By Hillary Lau

Introducing our Spring Semester NEU PT Students!

Aloha David!

We welcome David to the F&L ‘Ohana as he spends his Spring Semester with us. He writes about how he became interested in physical therapy and his first few weeks being a co-op in Hawaii!

Hey everyone,

My name is David, and I’m a Northeastern University physical therapy student from Cupertino, CA currently on co-op here at Fukuji and Lum. I went to Cupertino High School, where I played baseball and sang in choir. I enjoy anything and everything from working out, playing sports, hiking, and going to the beach to singing songs from musicals, watching movies, and cooking. 

I chose to study physical therapy because it is a discipline that requires a combination of expertise in the human body and how it functions along with constant patient interaction. A healthy human body should function like a well-oiled machine, and when a patient presents with a dysfunction, I find myself excited to solve the puzzle and figure out what tools, anything ranging from manual therapy to exercise prescription, I can use to help that patient ultimately achieve their goals. I feel extremely lucky to be on co-op here and spend the next few months in paradise! I get to escape the frigid Boston winter, learn from exceptionally knowledgeable clinicians, and acquire hundreds of hours of hands-on experience. What more could I ask for?

My first 6 weeks working at Fukuji and Lum have been amazing to say the least. I’ve already been able to apply knowledge and skills from previous coursework at Northeastern in my patient care and build upon that with new information and tips from PTs and PTAs I’ve worked with. When I’m not at work (and not sleeping in), I do my best to get outdoors and appreciate all the breathtaking views the beautiful island of O’ahu has to offer. My fellow co-ops and I have been perfecting our tans at several beaches, enjoying the addicting local cuisine, and working off those calories by going on different hikes. Although I feel like I’ve done so much in the past 6 weeks, there’s so much more I still need to do. I’d love to leave Hawai’i in July knowing how to surf, having kayaked to the Mokes, and having conquered the Kokohead Stairs in under 30 minutes, just to name a few of the items on my to-do list. 

In the future, I hope to be a therapist that embodies the values instilled in me when I was growing up. My parents taught me everything I know and believe about respect, humility, and kindness. The way I practice, no matter what setting I am in or what patient population I am working with, will incorporate all of those values and translate into the highest quality of care for my patients. I hope that one day I will be able to pass on the wisdom I gained through my career as a PT and serve as a role model and mentor for younger students and those just entering any healthcare profession. 

Here’s to an amazing co-op experience!

David

Happy at Work Learning with Aloha
By Mark Yanai

Strategic Planning for 2017

Print

On April 6-7th, a two-day course was hosted at the Ko’olau Conference Center by Donna Ching, Ph.D. for Strategic Planning and Facilitation. Donna is the founder of the Pacific Center for Collaboration and has held workshops for the past few years after “retiring” from the faculty of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

I attended the course accompanied by Art Lum, co-owner of F&L, in hopes that we could learn new skills and a process in guiding our organization. There were 28 other attendees from different backgrounds including state, research and educational organizations. What we all had in common was a passion to provide for others so that we could create a work environment of safety and collaboration.

20170407_091520_HDR

The workshop was outstanding in all aspects. Donna’s passion of teaching collaboration techniques, Appreciative Inquiry, and her unique process model for planning made for an energetic workshop that encouraged participation and learning through experiences. I was often moved by the experiences shared by the other attendees and saw how the skill of sharing our lives through storytelling is a key component of her model. The world is changing and the process model that she teaches is necessary for the leadership of any organization hoping to thrive in it.

At the heart of her process model is Appreciative Inquiry (AI).  According to the Center for Appreciative Inquiry, “AI is a way of being and seeing. It is both a worldview and a process for facilitating positive change in human systems, e.g., organizations, groups, and communities. Its assumption is simple: Every human system has something that works right–things that give it life when it is vital, effective, and successful. AI begins by identifying this positive core and connecting to it in ways the heighten energy, sharpen vision, and inspire action for change.”

20170407_122617_HDR          20170407_164158_HDR

This process of “facilitating positive change” is in alignment with F&L’s values-based organization and is what our company has implemented in creating our policies and procedures. We plan to use what we know about AI and what we’ve gained from the strategic planning course to guide us into becoming a world-class organization.

Besides the actual course presentation, I was very impressed by Ko’olau’s Ballroom and Conference Center. The room was located in Honey’s restaurant and the food was outstanding. The room was perfect for the size of the group and there was lots of free parking. The location is close to our Windward offices and is the perfect setting with the Ko’olau mountain range as a backdrop.

I look forward to taking more workshops from Donna and hope to take her Facilitation Skills class in the later part of the year. If you are a leader of your organization, I would highly recommend taking one of her workshops.

Mark's Blog