Nova Sbrusch, PT, NCS, CWS, CBIST, provided physical therapy services in a variety of settings – acute care, outpatient, rehabilitation and home health – before joining TIRR Memorial Hermann in 2001. By the time she finished her master’s degree in physical therapy at Texas Woman’s University, she knew she wanted to work in inpatient rehabilitation.
“I bounced around a little in the academic world,” says Sbrusch, who is manager of rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient therapy at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy. “I got my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Houston and did the associate degree program in physical therapy at Wharton County Junior College. While working as a physical therapy assistant in different health care settings, I had the opportunity to see patients at different places along the continuum of the healing process. When I finished graduate school in 2001, I went straight into inpatient rehabilitation at TIRR. I really enjoyed the problem solving and challenges of helping people at that level of care.”
Sbrusch worked at TIRR Memorial Hermann in the medical center for 14 years. “I loved the patient population and the fact that as therapists we’re always encouraged to keep learning and growing,” she says. “It’s very rewarding to meet people at one of the most difficult times in their lives and help them regain their independence. My biggest driver is the satisfaction of knowing I’m impacting someone’s life in a meaningful way.”
Sbrusch joined the staff at Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy in 2015. “During my last five years at TIRR in the medical center I served as center coordinator for clinical education for physical therapy, which was challenging and a lot of fun, but eventually I was ready for a different kind of challenge,” she says. “I also wanted to try to get closer to home if possible. The creation and expansion of the Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network has allowed therapists and others to move out to facilities in the suburbs and connect staff members with the resources available at TIRR. It’s exciting to help enhance the skills of the great group of therapists here by giving them access to more resources and more opportunities to develop as rehabilitation professionals.”