Ellen Egkan

I graduated from UCSF/SFSU with my doctorate in physical therapy in 2019, which is where I really grew my passion for the adult neurologic population. I completed a PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) residency for about 9 months, gaining specialized skills in the inpatient rehab setting. I practiced as a physical therapist at Alta Bates for close to 2 years, where I did an internship that inspired me to see the whole picture of patients. I loved seeing how much change we can make in a patient's life and functional mobility in such a short amount of time. I then transitioned to assisted living, independent living, and memory care settings as a director of rehabilitation because I wanted to move in the direction of leadership. In that role, I was still providing physical therapy but also managing a team, which I really loved. When Sacramento Rehabilitation Hospital opened, I applied for therapy management there so I could do management while getting back to the inpatient rehab setting. I was the ninth employee when the hospital first opened and was part of the initial group that took our first patient. Now I'm the longest tenured employee here. I loved being a director of therapy, but I moved into my current position as Director of Patient Outcomes because I really wanted to learn more about hospital operations. This position works with all departments and functions as the mini-COO of our hospital. I'm responsible for outcomes tracking, safety review, case management, HIM, and a broad scope of hospital operations. I oversee the case management department, organize our discharge calendar, submit the IRF-PAI assessment on every patient, facilitate interdisciplinary team conferences, attend senior leadership meetings, and handle utilization review and staff education. I'm currently enrolled in an online MBA program at Western Governors University and am in an executive in training program at my hospital. My goal is to become a CEO specifically for inpatient rehab within the next 2 to 3 years.