Today in PT

Safety in Numbers

With another tumultuous week on the stock market rollercoaster behind us, and with the continued squabbling over the details of the latest stimulus package ringing in our ears, it’s becoming more and more apparent that times are tough all the way around. By now, we all know someone — whether a patient, family member, or friend — who has lost their job. As the economy has worsened over the past weeks, I have been increasingly thankful that my job as a PT seems recession-proof.

But are we really safe? I have noticed a few changes lately; from a sharp decline in the numerous job solicitations I receive by mail and phone each week to a down-tick in the number of patients requesting outpatient care. Throughout the nation, people are sitting tight when it comes to initiating elective surgeries, wellness care, and consultations with healthcare professionals for chronic pain conditions.

So what can we do to be sure our profession continues to be valued in an uncertain society? To be sure, PTs and PTAs are highly regarded in the community as rehabilitation specialists, but we still aren’t perceived as being the providers of choice for preventative care or treating movement disorders. Unfortunately, chiropractors, personal trainers, and even massage therapists seem to hold that distinction.

I think we need to stick together, because there is safety in numbers. Alone, each of our voices may go unheard, blown away by the gale-force winds of change, but when raised in unison we can be heard. We need to network with each other, support our professional organization, and correct any misconceptions out there about exactly what it is we do. There is so much we have to offer patients to help them recover from injury or surgery, to facilitate independence in the face of disease, and to promote wellness in order to spare someone from additional (and costly!) medical intervention, it would be a shame not to continue sharing it.

So what are your thoughts? Do you have any creative ideas about how to keep our profession strong as we move into the future? Let me know how Today in PT can help — I’m listening.

Anne Ahlman, MPT

A Love/Hate Relationship

I lost a dear friend last night, one that had stood by me through times of joy and adversity for many years. While I was playing with one of our cats, the kitty-sized tennis ball inadvertently struck the laptop screen — and it was over in an instant, the display emitting a pure white light as the spirit of my old computer flew away to a place where I could not follow.

This laptop was my first “serious” computer, one upon which I happily explored the latest medical research, created countless healthcare articles and continuing education modules, stayed in touch with a few special patients, kept up with beloved family members who live overseas, and wrote my first book. I had worn the keys smooth over many busy hours, and knew all of its quirks and preferences.

But overall, the relationship with my computer has been one full of mixed feelings. After all, the time spent in its company took precious hours away from my immediate family and friends. Although I know that I am rather a singular PT, splitting my time between treating patients and medical writing and editing, the demise of my old laptop friend makes me wonder about all of you.

Do most of you spend your days free from the lure of technology, or do you get drawn in? How often do you surf the Internet? Check your e-mail? Read this Blog? Would many of you prefer to receive Today in PT online, or do you still like having a hard copy that you can take outside and read while you have your lunch? When you want to find a new job, do you look at magazines and newspapers, go online, or simply network with colleagues?

I’d love to know how you spend your time, and invite you to take our Reader Survey available at: http://www.todayinpt.com/polls/.

In the meantime, if you need me I’ll be at the computer store.

Anne Ahlman, MPT

PT Paradox

The latest comment in reply to my last post brings up a vital paradox in the conversation on therapist longevity and patient care: The blessing of PT is that there is a wide variety of treatment settings to choose from, but the curse is that every setting has its challenges.

In a recent study about work-related musculoskeletal disorders (Physical Therapy, May 2008), researchers found that the one-year incidence rate of WMSDs in the 882 APTA members studied was 20.7%, primarily in response to direct patient care tasks. The body parts most frequently injured were the low back, followed by the wrist and hand, neck, and shoulder. As you might suppose, performing transfers and lifting or repositioning patients increased the risk of lumbar injuries. Manual therapy, especially soft tissue work, joint mobilization, and performing PROM, increased the risk of wrist and hand injuries. Over the year of the study, a full 57% of PTs reported work-related pain. Yet few if any of the injured PTs took time off work to go and get treated. Sound familiar, anyone?

Although I’m currently working in outpatient, during my career as a PT I have worked in many diverse settings ranging from acute care to home health, neuro rehab to hippotherapy, and from subacute rehab to SNFs. Over the years I’ve worked hard and I’ve worked “smart,” but I’ve still encountered physical challenges in every treatment setting.

So what’s the answer? Perhaps we need to consider a combination of things: Increase the awareness of safe patient handling techniques in PT school, shift the PT culture such that it’s not shameful or embarrassing to have yourself treated, and from time to time sample a different practice setting from the one you’re currently working in.

If the old adage, “A change is as good as a rest,” is true, how can we make changes within the profession that will help extend the working lives of our valuable colleagues?

What are your ideas?

Anne Ahlman, MPT

Out to Pasture?

As I was recently reading an article on Medscape about the aging nursing workforce (“Old, but Not Out: The Aging Nurse in Today's Workplace”), I found many parallels with the physical therapy profession that made me stop and think. After all, the PT workforce is also aging — according to a demographic profile of APTA members, the mean therapist age in 2006 was 42.8 years, as compared to 39.4 years in 1999 and between 30–34 years leading into the mid-1990s.

This is a vital question to ponder, given the ongoing staffing shortage. Like nurses, therapists want to feel useful and appreciated as they balance work demands, maturing families, and aging bodies, yet many leave the profession early. We should put our heads together now to develop strategies to retain our most experienced therapists, and to find alternate career paths within the profession for those who suffer burnout or who can no longer work a full schedule, rather than lose these valued professionals to other careers.

What are your thoughts? Have you developed a “Plan B” for when you can no longer work with patients? Will you want to contribute to the profession in some other way, like teaching, doing research, or getting into management? Or, would you prefer to retire early or change jobs entirely? How do you plan to spend the rest of your productive years once you’ve hung up your lab coat?

Let me know if you have all the resources you need ... perhaps Today in PT can help.

Anne Ahlman, MPT