SPOKANE – As a military nurse practitioner, Terry McManus knew about patient care and knew he would further that knowledge with a Ph.D.
 |
| Photo courtesy of WSU Spokane. |
What he didn’t know was that his experience of care as a patient would help decide his dissertation topic and lead him to a job advocating for veteran patients at a national level.
After more than two decades of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, McManus had to end his military career following an ATV accident that left him in a wheelchair. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2008.
He said he didn’t want to feel like a victim of his accident and chose to move forward by pursuing other opportunities within the field of nursing.
“I am grateful to be in a field where I can transfer my skills into a different setting and still flourish,” he said. “If I were in another career field I may not have had the same opportunity in a wheelchair.”
Within a year of his accident, McManus had enrolled in the Ph.D. program at WSU. For the past two years, he has been completing his course work while working on his dissertation, “Vigilant Care: Assessment and Early Detection in Preventing and Diagnosing Pressure Ulcers.”
Also known as bedsores, pressure ulcers are areas of skin that break down when a person stays in one position too long without shifting weight. This most often happens to those in wheelchairs or those who are bedridden.
While concentrating on his studies, McManus also was learning to live with his new lifestyle. He and his family made regular doctor visits to Seattle and Denver, and through this process he was introduced to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA).
Among many other services, the PVA provides veterans’ benefits, cosponsors the National Wheel Chair Games, does annual reviews to assess the progress of federal Veterans Administration spinal cord injury centers, and develops critical practice guidelines for spinal cord injury.
In September, McManus joined the PVA as associate director of medical services. He will lead evaluation teams at VA spinal cord injury centers throughout the U.S. He will present recommendations to the secretary of veterans affairs, a federal cabinet-level position.
He and his family have relocated to the Washington, D.C., area where the PVA is headquartered. He plans to complete his dissertation and defend in fall 2011.
His reviews of the spinal cord injury centers will provide data that will affect allocation of resources for better patient care and progressive therapy and rehabilitation.
“I am excited to start this new chapter in my life,” McManus said. “I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity to influence initiatives that will enhance the quality of care that our veterans receive.”