I need new scrubs!! I feel like PT’s specifically need stuff that is really flexible, body fluid resistant, etc. but I haven’t bought new ones in like 7 years. What are your favorites? What do you look for in scrubs?
Strava added “Physical Therapy” as an official activity type and I genuinely can’t decide if this is a great idea or an extremely weird one?
On one hand…
rehab finally counts as “doing something.”
A lot of people still think:
“If I’m not drenched in sweat or being yelled at by a fitness influencer named Jaxson… it doesn’t count.”
But recovery IS training sometimes.
And honestly, if people can track rehab the same way they track runs or rides, they might actually stick with it longer.
Humans love tracking things:
steps,
sleep,
heart rate,
calories,
their emotional decline, etc.
BUT…
the internet already struggles to separate:
“my PT gave me this rehab plan”
from
“a shirtless guy named FlexDaddy420 told me to walk backwards carrying kettlebells.”
And once rehab enters Strava culture, we are approximately 3 weeks away from someone posting:
“Just hit a PR on my rotator cuff protocol 💪🔥”
Also:
logging rehab does not automatically improve rehab.
Your hamstring does not heal faster because it got 14 kudos.
Probably.
Curious where people land on this.
Good move or weird move?
Will you be prompting patients to use this feature?
Current traveler. Looking to change companies but looking into a bunch of different companies and talking to recruiters is such a hassle when companies dont post actual benefits (basically every company has a 401k but they hide the fact that it has a vesting period of 5 years or they only match 1% or only eligible after 1 year)
Looking for travel PTs to crowdsource benefits from their companies with real information and numbers. Things like what i listed above or unique benefits such as after-tax contributions to 401k (different from Roth 401k), PTO if available, loyalty bonuses, insurance premiums, or any other fringe benefits that would be useful to know
I think that this could be a great resource for current and future travel PTs.
Thanks in advance!!!
I'd like to start with l'm not a native English speaker, so please not too many abbreviations 😁.
M40, pain left Lumbar radiating down to Patella. Slowly increasing for a few months, no trauma. Light pain constantly that gets worse by sitting, in particular bent forward, but feels better with legs crossed. Gym goers since six months, does deadlifts at 6-11RM without issues. Feels better during the morning and worse throughout the day. SLR/Slump neg. Maybe weaker reflexes in Quads & Achilles plus slight numbness lat & med sides of the foot on left side (none that clear). Tried some mdt where lying ext felt good but had no effect at the next appointment. At that point Slump position hurts but didn't get better by extending the neck.
F41, paint around the Thoracic/Lumbar transition and lower at the Lumbar/Sacral transition after lifting a heavy plant a week ago, sudden pain immediately. Trouble with straightening the back after sitting, needs to lie down at first. Worst pain from getting up from the toilet. Lying down feels good. Tensions & tingles Glutes max (disappeared after massage). Springing test appears neg. Slump hurts, knee ext left relieves pain, SLR neg. Leg Lowering hurts at the starting position but feels better during the descent. Good hip mobility where rotations hurt a little. Tried mdt where flex standing hurts but feels good lying down and standing ext felt nothing but hurt plenty lying down. Tried doing flex lying down for a few days, went fine during the morning but started to hurt later during the day. Cow/cat hurts at the end RoM, in particular during flex.
Not sure what to make out of this or what to test/try.
Does the initial credentialing process usually take close to a month for first-time travelers who are just starting out?
I completed everything within less than two days of beginning the process, but my recruiter said the credentialing department claims the start date will have to be pushed to 6/8 instead of the originally agreed-upon 6/1 (the date has been moving back and forth between 6/1 and 6/8).
I’m hoping the wait won’t actually be that long and that the original start date will stay the same for my second assignment.
Working in a SNF is tiring.
I am currently thinking about studying for the OCS exam and to sit for the test in 2027. I'm thinking about buying Final Frontier and just using that to study and pass the exam. For those of you who have taken the exam and have done FF, was this enough for you?
Hi everyone!
I’m an Australian qualified physiotherapist with my bachelors, and I’m considering moving to the US to be with family (Florida or Kentucky).
I currently work in paediatrics, mostly with neurological conditions and equipment prescription, and really want to continue working in this field in the US.
I’m from my research it’s seeming quite tricky…. Is this the process (please clarify or let me know if there is a different pathway) :
I will need to compare my Australian physiotherapy degree against U.S. Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) standards (question: does this take a long time and do they usually accept a bachelors?)
I saw that I might also have to pass the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Examination) (question: is this pretty standard or is it quite difficult and require lots of preparation?)
Get a Visa, I’m assuming the EB-3 will be the best?
For extra context, I’m an Australian citizen and also have a partner (Australian carpenter/builder) who would also like to move.
ANY answers are much appreciated- sorry for the massive post!
In our clinic we had another clinician being out again today, which happens rather frequently and we usually are told that we are supposed to try to "absorb" the patients with all the other therapists because we don't want to cancel patients in those situations apparently.
My personal expectation would be that patients get absorbed or switched over to different therapists IF and only if there is room on those therapists, but we usually try and do it even if it means that we get doubled.
I got a lot of attitude from the office manager today when I refused to double one of my patients (TBI and impulse control issues) with a different patient (dizziness with recent novel complaints of tremors) that I had never even seen before. How would other PTs in here have handled that situation?
age 26 originally went to school got a bachelors in kinesiology and after undergrad worked in a physical therapy outpatient setting and pretty much hated it. I was stuck with 15 to 20 patients a day which led me not to go to physical therapy school so now my options locally HVAC or a free PTA program which I’d wait a couple months to apply for or do something. I’m more interested in right now, which is medical equipment repair or engineering technician degree, which would open more doors and is more tailored to my personality.
my concern right now is finances. I’ve 20 K so moving right now away from my parents to pay rent in LA for those two progams mentioned would drain that completely.
any introverted PT/PTAs have advice on this ?
any school PTs have any input or want to share their experience with what their caseload looks like and how many students they see/how many schools you service at a time? i know it differs between districts and everyone’s situations, but trying to get a gauge on what is typical or expected for a full time
schedule. i’m coming from outpatient peds, have been practicing for a couple of years so not completely new grad, but relatively new to schools
This is maybe a unique ask, but I’m looking to do a budget request with our clinic to ask for some rolling tables we can document on that ideally can also charge our laptops, as ours are ancient and can’t last more than a couple hours without charge. Any recommendations that have worked well for you? They need to be relatively small for storage and to fit in treatment rooms.
Thanks!
Hi PTs,
I’ve been working on a free database that compiles post-op and general rehab protocols into one place. They’re all protocols that are free to access on the internet, and a majority of them are from academic sources. They link directly to the original online source.
I also added an official clinical practice guidelines section as well so that it takes only 1 click to get to it instead of navigating the confusing layouts of the APTA sites.
The website is intended to be used by physical therapists, not the general public.
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Hi all, Anyone have a structure/template they like for the subjective/objective portion of an inpatient rehab eval session and any other tips?
Good morning everyone. I’m thinking about transitioning from outpatient to HH due to burnout and seeing too many patients. Does anyone have any tips and or suggestions for HH? What to look out for? Scheduling? I’m somewhat nervous going into someone’s home.
Working in acute care now, will be transitioning to SNF later this year. When a pt says they are ready to die, done fighting, ready to let god do what god wishes to do, I am at a loss of how to respond. Looking for a book, video, social media account that focuses on how to handle these conversations in a medical setting.
I had a lot of stress for like 6 months and bc of that my shoulder stoud up unnoticed for al that time, so now when i relax it the muscles in my neck are very stiff and it feels like my shoulders is higher then it actually is, what can I do abt it ?
A 2024 study in Health Science Reports found that 51.2 percent of licensed physical therapists in the US report frequent or intense imposter syndrome. That number stops me every time I read it.
These are not students. These are not new grads. These are licensed clinicians with DPTs, years of experience, and a full schedule tomorrow morning.
If you are in school right now or in your first year out, that should actually be reassuring. The voice telling you that you do not belong is not evidence that you are unqualified. It is the most common internal experience in our profession.
What it tends to look like:
The harder part is the downstream effect. In physicians, frequent imposter feelings come with about 80 percent higher odds of burnout, and intense imposter feelings roughly double those odds (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2022).
The PT study above linked imposter symptoms with emotional exhaustion and lower job satisfaction in our profession specifically. So this is not just a confidence issue. It shapes how long we stay, how we feel about the work, and how well we take care of ourselves while doing it.
What seems to actually help, both in the literature and from what I have seen working with students and new grads:
Two real questions for this thread.
For the students and new grads, what would have helped you most so far?
For the experienced PTs reading, does it ever actually go away, or do you just learn to recognize it sooner?