What if the problem isn't physical therapy? When work is lousy, or your job is stressful, it is only natural to conclude that it is bad everywhere. You talk to colleagues and it seems like no one is any better off than you. And so you start wondering if maybe you need to get out of physical therapy completely.

Getting stuck in your PT career is common, but it doesn't mean that you can't do anything about it.  We get so used to hearing about the bad things about PT that we stop seeing the possibilities.  If you are stuck, it's not hopeless. The possibilities are there.

Phil:  Okay, Jenna, one question that always . . . when I see people miserable in their career, it really . . . it hurts.  I mean, that's why we do what we do because, you know, you don't have to be miserable.  But what are the biggest barriers to change?  I mean, it's a huge deal.  Why do we struggle so much with it?  Why do we struggle so much?

Jenna:  I think two stick out to me.  I'm sure there's more than that.  I'm sure there's a lot of reasons why we get stuck.  One is not knowing what's next.  As you know, a group of individuals who have gone to school for a really long time, we have to be high achievers.  That's in us to some...

We all want to find a company with a great culture. And every company will say during an interview that they have one. But, how do we truly find out?

We talk so much about student loans, but hardly ever talk about building wealth.  While most of us didn't get into the profession to get rich, it is still an interesting question.  Is it possible to make a lot of money as a physical therapist?

Networking gets a bad reputation.  No one wants to be the person forcing small talk or awkwardly trying to start a professional relationship with a stranger.  Yet most of us want to surround ourselves with other people who make us want to be better.  How do we meet them?  How do we start a relationship with them?  

Jenna: So I know that you have had contact with so many different people over your career and you've met so many people that have probably impacted your career and helped show you where you want to go.  I want to know where do you think you met people that had the most influence on you? Where or how did you meet these people?

Phil:  So I think I could probably answer the how more than anything else.  It almost always was because I was introduced to them through a mutual party who just knew I had done something really well or with excellence in a certain area.  And so I think about getting introduced into professional...

Is PT everything you wanted it to be?  For many new grads, it doesn't live up to expectations. You're not alone. You're not doomed to dislike your career.

You wish you had a better situation at work. 

You want to see more of a certain patient.

You wish you could have flexibility in your schedule for things that are important.

You want to make more money than you are now, but you aren't sure how to take action or what to do next. 

In this video, Jenna and Phil discuss why change can be so hard in our career.

Phil:  All right, Jenna, I've got a question for you.  A lot of times in people we coach and people we work with, it really takes a lot for change to occur. Meaning they'll be in a situation that they don't like, with patients they're not really excited about seeing, or they don't like their employer, they don't like their manager, whatever the case may be, but they don't do anything about it. But they're frustrated beyond all belief. Why is change so hard? What makes it so difficult to be able to make that leap?

Jenna:  I think part of it is knowing what the leap is. Okay, I don't want my caseload or I...

Did your PT school tell you an average salary to expect after graduation? Was it accurate?

Sometimes that salary projection may have been spot on, but for others it may have been very different. It isn't your PT school's fault. Salaries are not always accurate when you find them online.

Sure, you can look up the average salary for a PT, but that number varies depending on where you are, your experience, and in what setting you work.

This is exactly why we created the salary calculator, to take real data and make it available to PTs. So you're paid what you're worth... and also, not surprised by a co-workers salary like I was.

Find out what a physical therapist salary is by years of experience, setting, and region with the PT Salary Calculator

Stepping Out

While there aren’t many things more terrifying to people than public speaking, what is worse is public speaking in front of your peer group. This weekend we had a communication course for all of the University of Evansville Residency Programs (Sports, Ortho, Neuro, and Acute Care). 

In our course, you stand in front of everyone and give a persuasive talk while you are recorded. The recording is played back as you sit there. You then get to critique yourself, then your colleagues give feedback, then finally the course instructors give their two cents. Then you have an hour and a half to redo your presentation and implement all the feedback and give it again after lunch.

It is beyond exhausting. It is beyond terrifying. 

But I couldn’t be more proud of the people who came and engaged in the process. Here is why I think these people are so awesome:

1) They put themselves in an uncomfortable situation in order to be...