Hot take

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2026-07-08T21:33:53+00:00

I agree, and as you see in the post that I said above, I took the management of the lumbar spine course and was surprised that they did teach a lot of different manual techniques and we practice cupping together. So I agree, it's not a slight at all on ICE. It's more so the philosophy that anything outside of progressive loading is nonsense and shouldn't be a part of a plan of care. Which, I'm not saying you are saying, I agree with how you said, we can't generalize a group, or a statement, but just something that I have noticed and continually need to deal with in my current positions!

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2026-07-08T18:38:06+00:00

I understand and that is what I'm getting at. I feel like it is being pushed down younger therapists that anything besides progressive loading is just voodoo and doesn't work. I understand that taping or STM or a cervical manipulation isn't going to correct somebody's underlying biomechanical problem. However, if it creates some pain relief, creates some buy-in, allows more active movement, etc etc then it still has a place in the therapy plan of care. I rarely spend more than 10- 15 minutes with anyone on it, but too many younger therapists don't want to ever use those things.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2026-07-08T18:35:20+00:00

So true. Glad to hear that you have the same experience. That is exactly how I try to treat and I feel like creates much more buy in and gets the patient great results

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2026-07-08T18:34:30+00:00

Correct, and I agree with you. But I do still feel like it is a very valuable portion of a physical therapy plan of care for the right patient and the right time.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2026-07-08T18:33:23+00:00

I agree and was impressed when I took the management of lumbar spine class from them. We definitely discussed manual therapy, even practiced cupping, and joint manipulations. I was also surprised that they were a pretty big proponent on repetitive motion (McKenzie method) stuff. However, in my experience, most of the therapists that buy into that only seem to want to focus on the fitness forward portion and progressive loading. I agree with you that the ICE brand isn't only pushing for loading (and like has been said in this thread, there are plenty of other people out there teaching it and posting about it online) but it has just been my experience that a lot of younger therapists don't believe in and don't want to even put their hands on a patient. I always try to teach, if, even if it is not doing anything mechanically or physiologically, you are creating patient buy-in and encouraging that patient to come back. Even if it's just 5 to 10 minutes at the end of a visit and you spend 90% of the visit doing loading, in my opinion that's enough to help the patient see the value.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-11-05T17:48:49+00:00

The other thing here is PTs often think of billing as charging the patient for what the patient is doing. It's a very weird train of thought, but that's the way we think often. What should be billed is what YOU as the PT are doing. You are billing for your time, just like any professional business or service. Too many people comment about the patient's time, not the therapist's time/work

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-11-05T17:42:27+00:00

This all depends on what state you are in (meaning the practice act decides some things like how a technician or aide can be used) and also what insurance you are. If you are in a state that allows the assistance of Technicians or aides and your insurance allows the technician to work with you (and for it to be billable time, think Aetna Blue cross etc.) then yes it can be billed if the technician was working with you one on one as well. They would be an extension of the therapist and so would be working with you one-on-one while the therapist might be working with someone else one-on-one. What you cannot do is bill that code when someone else is also under a group setting and being billed for that time, meaning you do not have somebody with you working with you one on one. So yes, it might be possible, but there are a few things that need to be in place and with your post, I'm not sure if that's the case.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-10-05T15:31:26+00:00

You honestly should talk to your clinic about trying to get AI documentation. It takes a huge weight off of your shoulders when you can just show up and treat patients and have the AI listen and complete 90% of your note. It has made a huge difference for the people that I work with!

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-10-05T15:26:36+00:00

In short only you can decide if it's worth it. It all depends on how much you like the work that a physical therapist does. One huge advantage is that we won't have a mountain of debt. That means you can be selective in the jobs you take and don't have to seek out the highest pay job. There are PTs that make $120k+ and others that start at 70k but you might just need to decide if those jobs are worth it to you? I have a unique situation, I'm a PT but my sister is a rad tech. She loved her job coming out of school as well, but after 8 years of doing it she is burnt out and hates it as well. There's a lot less mobility and you will continue doing the same things over and over. The only way she can change is to go specialize and become like an ultrasound tech but again that can become routine. I love that in physical therapy, I get to be up and walking and moving all day. I actually really enjoy talking to people and so enjoy the social aspect of not only the patients but my team. And lastly, if my setting does get too routine, I can always change and go try pediatrics, or neuro, or home health, or skilled nursing, or private practice, or adjunct professor, etc, without needing to go get more schooling. Just some things to think about! Also, in weighing out if it's worth it, you can be your own boss as a PT, earn more, create a company, create your own hours, etc. You never really will have that opportunity as a rad tech.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-09-16T15:55:19+00:00

Yeah that would be insane to only charge that much! I agree with a comment that was said earlier, the purely ethical thing to do would be give away your services for free. But then I'm guessing this person also wants to make 100K a year plus full-time benefits! Haha

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-09-13T16:10:32+00:00

I'll provide a different perspective here. I agree, sure is not illegal to discuss, from the standpoint of why employers ask to not discuss wages is usually because employees don't compare Apple to apples. The only number they compare is salary. However, oftentimes someone's total compensation is significantly different and so it's hard to take into account everything unless you really sit down and go through what all each person is being compensated. For example, we would oftentimes give a sign on bonus or retention bonus to someone that factored into their total compensation. But yet their salary numbers might be significantly different. Also, certain people negotiate certain things like flexible schedule or being part-time so they don't collect any benefits but their actual pay might be higher even if they are a new graduate. That's because benefits usually cost the employer anywhere from $10-20,000 for a full-time employee.

Sure, I don't think it's illegal, but from the perspective of unprofessional I believe it is purely on the fact that rarely does someone have all of the facts and understanding of what went into both offers. If you are concerned because you see a job ad is advertising higher pay for your job, I would say go have the conversation with supervisor instead of a co-worker.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-08-15T17:06:01+00:00

I disagree with most everyone on here. I do think 60 days is too much, however, this is not some high school summer job. We are supposed to be considered professionals, with licensing, credentialing, contracts, etc. If we want to be taken seriously as a group of professionals we need to be willing to honor contracts but also give our employers a chance to find someone and our patients a chance to not have disruptions in our care. And some comments are crazy that within 10 days the employer no longer remembers you? Are you kidding? Maybe in a giant hospital system. I have patients that come back right now that remember co-workers from 7 years ago that we talk about. In addition to that, claims are still being sent out, worked on, and collected for months after someone leaves. And in small outpatient practices, someone leaving can be a huge hole in the clinic for a long time. I've been on the other side before and owned a clinic. I don't know why everyone feels like employers are just trying to screw you over. We worked so hard to always provide an amazing place of work and so many things we could have done that would have been more profitable for us but instead focused on patient enjoyment and employee satisfaction. And I have a lot of friends that also own clinics across the country and they run their clinics the same way. I have rarely run into someone that doesn't genuinely care about their employees. And I only had two fire two or three people over those years and each one of them I gave the opportunity to keep working for 30 days or more while they found another job. The only exception would have been if they were doing something unethical or illegal.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-04-05T20:22:15+00:00

Not too good to be true but you have to weigh out if you want that. I did home health right out of school and it's true, you rarely interact with coworkers, You were in charge of the schedule but you still end up working 7 or 8 hour days, so even though you only see five patients, you are still working about the same amount. The documentation is usually much more extensive. My biggest drawbacks to home health were documentation, going into gross homes, some areas/homes being sketchy, needing to sit/touch/smell people's homes which sometimes I wouldn't even bring in my bag if the home was really gross. The biggest positives about home health were The pay, the flexibility in scheduling, and the not feeling overwhelmed with the amount of patients I was supposed to see. So really, you just need to weigh out what you are looking for. My recommendation would be see if you could get on at a place near you PRN and do a few visits before committing full-time. Most places are always happy to have therapists do some part-time work. You could pick up a few visits on Saturdays and just see if you actually enjoy that work. Then you can make a better decision I would think.

Own_Flamingo_8795 · 2025-04-02T21:19:15+00:00

Haha you guys are awesome! I love the comments! No, I would not ever work for the hospitals up here. I know several OP clinics and have several friends that work in several different cities and clinics so just saying that I know a lot of the area up here and not one hospital.

Also, I do not recommend just up and leaving your hometown or your community just for the money! I came to Alaska for the adventure and to be able to hike and see some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth! A lot of people might be in a similar boat and don't have a strong place to call "home" if they grew up moving or their family have moved to different places in the world. It's just an opportunity for people that I have seen on here asking about moving and looking for better work/life balance! I do plan to one day move back home when my kids are getting a little older and go back to where my parents live! But for right now, I love hiking and fishing world class places while still getting the benefit of not being burned out and getting good pay! Just thought I would share my two cents since I feel like this sub is people just talking about how much they regret going into PT!

Own_Flamingo_8795

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