CBIS Spotlight: Kim Reed
Categories: ACBIS Insider
Kim Reed, CTRS, CBIS joined On With Life in 1999. She spent 19 years as a recreation therapist working one-on-one with person served and families. In 2018, she moved into the role of Training and Development Lead and is now able to train and educate new and existing staff with the same passion. She is a certified recreation therapist, a certified brain injury specialist, and has completed diversity training through Des Moines University.
Why have you chosen a career in brain injury?
I feel like a career in brain injury chose me. I was looking to relocate back to the Des Moines area from Omaha and my best friend told me about On With Life. I accepted the position as a recreation therapist 22 years ago and never looked back. The reasons I keep choosing a career in brain injury are because it challenges, inspires, and teaches me every day. I love the fact that I know I am going to learn something new or see something amazing every single day.
How have you seen the field of brain injury change over the years?
The amount of research dedicated to brain injury has increased a great deal. I have appreciated that we can continue to learn new and innovative ways to provide the best services possible to this population. It has also been exciting seeing research done in more diverse fields, including more alternative therapies and practices. I feel like this helps us as champions for rehabilitation to provide more well-rounded and inclusive care. Healthcare itself has changed so much over the last 22 years, some changes have been good, and some changes have not been so good. However, the fact that those changes did not stop the progression of work we do with people with brain injuries is so cool to be a part of.
Why is having your Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) credential important to you?
During the time of my career as a recreation therapist, I was proud to have the CBIS credential as I felt that it validated that I understood brain injury and that I was committed to continuing to expand my knowledge in that area. It ensured that I would strive to provide the best therapy to our persons served and their families. In my current role as Training and Development leader, I continue to be extremely proud of my CBIS status as I hope it shows our new and existing staff that I am still committed to the field of brain injury and can serve as a resource to them as they are now the ones providing individual and group therapies.
As a clinician who works in HR with employees, how have you seen staff pull together to get through the challenges of the last couple of years?
During the last two years, we saw so many restrictions and it felt like too many of us that are providing rehabilitation to our persons served lost some of the magic that we were so used to seeing and feeling. However, working with staff on the front line forced me to see the magic in a different way. Our staff continued to thrive, and they made sure our persons served were thriving too. A few things I witnessed, our staff just showed up and continue to show up even knowing there were going to be challenges. They showed that they could give each other grace even if they were having a bad day. It forced them to think even further outside the box and challenged them to redefine the way they were used to providing therapy. Through all of this helping our staff maintain balance, providing support, and occasionally being a cheerleader to help them keep going is something I will always be proud of.