Robin R. Christensen

Phone: 314-265-4992

Email: christrr1@sbcglobal.net

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy, 2000.

Bachelor’s Degree in Health Information Management, 2001.

Work Experience:

I am the founder and owner of First Steps Pediatrics. LLC. First Steps Pediatrics is a home based pediatric therapy agency that was created in 2003 in Saint Louis, Missouri. We provide OT, PT, Speech, DT, RN, social work, and counseling services to children serving metropolitan Saint Louis. We provide services through federal and state funded programs, Medicaid, private pay, and insurance. When I am not spending time running the day to day operations of this company I have a small caseload of children that I see weekly. I provide evaluation and ongoing services for children with developmental, medical, and psychological needs.

Research & Publications:

I am in the process of researching pediatric home care. It is a relatively new field and little research and statistics are being produced as compared to adult home care services. At the current time according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, however children are staying at inpatient facilities longer than necessary because home based services are under developed for receiving medical care for several reasons. One concern overall is that nursing personnel and allied health staff are not as adequately trained and tested for competencies in home care services to treat children that are medically fragile as compared to medical staff at inpatient facilities. Another concern is that standards of care such as Medicare that oversee adult home care services are not as regulated for a pediatric population. Lastly, reimbursement for home based services are significantly lower than inpatient or outpatient services making staff retention and growth a challenge.

Why did you choose SLU for your graduate degree(s)?

I chose SLU because of its excellent reputation in the area of Allied Health. I also wanted to go to a school that incorporated and valued religious growth and emphasized philanthropy and giving back to the community.

What factors contributed to your experience at SLU?

Many factors contributed to my experience at SLU including strong sense of community involvement, real world experience through fieldwork and professionals keeping students up to date in your field of study, enrichment in religion, and being focused and committed to volunteer and philanthropy. Each year I go to Nicaragua to be apart of a medical mission trip to help the poorest of the poor. I feel my time at SLU has opened the doors for me being open to participate in these sorts of activities.

How does your SLU education help you on your career path?

After graduating with a second degree in the business side of health care I knew I had the tools necessary to start my own business. After writing a business plan and extensive research, I realized that there is a large gap in the health care system for children. Pediatric home health care is a relatively new system and my agency exists to bridge the gap between hospital based services for children and transitioning care to the home environment when necessary.

Why would you recommend a student attend SLU?

There are many reasons why SLU is an excellent choice for a student to consider. The programs SLU offers are challenging and well recognized each year my many journals and newspapers. The university also emphasizes balance between academics, social, religion, community, and many others. This fosters graduates that are well rounded and trained for the real world.