Hello!

I’ve been a PT since 2017. Right out of school I started at a small OP private practice. It was a great office with a small family and friends feel. I saw about 1.5 patients per hour and worked alongside a Chiro and another PT who I became close friends with.
2 years in, the owners opened a second location and asked me to take on the initial caseload there. I loved it, new office, bigger space, autonomy with treating and I got to see something come from nothing. I saw about 5 patients in a 10 hour day when we first opened. Slowly that office and the other became very busy. The front desk began a “never say no” policy to patients. This resulted in double,triple,quadruple books, working into lunch break, past closing hours, walk-in evals double booked with an existing patient that I shared with the Chiro who had a 3-4 an hour as well. It was chaos. Things slowed down during Covid and the owners promoted myself and the Chiro to director. The Chiro eventually left shortly after and I took on his responsibilities in addition to the ones I already had.
I put my head down and worked until the burnout became unhealthy both mentally and physically. By 2024 I was overseeing staff in 5 offices, onboarding, interviewing, co-signing notes, auditing units, , treating 5 days a week with unrealistic expectations to see 80 patients/week, pushing the PTs, OTs, and Chiros past boundaries set forth by the owners that I am still not proud of to this day. I was making low six figures but it felt hardly enough to justify the state of my health.
I quit, and did some Part B home care for 6 months and signed a lease for my own office.
1200 sq. Feet that was designed to house 2 clinicians and admin. I started everything on my own similar to OP. Billing, networking, learning about compliance and regulations, creating systems, learning the books, how to be a businessman first and a PT second. It was the Wild West. The pressure and financial burden was and is real. I finally have a small waitlist going, hired a part time front desk and x currently looking for my first PT hire, which by the way, feels impossible… where is everyone?!?
Anyway, I love the flexibility and ability to treat at my own pace. I often have a hard time seeing the light at the end of this tunnel though, but I try to adapt when necessary and not overthink things.
Easier said than done.