MS Clinic
	On March 18, 2005, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded UD the Commitment to Care plaque for its MS Clinic. Ginger Stein, program director of the DE chapter, presented UD the plaque. Ken Seaman established the clinic in 2002, which began as just Physical Therapy evaluations. It quickly blossomed to eight disciplines including gait, counseling, VO2, nutrition, occupational therapy, ophthalmology and receiving advice on medical equipment. A student involved with the clinic commented that working with members of these disciplines, “will come in handy with making referrals and answering patients’ questions”. Stein said, “this is the only one of its kind in the U.S.” It helps people dealing with MS to improve the quality of life and learn
valuable information. Four to five MS patients are seen in each clinic, which is held six times a year. PT graduate students work alongside other professionals who volunteer their time to assess the participants. The MS Clinic has also been written up in the MS society paper, Inside MS. This article mentioned the purpose of the clinic and all of the discipline’s involved. This may open the eyes of those struggling with multiple sclerosis to see their treatment options and that there are other professionals to see besides a neurologist. No fee is charged for participating in the clinic. There is no treatment involved, but assessments and referrals are provided for the participants to use and show their doctors. The clinic benefits the participants, the students and helps the MS society reach their goal to educate the community. The students also get a hands-on experience and are able to be challenged with how each patient presents differently, but all have the same diagnosis. The clinic also helps students’ gain confidence and practice note writing skills. Students commented: “It was great to see how the second year students handled their evaluations-- it gave me confidence to see how far we were going to go in the next year as they seemed very prepared and knowledgeable and were there to answer any questions we had”. The resounding consensus of everyone involved with UD’s MS Clinic was: “By far a group I am proud to have been a part of.”