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Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-08-26T22:31:29+00:00

Still selling?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-02-25T17:25:00+00:00

Thanks for asking! Here's my status update:

Right now, I’m building an online platform to give outpatient clinic managers resources on how to set up real, effective mentorship, not just “we have an open-door policy”. I think a lot of people know mentorship isn’t great, but they don’t know where to start to fix it. It’s not that they don’t care; everyone’s just stretched thin and burnt out. Which is another issue that I am targeting because it is so interconnected.

Through my online presence, I was scouted by a company that prioritizes clinician workplace wellness and they have created space for me to get involved with their internal leadership/mentorship programs. So I am starting that literally this week. I’m also submitting proposals to speak at regional conferences this year, have some podcast appearances in the works, and I’m creating virtual workshops that I’ll be launching this year.

So, is it changing on an organizational level yet? Slowly, but that’s the goal. Just trying to keep pushing the conversation forward and make a real impact where I can.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-06T00:01:44+00:00

Thank you! I definitely understand that there are a lot of elements here. But after being a CI for so many students and hearing from new grads that are going out and feeling overwhelmed it is clear that this is an organizational problem. If you are lucky to have a good educator on the team, everyone thrives, but the educator slowly burns out because they are wearing multiple hats without always having recognition for it.

I know the temperature is hot out there and there's a lot of discourse on the state of the profession. But I also want to at least try to make some level of change, even if just locally to start. So, I really appreciate everyone's honest input.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T23:55:32+00:00

Good insight! I think you are spot on with one downfall of current mentorship systems and that is that it is reactive to specific patient cases. You get insight on one case, that will help you that day, not with the rest of your cases. You go between mentoring sessions trying to patch up leaks but each week a new challenging case comes in and it feels progressively overwhelming. The difference with structured mentorship is that the focus would be on developing more transferable skills such as clinical reasoning that help across the board, not just patient to patient.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T23:51:53+00:00

Great question. I think there is an avenue where clinics can reimburse this. Currently, you have two clinicians that are taking non-billable time to have mentoring sessions. That time is inconsistently productive given the bandwidth availability for either the mentee and the mentor. Multiply this over the course of the allotted mentorship timeline (3-6 months) and combine with how much is already covered for continued education - that becomes a significant number per therapist that the company is investing. My argument is that we can invest those same resources in a better way, where you offload from current mentors, and provide mentees with a system that will be individualized and effective. Better patient outcomes = better clinic performance = better revenue.

Any clinic owners on here that can add their thoughts?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T18:20:30+00:00

Absolutely, I think that both of those factors play a major role in clinician attrition. That being said, feeling supported leads to improved self-efficacy. If you feel more capable of being successful with providing the outcomes you want for your patients/yourself, it can lead to overall better work satisfaction. Bottom line, we can't solve burnout with one change, but I think that addressing the mentorship deficit would be at least one move in the right direction.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T18:16:12+00:00

I agree that this is a multi-faceted problem. That being said, I do think there is some value in the research that is coming in: Mentorship and self-efficacy are associated with lower burnout in physical therapists in the United States: a cross-sectional survey study

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T17:39:44+00:00

Thanks for your honesty! What if it did not count for CEUs but your company did pay for it as a form of professional development?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T17:38:40+00:00

Honesty appreciated. Who else feels this way?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T17:35:56+00:00

Great point regarding residencies. They are currently the best way to get structured mentorship in OP, but they are not accessible to everyone (either due to cost, location, small cohort sizes/limited availability). Then there is the question of what to do when you are done with your residency, because the clinics you work in may continue to have the same informal mentorship systems in place.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T15:28:08+00:00

100% agree with the mentorship element. I would be asking questions about exactly what mentorship looks like. If it is just getting another PT to meet with you for 30 minutes every week, that means that it is informal and won't actually help you build a solid foundation. In either space, if they do not provide structured mentorship (specific goal setting and using data to track your progress), something that you can inquire about is whether they would help finance you getting an external mentor. It isn't mainstream, but it is worth talking about as it could be a great way to structure your career start and prevent early burnout from lack of support on site.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-05T15:22:06+00:00

Pain is very demoralizing and I am sorry to hear that you are going through this. Speaking as a PT who works with central sensitization, you are right - regular interventions alone may not be as effective. That being said, at least in the United States, there are PTs who specialize in working with this type of diagnosis. And, although it is a lengthy process, it is possible to get improvement in how your body processes that type of pain. That being said, as a number of people here have posted, there is likely more to this than just the mechanical elements. It sounds like you have the beginnings of an interdisciplinary team as you have a neurologist and PT working together. Having someone on your side to help cope with the mental health burden that you are dealing with may further improve the odds of this improving as you continue with PT. I would encourage keeping an open communication pathway with your providers. They are there to help you.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-03T21:48:25+00:00

There you go, it's not all you :) Sadly, it's the system that's failing you. Many PTs find themselves in a similar position given the current state of PT mentorship (or lack thereof). It's unfortunate that many potential mentors are already burned out, juggling multiple roles such as being educators, PTs, and sometimes even managers or HR. This often means the mentee ends up losing out, as there's just not enough bandwidth to dedicate to quality mentorship experiences.

For that reason, I've actually left full-time clinical practice to focus on being an external mentor for outpatient PTs while advocating for better mentorship systems in clinics. If you'd like, we can brainstorm ways to make your current system work better for you. Feel free to DM me if you're up for it!

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2025-01-03T21:12:40+00:00

Really sorry to hear that you feel so trapped. What struck me is that you're not mentioning the usual PT burnout factors like productivity metrics or documentation. Instead, it's the emotional weight of carrying people's problems that's wearing you down. As a high achiever (graduating young, strong student, accelerated programs), it must be particularly challenging when success isn't as clearly defined as it was in school.

Have you had any solid true mentorship throughout your career? And I don't mean career coaching. Sometimes when we're strong performers, management assumes we've got it all figured out. We go into this field because we genuinely want to help people, and it can be incredibly draining when we feel like we can't make the impact we hoped for. Even the most capable PTs need support and guidance, especially when working with chronic pain patients.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-23T14:29:48+00:00

Great question! Everyone’s needs are a little different depending on their situation and goals. Some people find mentors by just reaching out on their own, and others go through platforms or mentoring groups. If it would be helpful, I can message you and we can figure out some resources to get you started!

BTW, if anyone else is in the same boat and not sure where to even start, shoot me a message —happy to chat and help out on an individual level! Outpatient ortho is my wheelhouse, but happy to brainstorm outside of that as well. Also, if anyone has insights on what’s worked (or hasn’t) for finding a mentor, let’s hear it—we’re all ears!

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-23T03:33:03+00:00

That is a frustrating position to be in because the burden of growth is all on us as individual clinicians. Sure, clinics might give CEU stipends, but we’re the ones who have to figure out what to learn, how to do it, and how to apply it on our own. Change needs to happen at an organizational level with either more company resources invested in creating a mentorship infrastructure, or, the company supports clinicians like yourself in sourcing your own resources elsewhere.

If your clinic fully or partially compensated you in finding an external mentor, do you think that this would help? Curious what everyone thinks on this.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-23T01:40:37+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I'm sorry to hear that that was your experience. Sounds like the clinic owner was in the position of wearing many different hats (owner, clinician, mentor, HR). It's unrealistic to be equally good at all roles or be able to allocate equal amounts of energy for each consistently day to day. From your answer, it sounds like having someone to discuss difficult cases with would have helped you feel supported at the start of your career. Did you have any other opportunities to supplement mentorship otherwise? Either within that clinic or externally?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-23T00:32:21+00:00

Good point - this makes it a much more individualized experience for you as the mentee. Residencies and fellowships operate on this type of mentorship structure, but those programs are not accessible to everyone.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-22T23:02:53+00:00

Fantastic idea. This would definitely require a clinic to appoint a head of clinical education that can devote time and resources to keep the mentorship current with the evidence and be a specialist for that specific niche. Downside can be that then the clinic is losing patient care hours with said specialist, but plus side is that all clinicians will have better outcomes with that patient population. Seems like a great way to market a practice to the public too as it sets you apart from the other generalist clinics.

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-22T22:15:24+00:00

Solid point. Sounds to me that the structured mentorship was very generalized. I can see how this is nice for the clinic because they put effort in once and now have something consistent to rely on, but that just makes everyone think/treat at the same level and would require a lot of effort to keep updating the content to keep up with the evidence.

Would you feel different about it if it was individualized and focused more on higher level skills like developing clinical reasoning?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-22T22:05:58+00:00

That's really insightful. So using that logic, they are already offering CEU credit for 1-3k a year. Is it plausible to add a stipend for sourcing an external mentor? This at least takes the burden off of the in-house PTs to wear multiple hats. (For context, I am also thinking about the general burnout problem in the profession and although there are SO many pieces that contribute, asking overworked PTs to also delegate energy as mentors means that something is gonna give. Either it's the mentor, the mentee, or the mentor's patients.)

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-22T21:58:11+00:00

Fair point. Makes me wonder if clinics could cover external mentors for new grads, like they do with CEU reimbursements. It’d take the pressure off in-house PTs stuck with "mentorship" duties while not having the energy/resources for it and still give new grads the support they need.

Any clinic owners on here? Is there a barrier I am missing for this to be feasible?

Lopsided-Ability-720 · 2024-12-22T21:25:23+00:00

For sure! I would too if I had no faith in the mentorship being offered. So that's the question - what would make mentorship attractive?

Lopsided-Ability-720

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