On the latest edition of The FOX Five, we are joined by FOX Rehabilitation Regional Director and occupational therapist, Gina Smarsch, MS, OTR/L, LSVT, CDP, who explains her favorite things about working with FOX Rehabilitation. Gina details the resources available to FOX clinicians, the support every colleague receives, and the autonomy to treat patients.

Jim: Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores the world of FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. Today, I am joined by FOX occupational therapist and Regional Director, Gina Smarsch.

Gina: Hey everybody, hey Jim, thanks for having me.

Jim: So, if there's ever a team outing and there's like a relay race involved or the thing where you spin around, Gina is your go-to.

Gina: Uh, yes, sure, but definitely not with the dizzy bat, if that's what you were talking about with the spin around.

Jim: Okay, but if you're doing a relay race, you know, how like they have those beach games or those picnic games.

Gina: Uh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jim: You want Gina on your team.

Gina: I'm in. I'm always down for a game, that's for sure.

Jim: So, Gina this time around, what is your FOX Five?

Gina: My FOX Five this time around is my Five Favorite Things About Working With FOX.

Jim: Alright, five favorite things about working with FOX. What is number one on your FOX Five?

Gina: Number one, being an occupational therapist, my favorite thing about working here is the autonomy that I have as a practitioner. Not necessarily in my schedule, but as an OT I have the autonomy to deliver care that is patient-centered and what I want to work on because I have the freedom of being in the patient's environment.

Jim: That all comes from Dr. Tim Fox, our founder.

Gina: Absolutely.

Jim: He was frustrated that he couldn't do that prior to FOX, so he started FOX.

Gina: One hundred percent, that's the name of the game, right? I went into therapy, I went into the geriatric world because I wanted to help people and when I was a student working in a hospital setting, [I thought], “That wasn't what the patient's bathroom looked like, that wasn't what their bed was set up like,” so it was always so frustrating we could only go so far with our care because it wasn't what they were actually going home to. So, autonomy is number one.

Jim: What is number two on your FOX Five?

Gina: Number two is professional development opportunities, both inside and out. I started with FOX as a new graduate back in 2017. I was quickly afforded the opportunity to join up with some of my FOX colleagues and get LSVT certified. I pursued my certified dementia practitioner certification, and also within the practice, as I said, I started as a newly graduated professional and here we are, years later, I'm now a regional director.

Jim: Yes, you got a team!

Gina: Yeah, I have a whole team. Shout-out to [my] Brooklyn team!

Jim: What is number three on your FOX Five?

Gina: Number Three is the culture here. If you couldn't tell, I'm a very smiley, happy person, and I feel like we have a tradition where we start off every meeting with a team win and always shed light on the positive. I always leave every team meeting feeling inspired, feeling that positive energy that all of our FOX colleagues really put forward whenever we meet together.

Jim: Yeah, Gina you beam with that FOX culture.

Gina: I love it. Through and through, I'm an enthusiastic person at work, outside of work, and I'm so happy to be here.

Jim: I remember there was a team meeting, I forget, I think it was in Connecticut and I had to drive a while to get there. I was deflated when I arrived, and then two seconds with you, and I'm like, “Yes, my energy level's back up, thank you, Gina!” What is number four on your FOX Five?

Gina: [Number four] is our FOX footprint and impact of care. Being in New York, we can tend to have a lot of people move in and out a lot. So, I've experienced a good amount of patients who need care. They say, “Oh, you know, I'm moving with my son to Virginia,” and almost always, like 95 percent of the time, there has been a FOX clinician in Virginia ready to go. I love working at a practice that has so much growth, that patients aren't just given up on because they're moving to a different region. I love that. It is such a great thing.

Jim: What is number five?

Gina: Number five is the resources here. The name of the game isn't always having the answer, but I love that here at FOX there's always a person or a place to go to whether that be a regional director or RQAL (regional quality assurance liaison), but also, there are places like The Clinical Corner. There's always a team, there's always somewhere to go for an answer if you don't have the answer right in front of you.

Jim: Quickly, can you break down The Clinical Corner?

Gina: Absolutely. The Clinical Corner is a place on our FOX4U [intranet] page where clinicians of any discipline can go to submit clinical questions, get them answered, [having access to] any resources—maybe pertaining to documentation, or dementia care training is something that's being rolled out—it's a whole, beautiful section on the FOX4U page where you can go as a clinician and get your questions answered.

Jim: That's internal, so if you want to check out The Clinical Corner, you've got to work with FOX.

Gina: Absolutely.

Jim: Gina, thank you once again for appearing on The FOX Five, great list today.

Gina: Of course!