1. February 19, 2015
To Whom It May Concern,
I had the opportunity to supervise Kirstie during her medical externship at the Medical Center of
the Rockies in Loveland, CO. During this eight week externship Kirstie evaluated and treated a
variety of patients in the acute rehab and outpatient setting. She has had the opportunity to
evaluate and treat swallowing disorders, speech and language disorders, as well as cognitive
linguistic disorders. She has been able to gain experience with patients with the diagnoses
stroke, TBI, Parkinson’s, and a variety of other neurological disorders. She demonstrated great
initiative in taking on new tasks and learning new techniques throughout her time her at the
Medical Center of the Rockies.
Kirstie became familiar with our treatment materials and was observed to be able to easily adapt
tasks to best meet patient needs. She was challenged with completing a variety of treatment
tasks including group therapy and community based therapeutic outings. Kirstie did a great job
in each of these situations. She was able to explain to patients and families what their goals were
and why we were working on the tasks at hand. She also did a great job of including the goals of
the patient into the treatment plan.
Kirstie does a great job interacting with staff in the interdisciplinary meetings focused on
developing the patient's overall plan of care. She is able to provide concise information that all
disciplines can easily understand. She was very organized and always prepared for the day. She
has a good knowledge base. She became comfortable providing feedback to patients and
families. She is very much a team player and willing to take on tasks that are not necessarily
"her job."
Kirstie has stood out during this externship experience. She demonstrates good work ethic, a
positive attitude, enthusiasm for learning, and a teamwork mentality. She demonstrates amazing
potential and I feel that she is ready to begin her career in this field.
I would highly recommend that you accept Kirstie for this speech pathology position. I am sure
that she would not let you down and would be as great an asset to your team as she has been to
mine during her time at the Medical Center of the Rockies.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. I can be reached at (970) 624-
5360 or at christy.acheson@uchealth.org
Sincerely,
Christy Acheson MS CCC-SLP