Beat Physical Therapy Burnout in 5 Easy Steps

Looking forward to a vacation or having a few bad days here and there is not cause for concern. However, many physical therapists experience true physical therapy burnout at some point in their career. You may be experiencing burnout if you:

• Feel negative about work, and you spread negativity to your staff
• Routinely feel bored, uninspired or unmotivated
• Complain about work all the time to your spouse or friends
• Check-out during team meetings or stop conducting team meetings entirely
• Don’t want to listen to your patients’ complaints or concerns
• Dream of exiting your business and moving on to something else

For those of you with the “burnout blues” here are five steps to help you bust through the burnout and feel reinvigorated. The most important thing is to make sure you act fast. The longer you stay in this negative space, the harder it will be to recover.

#1 Take a continuing education course

If you’re feeling bored or unmotivated, stimulating your mind and learning something new can challenge you. Increasing your expertise may open new doors for you and your patients.

Even something as simple as an online course or one-day seminar can get you started.

#2 Adjust your hours/hire more PTs

Being overworked can lead to feelings of burnout or a temporary loss of passion. If you feel like you’re constantly working, consider spending more time away from treatment. Perhaps step into a management or marketing role once or twice a week in your practice.

You may also want to consider growing your staff to provide you greater flexibility while still maintaining or growing the business. When the pressure is off, the passion often returns!

#3 Look for a new service to provide your patients

You entered physical therapy because you love helping people feel better. Discovering a new way to accomplish that goal can be reinvigorating! Consider adding a specialty service to break up the monotony. If your patients love your new service, you’ll be rewarded on many fronts!

Balance and vestibular therapy is great way to enhance patient care, increase revenue, and stimulate your inner-healer. Even if you already treat these patients, FYZICAL’s premier balance protocols can help you take it to the next level!

#4 Have a party or after-hours event with your staff

Work can be stressful and repetitive. A staff outing focused on fun and celebration will help everyone feel closer as coworkers and can stimulate discussion of the common interests that led you into PT. Getting to know your team and strengthening relationships will help you look forward to work every day.

#5 Try a new hobby

You could try a cooking class, art, a local soccer league, kick-boxing, a dance class, ANYTHING! The possibilities are endless, and it’s surprising how often an unrelated hobby can give you something fun to look forward to. Bonus points if you manage to engage the whole team or a team-member in the hobby with you to build work camaraderie.

If you’re feeling the burnout blues, you can find a way out! Commit to trying these five simple steps  to feel reinvigorated and get back on track.