For those that don’t know already, I am transitioning to a different position. Self-awareness is very important.
In this profession, I have worked as a staff PT in a spine only clinic, Staff PT in a hospital OP setting, PT in the emergency department, started a spine care clinic within the hospital, worked as a clinic director, transitioned to owner that contracted out for a company that was paid on a capitated fee schedule, served as a CI, worked as clinical faculty in the university and have consulted on legal cases.
All this to say that I learned who I am and who I’m not. I am a clinician. I enjoy being a clinician and I enjoy being a mentor/CI. This new position will allow me the freedom to do both, without the responsibilities of doing budgets, productivity numbers, entering time clock errors.
As an aside, if you are an employee, try to clock in/out on time. Take your lunch as scheduled. It was such a headache and a waste of time to have to go back and make these corrections. I have much more respect for how tedious the job is as a supervisor/owner.
With that said, I am in the phase of transitioning towards new employment. I am finding new homes for my current patients because I will be leaving my current area altogether.
One patient this week said something f that has to make our entire profession take notice: “Vince, don’t send me to a PT mill”
This is vernacular used within the profession. Every profession owns its own language and this phrase, “PT mill”, is used within the profession to describe a high on volume, low on personalized patient care model.
This should force the profession to take notice because it means that patients are noticing the difference.
Our identity is tied to a few areas: in hospital PT, subacute rehab and large corporate private practices.
In recent times, we are seeing the growth of mobile practices and independently owned private practices, which have a different model.
Patients notice the differences.
As a profession, we also must reflect on how we want the public to perceive our identity.
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