Whether you have been a physical therapist for 2 years or 15 years, burnout appears to be sweeping through a lot of us. I know COVID didn’t help anything, but it seems that I see more and more new grads going straight from school to a couple years of clinical care to straight to a non-clinical job/career.
WHY?
And I don’t think there is one answer for everyone. I know some people were just sick of seeing 15-20 patients a day in Outpatient to others being tired of the disrespect our profession will often experience across settings to just being tired of the patient care in general.
There is no one answer, nor does there have to be an answer.
I know I experienced burn-out after about 6 years of clinical care and experience. I was primarily at various hospitals, but also tried Outpatient as well as skilled nursing facilities. However, after 6 years, my mind was giving out. My spirit was drained. And you know what came next? My body.
I herniated a disc at the end of last year leading to significant R Leg pain, numbness, and weakness. Honestly, I had no idea I was so drained from work and stress until this happened.
It was a wake up call.
To take care of yourself. To check-in with yourself and ask questions like:
“Am I happy?”
“What is in my control to change?”
“What is holding me back?”
“What can I do to be happier and more fulfilled?”
It took a LOUD wake-up call for me to actually listen.
Now, I am following my heart. I am following my passion. I am following my will to serve my community and patients.
Does this come easy? HECK NO!
There are still stressors. There are bumps in the road. The hustle can be debilitating.
But, this is what I feel I can and more importantly WANT to do.
And what I do is not for everyone.
Maybe the non-clinical, remote job works better for you and your life. Or maybe working 2-3 PRN jobs at nursing homes is ideal. Or maybe you go back to school for something else. Whatever it is, make sure that you are happy. You don’t want to look back in 10, 20, 30 years and say “Man, I wish….”
And then on the other side of things. Maybe you are fine working the job you have now. It might not be your dream job, but you don’t mind it. It is a job that pays for your kids' education or the vacation to Disney, etc. THAT IS FINE TOO!
Just know we are all on our own paths. Our own journeys. Every path is different. Your path and what makes you happy might be completely different from your coworkers.
Just as long as you take a minute to rest on this journey once in a while. To listen to your internal compass and to question things like:
“Is this still my right path?”
You might wander to a different path, try it out, and hate it. Again, that is okay. You tried. Time to try something else.
Whether you have experienced burnout in the past or are currently experiencing it now, it is okay. Know you are not alone. Know that we went to school for a long-ass time and then often jumped right into a 9-5 job.
Physical therapy school (after 3-4 years of undergrad) taught us a lot about the anatomy, neural pathways, and outcome measures, but it did not teach us how to deal with the ups/downs of this job or the mental toll it can take (frustration, problems with insurance, micromanagement, etc).
Know that you should be proud that you are a physical therapist, but also know that is not everything you are. That is just a small piece of you.
I think that is the end of my random thoughts and rambling today.
Hope you check-in with yourself today and know that you are doing okay. YOU ARE A BADASS.
Thanks for stopping by!
Kelly
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