When I first began my career in physical therapy (PT), I wanted the opportunity to be able to make a significant difference in someone’s life. I envisioned myself working in an outpatient clinic and helping patients get back to doing something they loved. Maybe it was the runner with the sprained ankle or the baseball pitcher with a torn rotator cuff.
These patients would come to see me for PT and we would work on their range of motion, strength, and stability in order to restore the normal mechanics of their bodies. In time, they would recover well and return to running and throwing.
In the early portion of my career, there were many such success stories. Conversely, there were also other stories that didn’t have the same happy outcomes. Some patients would come to therapy and despite our best efforts they did not achieve the results they wanted. Over the years, I learned to look at these cases not as failures, but as experience gained. It was the sum of my PT experiences that would provide the insight and growth I would need to continue to have success in this field.
In my 22 years in PT, I’ve seen a lot of changes not only in our industry, but in how I approach it. Somewhere along the line, patients became customers and my clinic couldn’t just provide PT, it should provide a customer service experience that is second to none. Because of this, I no longer view PT or rehabilitation as a linear journey with a starting and ending point.
Instead, it acts in a more circular fashion with top-notch customer service as the catalyst that keeps things moving. By having a passion for providing the best customer service, we help our patients/customers achieve their goals as well as increase the well-being of our employees. It’s the notion of “paying it forward” in play. As we do good for others, we ultimately do good for ourselves. This formula has served my clinic very well as we strive each day to go above and beyond for our customers and co-workers.
I truly believe that I’ve come full circle since I became a physical therapist many years ago. I enjoy the opportunities that I’ve been given to make a significant difference in someone’s life. But now I realize what a great difference it’s made on my own.