Recently some undergraduate students from my alma mater reached out to me for one of their stress management assignments. Their professor, and my wonderful friend, Cristina Carrillo had referred them to me since they were interested in physical therapy. I figured sharing my answers on this website might be helpful to others who may be considering physical therapy, or those currently in the field looking to see if anyone else faces the same issues.

Below are the 4 questions the students asked.

1) How did you get into the field of physical therapy? 

I actually didn’t know what physical therapy was until freshmen year of undergrad. I took an Introduction to Kinesiology course, and thought it was interesting. Sophomore year I shadowed an outpatient clinic, and thought the profession was great. From there my adviser helped plan out my future coursework to apply for physical therapy school.

I still went back and forth between being a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach. I worked as both a strength and conditioning coach and a personal trainer since 2009. After a few years, I felt needed more structured education to help me find answers to my questions on human movement and anatomy (others can do fine on their own). Additionally the hours and pay were tough so ultimately I decided to continue pursuing physical therapy. Interestingly, I thought my hours as a strength coach were tough, but I actually think I work more hours now.
2) What are some of the major stressors that you encountered on your path to becoming a physical therapist? 

Hands down, the biggest stressor for me was getting into a physical therapy program. It was my fault I did not have the best grades, but I was hoping I was competitive enough to get an interview. I wrote about my experience here: (link). Once I got in, physical therapy school was very difficult, but I enjoyed most of the material; staying motivated and engaged was easy. At my program, we had to achieve greater than 80% on any exam, and could not fall below a 3.0 overall GPA. For one of my courses, I was on the brink of failing (78%), but I was confident I had the right resources and work ethic to come back (luckily I did).

Although the stressors listed below were not stressors for me, I do want to admit these are common stressors for others in the field:

Moving: Some people have a difficult time being away from home, or rarely seeing family and friends. My mindset was that this was a short time in my life, and it was worth it. Additionally, if I moved out of my home state it was a chance for me to explore other parts of the country that I would potentially move. America’s a great place with great people and workplaces; a good chance to find a potential new home.

Relationships: I didn’t have one going into PT school, so it wasn’t an issue for me. Most classmates who were married or had significant others had their partners move with them. Again, PT school is relatively short and temporary so I think the right mindset goes far. Some managed long distance relationships as well. In PT school, you’ll meet people facing similar problems, so having a good social circle within your cohort can help.

Finances (loans): Yes, there is a lot of loans involved. I budgeted well, had saved a good amount prior to PT school, and also worked during PT school. Additionally, my mindset was that many people survive with less than what PTs make. Many other people around the US make far less, and have jobs they don’t enjoy; they still find ways to be happy and succeed. I love my job and find it a privilege to work for my patients. I understand many don’t share my view, but that mindset keeps me me going whether I’m naively optimistic or not.

Imposter Syndrome: This is the fear that you don’t belong among your cohort, or that you are not qualified to be in the program. This wasn’t a stressor for me because I feel I, again, had the right mindset to cope with this (it wasn’t because I thought I was super smart). People who get into physical therapy school are very smart and are high achievers. Generally, some people may talk louder than others, or unintentionally make others feel smaller. I know in my head, everyone has their own problems going on, or that they struggle with other aspects of school and life; very few people have it all together. I never let it affect my own self-value. Additionally, when others were more successful than me, then good for them. I certainly hope everyone is great in PT because a lot of patients need help. Everyone will get their own, and just allow them to be happy.

3) What are some daily occupational stressors that you currently encounter? 

Daily occupational stressors would mainly be caseload, documentation, and insurances.

Caseloads: Sometimes it can be overwhelming. I have worked in clinics that saw 28 patients in 10 hours, however my current role only sees about 11 in 5 hours. It can be hard to provide skilled care and give patients adequate attention in that time, but through my residency program I feel I have become much better at it; patient satisfaction and outcomes have been high based on the measures we use at my current clinic.

Documentation: This is always going to be one of the biggest complaint of the profession. Notes can take forever because insurances will only reimburse clinics if it includes relevant information worded in specific ways with particular codes listed. All of these rules change so often which is flustering to keep updated on.

Insurances: This can be a big stressor. Sometimes patients may benefit from physical therapy, but insurances don’t cover it. This creates a burden on the patient, and also requires PTs to make decisions that may prolong a patients problems. For example, we may think they need to be seen twice a week versus once a week, but we don’t want them to pay an extra $70-200 co-pay per week. Many people in any medical profession give their all to their patients; we don’t have an “off” switch. This type of stressor can burn us out if we are constantly fighting uphill battles advocating for the hundreds of patients we see.

4) What are some coping methods that you use to deal with these stressors at work and avoid burnout? 

I cope by having the right mindset and expectations. My mindset is that it is a privilege to help people, and I have earned the right to do so. No matter how busy I get, I think about how blessed I am that I get to teach so many people how to get better. Expectation wise, I already know how many people I will see in a day. It’s on me to come in prepared for the day so that the schedule and treatments are fluid. These problems are not pleasant, but they seem to be “normal” and constant. Because they are constant, I use my expectations to think of solutions and work around them rather than complain about them.

Additionally, finding the right culture is huge. Everyone at my clinic works their tail off, and never complains. They spend their free time helping other staff members if needed, and also volunteer in the community. It’s very refreshing to work around others that work harder than you; it motivates you to step up your standards. I love my work family, and they are excellent role models for me to come in grateful and happy about my job everyday. I always want to do more.

Lastly, taking care of myself is important or else I can’t optimally help others. I make it a point to go to the gym frequently, hang out with friends, binge on sleep on weekends (although it’s still a poor habit), and binge on TV series when needed. I also am a huge stress cooker and cleaner.

I wrote about the mindset solutions in a past post as well: (link)

 

 

What stressors do you all go through and how do you cope with them? Comment below.