If You Cannot get Buy In Then Knowledge and Skill Is Lost

Dear PT Students,

No one told me that it could be more effective to have multiple personalities when working with patients than it would be to have multiple treatment options. 

I do not mean that in a dysfunctional way, but rather in terms of relatability and communication.

When you finish PT school you want to know everything, take tons of continuing education, and have a million skills when it comes to treatment.  But all of that takes time, experience, and constant refinement.

There are an endless number of ways to get patients moving better and feeling better.  Yet if you cannot get buy in, then much of that knowledge and skill is lost.

Patient education is more than how you talk to patients and more than avoiding medical jargon.  It requires you to be the person your patient needs you to be.  Some patients will need to joke around, some will want to talk the entire session, some will need encouragement, some will need to be reigned in, some will want you to be logical, some will want you to be compassionate, and the list goes on and on.

The secret is figuring out what each unique patient needs and tapping into that part of yourself.  Make sure that as you develop clinical skills you are also developing interpersonal skills. 

Break Barriers,

Jenna and The Professional Rebellion