, and promote your unique work?
Please come visit me! Adaptivemobility.thinkific.com - I offer free CE that is approved by AOTA. Who doesn't love free CE!
On Facebook - join us on Driving for the OTP.
LinkedIn - Susan Touchinsky.
https://adaptivemobility.thinkific.com/ FREE COURSE - OT's Role with Driving
https://adaptivemobility.thinkific.com/courses/1-2023 Mini Podcast
Quick Q&A - OT Driving with Susie Q https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drivingot
As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot
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