PT Alumnus First in State to Earn Wound Management Certification
By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director
Michael Forston PT, MSPT, WCC, recently became the first Physical Therapist in the state to earn his certification in wound management.
“I was frequently having to answer the question, ‘But, you are a Physical Therapist. Why are you doing wound care?’ And, ‘Why isn't a physician doing my wound care?’” said the 42-year-old Alabama native. “It was difficult to get patients, and sometimes even medical staff, to understand that being a Physical Therapist, I was actually highly trained in wound care. As my experience grew, and I knew I was dedicated to this line of work, I felt I needed something more to help the people I was interacting with feel more comfortable with my services and set myself apart from everyone else in my medical community.”
Forston, who graduated from UK’s College of Health Sciences with a master’s degree in Physical Therapy in 2007, is now a board certified clinical specialist in wound management.
“I obtained my WCC in October of 2022, but I still felt that didn’t set me apart enough in my clinical practice,” he said. “I knew I was going to have to shoot higher and so I began to look at the APTA board certification in wound management. As of June 2023, there were only 23 PTs certified in wound management and none in the state of Kentucky. It is a relatively new certification, but I knew that would be the best way to set myself apart and really shine the light on my clinical expertise.”
Now, Forston says he hopes the certification will continue to prove that Physical Therapists can provide many different services.
“As anyone who has obtained a board certification will tell you, it was a lot of work, and required a lot of preparation,” he said. “But, once that certification is obtained, it really solidifies the fact that you are one of the most qualified people in that field. This really helps to propel you forward and let people know, you have a service to provide. My hope is that this certification will help to spread the knowledge that the profession of Physical Therapy is a complex field with many branches that can provide a variety of services and multiple paths to patient healing.
“I am very hopeful this will also encourage a new generation of students to look to the field of Physical Therapy and the specialization of wound management, to help grow this area, to allow for a wider pool of educated professionals to be able to provide their communities a much-needed resource,” he continued.
Growing up as the son of a doctor, Forston realized he did not want to work the long hours required in that profession. But a bike accident at the age of 10 — where he tore his ACL and needed a full surgical reconstruction performed by legendary surgeon Dr. James Andrews — introduced Forston to the idea of physical therapy.
“My recovery was very long and meant a lot of hours spent in the physical therapy clinic surrounded by an absolutely wonderful therapist,” he said. “As I progressed and moved into high school, I began to play soccer more competitively, which meant another knee injury. This time, it was less severe and mostly meant more time in the physical therapy clinic. The more I worked with the therapist, the more I began to appreciate their specialty and clinical talent.”
He knew he wanted to do something in the medical field — but he still didn’t know the full range of what physical therapists could do.
“I had no idea how diverse the field was, thinking it was limited to the orthopedic realm,” he said. “Once I started my master’s program at UK, my eyes were opened to the wide variety and flexibility that was the world of Physical Therapy.”
And even today, he is continuing to show everyone just how diverse the field can be.
“I noticed a huge hole in the medical community,” he said. “The general public — and a fair amount of the medical staff — had no idea that I was able to do wound care as a Physical Therapist. So, I began to entrench myself in the wound care world and push to make sure as many patients were able to get the services they needed. That meant pushing to make sure the physicians knew what we did and how well we could do it.
“I would not have been able to do this without the support of so many people throughout my life and my career,” he said. “Those people can help fill in knowledge gaps, lift you up when you are feeling overwhelmed, and also provide the push you need to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.”