News Release

Norton County Hospital welcomes new physical therapist

April 9, 2019

NORTON, Kan. – Norton native Spencer Shirk will be joining the Norton County Hospital Rehabilitation staff as a physical therapist, with a tentative start date of July 8, 2019. He will be the third physical therapist on staff at the hospital and will also join two physical therapy assistants and an occupational therapist in the department.

Spencer graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Exercise Science, followed by a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2017. During his education at Wichita State, Spencer spent his clinical rotations in a wide variety of settings that included hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient clinics in Whitefish, Montana, and Jackson, Wyoming. Through these clinical experiences, Spencer said he gained valuable knowledge in working with patients of all ages and diagnoses. He went from working on balance training with older patients to working with some of the top skiers in the world.

Most recently, Spencer has served as a physical therapist at hospitals in southwest Kansas, including in Lakin and Leoti. Spencer said he believes people deserve the best in rehabilitation. He prioritizes patient education to help them better understand and manage their rehab, and he enjoys creating trusting relationships with patients to dispel myths and build confidence. Spencer is also Level 1 Certified in Dry Needling.

“I'm looking forward to moving home and working with the current Rehab department and all staff at NCH to improve the health and lives of people in and around Norton County, whether that's through PT or joining community efforts that are already trying to provide healthy and active opportunities,” Spencer said.

Spencer and his wife Bethany (pictured above), also a native of Norton, enjoy all forms of outdoor recreation and are excited to be moving back to the community.

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