Hey Reader,

When deciding on your case report topic, you might be tempted to pick the wildest diagnosis you've ever encountered or the rarest patient presentation.

I call these "zebra" cases.

For a lot of PTs, this comes from wanting to show ABPTS that they're up to the challenge.

HOWEVER, your case report isn't graded on how crazy of a case you pick. ABPTS is looking for clear, demonstrable evidence of your specialist-level reasoning across the entire patient management process.

The problem with these "zebra" cases is what feels impressive in the clinic can be an absolute nightmare to write about. Scattered documentation, too short or chaotic of an episode of care, lack of literature, this list goes on.

So what actually makes a case work for your case report?

In short, how clearly & completely your reasoning can be shown.

But if you want the longer explanation, you're going to love this week's video:

In this week's video, I go through 3 case examples (none are exotic), but all demonstrate the specialist-level decision making of the writer.
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Plus, I share my 5-point litmus test to double check if your case will truly work for your case report if you're still unsure.

Watch this week's video:

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🎧 Prefer to listen instead?

The audio version is up everywhere you listen to podcasts:

​Spotify | Apple Podcasts | TheOncoPT.com​

Remember the simple rule: choose a case you can prove, not just one you can describe.
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Talk soon,

-Elise

P.S. Still torn between a couple of options? I built a free tool for exactly this — the Case Report Idea Generator.

And if you want a second opinion once you've locked in your topic, that's exactly what the Case Report Writing Workshop is for.
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Elise K. Cantu, PT, DPT​
​Board Certified Oncologic Clinical Specialist & Voice behind TheOncoPT Podcast
​TheOncoPT.com​

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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