Donna Finkbeiner

Donna's path to becoming a rehabilitation professional
After many years and many different health care career opportunities, rehab chose Donna.  Sometimes life - and work – are not at all predictable.

Donna's rehabilitation education
Donna’s best rehabilitation education was being unfortunate enough to spend time on the other side of the fence!  First-hand knowledge is an excellent foundation for practice!

Academically, Donna started with a college based diploma nursing program, continued to a BSN and a CLCP.

How Donna developed her practice
Donna was very fortunate to have a couple of peers who graciously provided mentoring for her at the start of her practice.  These peers have continued to provide ad hoc advice as her career has progressed.  Donna’s practice has grown and prospered via word of mouth marketing and repeat clients!

Outside interests that have influenced Donna's work
"The game is won one pitch at a time."

This was a phrase that Donna heard so often during her time on the baseball field.  When her workload gets overwhelming,  she takes a deep breath and thinks of her favorite game, and those illustrious words.  She then takes her workload and breaks it down "one pitch at a time."

How IARP has served Donna through her career
IARP has served as Donna's grounding point.  It has provided an educational foundation, a source for socialization with peers and a way to be accessed by peers or clients.  Texas Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and Providers of Service (TARPPS) has provided all of the same services but with the advantage of being at a local level.

Donna's advice for anyone thinking about a career as a rehabilitation professional
Life Care Planning has been a great way to take a lifetime of accumulated knowledge and experiences and use it in a comprehensive way to benefit a client.

For those new to the profession, I would heartily recommend finding a mentor and tapping into their knowledge base - don't try to reinvent the wheel - just yet!