Matt Matlock, PT, DPT, CDP, currently serves as Restore Therapy Services’ Regional Director of Clinical Services. Matt celebrated ten years with Restore this past January.
Along with overseeing clinical education for our skilled nursing and outpatient sites, he oversees student programming for all affiliating colleges/universities and the mentorship program for Physical and Occupational Therapist graduates.
Restore provides Pathways to Success for our employees through mentorship, continuing education, and leadership opportunities to bring positive change to our patients’ lives and the rehabilitation industry.
We sat down with Matt to learn about his career journey from student to Physical Therapist to Regional Director of Clinical Services.
Restore: Did a person or an experience help you decide to choose Physical Therapy (PT) as a profession?
Matt: Upon entering college, I intended to seek a healthcare path, but I was unsure where that path would lead me. During my junior year, I interned at a local inpatient rehab facility and decided that PT was the path I would pursue.
You graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with your Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). What about the program/school helped you decide to enroll?
M: I chose UAB because of its academic reputation, knowing that an education there would set me up for various options in terms of clinical and research experiences and, ultimately, a job.
How did you choose Restore Therapy Services as the company to begin your career?
M: I chose Restore because I was seeking a role with older adults. Once with the company, I greatly appreciated all that was offered to me in terms of support and opportunities.
What was your favorite part of working in the facilities?
M: While the primary base of Restore Therapy’s business is within the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), we also offer Outpatient services that allow us to serve the life span—from the pediatric clients seen at our site in Chilton County to the patients that we see within Assisted Living Facility (ALF) communities.
Regardless of the client’s age or the setting, our goal of excellence in service with one-on-one care remains the same.
My favorite part of working in the facilities was being part of a team that worked closely together to positively impact the lives of those we served.
What did you find most challenging?
M: Sometimes, I had to have hard conversations with patients and families about rehab potential.
What is your role now as a Regional Director of Clinical Services?
M: My favorite part of my current role is being a part of so many different teams and offering the support needed to enhance clinical care for such a large diverse population.
Restore is a member of NARA, The National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies. In 2024, you were nominated for the NARA AdvocateXpert Advance Advocacy Training Program. What policies would the industry like to see changed for the betterment of patients and the field?
M: The culmination of the year long program will be next week with our congressional hill visits in Washington, DC to advocate for our industry and those we serve. We are meeting to show our support for H.R. 1614: the bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services under the Medicare program.
Essentially, expanding telehealth access for rehabilition providers and protecting access to PT, OT, and SLP services for Medicare beneficiaries.
What advice do you have for students considering PT (or OT/SLP)?
M: Seek out people in the profession to learn more and foster opportunities to shadow and learn what a day in their life is like.
Matt with Lisa Stewart, OTR/L, Regional Director of Clinical Services with Wally, the Wallace State Community College Mascot
Matt and #teamRestore OTs at the Alabama Occupational Therapy Association Fall Conference 2022.
If you are interested in a career in Rehab Therapy, Restore partners with community colleges across the US to provide clinical rotations for students who are matriculating in the 2-year PTA and OTA programs. We also have clinical rotation partnerships with colleges and universities that provide PT, OT, and SLP (Master’s and Doctoral programs) as well.
For more information regarding Restore’s partnership with colleges and universities, please reach out to our recruiter Gary Avery, LPTA.
(205) 314-7220
gavery@restoretherapy.com