Jenna:  Okay Phil, so a lot of physical therapists are about to start their very first job as a physical therapist.  And I want you to tell them one thing you wish you had known starting your very first job.

Phil:  The one thing I wish I would have known is that you you aren't going to feel confident, and that's okay.  And you will be able to help a lot of people. But even though you may not feel like you have the ability or skills or anything, you know so much to be able to help people, and you will get better. So use both that lack of confidence to drive yourself to be better, but don't disparage yourself, don't get down on yourself, and don't think that other people can do it better than you. Because actually what we find is that new graduates can impact people's lives more than seasoned clinicians because they care so much, they're so much more detailed, they don't go on previous biases nearly as much. How about you?

Jenna:  I would say that it's going...

Is it even possible to have a career that is in alignment with your personal and professional values? When you’re thinking about making a career change, do you consider both your personal and professional values?

In this video, Jenna and Phil share their opinions on this issue.

Phil:  We've talked about the importance of identifying your values before you kind of make a next move or identifying the next move. Is it really possible? Should you consider both your personal and professional values?  And can those co-exist?  I mean, is that really a thing?

Jenna:  Yeah, I think if you know your personal and your professional values and you know them well, I think they have to coexist, right?  I don't think you can uphold a high personal value if it conflicts with a professional value.   Or I don't think you can uphold one if it conflicts with the other. 

Do they have to be the same thing?  No. Like you could absolutely love in your...

Whether you're a new graduate or have been working in PT for awhile, there are often questions that arise about what's next. In this video, Jenna and Phil discuss what they believe the "secret sauce" is in achieving career success.

Jenna:  Hey Phil. I think a lot of students struggle with what setting they want to go into.  So would you tell students that don't know what setting they want to go into or maybe like new grads that don't know exactly what they want out of their career or even other people that don't know what's next in their career.  What advice would you give them?

Phil:  That's a great question.  I heard this commencement speech that just really articulated it really well.  It was everybody tells you to pursue your passion, but frequently,

A. you don't may not know what your passion is or

B. you can't because you're in a certain setting, a certain place, certain time of your life, or you don't have the money to do it or the...

How do you become a continuing education instructor? This is the second video in a 2-part series where we explore the steps necessary to becoming a continuing education instructor.

How do you become a continuing education instructor? (part 1)

We have advisors during PT school and some of us have mentors early on in the clinic. Should we continue with the mentorship process throughout our career?

Jenna:  So, Phil, why do you still have mentors, and how has that changed throughout your career? So I asked that not as like, "Why do you have mentors?" in an accusatory way. But again, so many people look to you as a mentor right now. You're very high up in the field. You do all these different things. You have a career you love. At this point, why do you have a mentor?

Phil:  Yeah, I think no matter how far along you are on the trail, there's someone who has gone farther than you.  To me, that's the big thing.  So I like to think of life as different seasons and things like that.  And certainly in your beginning years, where you don't even know where the trail is, it's essential to have a mentor for that. It's essential to have someone to kind of give you a little guidance of maybe what I like, what I...

Many of us come up in the field wanting to make an impact. We see leaders from the time we are students and want to someday become one. But how does that happen? Is there something we can do?

PTs leave a lot of money on the table.  It is a mix between not being taught what to do and not knowing exactly how to go about the negotiation process.  We weigh in on how to go about a negotiation so that you can get what you're worth and still build the relationship.

Wondering how your salary compares? Use our free salary calculator

Dear PT Students,

Have you ever seen an amazing public speaker and just thought about how incredibly talented they were?

As I started the process of becoming better at public speaking, I was always in awe of the people that just had such a natural ability for it.  They moved intentionally, spoke smoothly and had a presence that could not be ignored.

The admiration mixed with intimidation I had for public speakers was the same admiration and intimidation I felt as a student and as a new grad when I was with awesome clinicians.

But the farther I got into public speaking, the more it became apparent that it wasn’t all talent.  In fact so much of what each engaging speaker did was something that could be learned.  How to move on stage, how to manipulate tone, and timing were all things that could be taught and practiced.  It wasn’t talent, it was training.

The same is true for the clinicians you admire.  They studied, they practiced, and they got...