18- FOXcast OT: How Can We Stay Motivated?

I get to touch history every single day. Every single day that I work with a senior adult. I get to touch history and I get to impact their history. And there’s something really awesome and powerful about that. And then you get to see them blossom and grow and come back to function and be able to engage and be present in your life again. When they really thought that so much about was lost.

This is FOXcast OT a podcast for clinician’s made by clinician’s. It’s brought to you by FOX Rehabilitation. Find out more at foxrehab.org.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: All right welcome to FOXcast OT I’m your host Jimmy McKay. We’re talking about motivation. Bonnie Ross is on the show today an OT one of my colleagues here at FOX rehabilitation. Bonnie welcome to the show.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Thanks Jimmy. Nice to be here.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Where were you calling from today?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I’m in New City in Rockland County New York.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: So we have clinician’s in 16 different states and growing so I always like to ask that question first How long you have been with the practice?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I’ve been with the practice for five and a half years and then regional director for about a year and a half.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Love that, So you have a dual role not only are you an occupational therapist but you’re also responsible with motivating, cultivating, educating a lot of “ating’s” other therapists within your region to that that’s got to be fun.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: It’s a lot of fun. It’s really quite something to see the growth of clinicians who are new to the team and it’s really cool to see clinicians who have been on the team for quite a while to motivate other clinicians or to even give me ideas about what would motivate them or what they think would be great team morale boosters. So I wear a lot of hats but I enjoy all of them good.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Love it. So were about motivating clinicians and not only with occupational therapists. Inside your own profession obviously because you’re working with SLP’s, EP’s and and PT’s as well. So motivating clinicians of other disciplines. What’s that mean to you or why are you so passionate about that?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Well I think it’s a really important one as a leader in the practice that I’m with with FOX rehab, to make sure that we support you know all of our clinicians. I’m probably the most comfortable with OT’s but I have to step out of my box and motivate my PT’s and SLP’s and EP’s and for me that really means getting to know them on a personal level. Getting to know what their needs are what does it mean to them to be an SLP and EP a PT. Why did they come to the profession? What do they bring to the profession? Where do they see themselves growing? With FOX as a practice or just even personally and professionally in their own discipline. So you know I think that that’s really key is really communication and getting to know the clinician and getting to know what motivates them and what they need from me.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: It’s a long road to become an OT an SLP, and EP and a PT. So you’ve put a lot of work. You obviously care about the profession and the clients that you’ll serve. But getting motivated especially when you’re in in a field like this can sometimes be difficult because you tend to be giving a lot more than you’re looking to receive. So you’re trying to figure out how to motivate yourself and others is something we probably should pay more attention to.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely. And I think the unique part too about the practice here at FOX is that not only is it important to motivate you know as a clinician in their field but we also practice oftentimes autonomously. So it’s really important to feel a connection and to keep that motivation up when day to day. It is the clinician out there you know with the clients that they’re serving.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Let’s get into some things that the audience listening now can take away and use in their own practice. So let’s start with supporting clinicians. How do you do that? Wearing all those hats at the same time?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: You know I think the key to supporting clinicians is making sure that they know you are available. You may not know every answer for them but that you are their sounding board. You are the person that they can connect with. They can ask the question they can let their hair down. They can be who they are. They can tell you their frustrations their wins their challenges and if they have a question to be able to provide them either with the answer or the resources to find the answer. I really find the importance there is making sure you give your clinicians a quick response. Even when I don’t know the answer I acknowledge the question, I knowledge what their challenge might be. And then I go and I find either who the best person might be to give them more guidance more support more teaching and coaching or I find the answer for them and I go and I bring it back to them and talk it through and troubleshoot it together.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: If I know that I’m going to reach out to someone and it’s going to be a day or shoot even even a couple of hours for a response I am probably less likely to reach out to that person on a regular basis. I mean we are in an on demand world. So just you mentioning that to make sure you give them a quick response even if you say hey even if the response is I don’t know but I’ll figure it out, that quick response that feels like one of the most important parts.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely. Because it’s acknowledging that they’ve been heard. I hear you. I hear that you have this challenge or I hear that you have sometimes it’s even a win right. Sometimes they’ll they’ll text me or they’ll you know shoot me an email that you know this is what happened with my client today and they want to share that win. And if I waited a few hours or a day or you know two days to celebrate that win it doesn’t quite have the impact as me being able to reach out quickly and say wow way to go you know can I share this with the team.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: The moments passed if you wait too long.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Supporting clinician’s you’re saying making sure that everybody knows that you’re available and reaching out and communicating. Talk to me for a second about frequency. How do you gauge because you’re working with a lot of different people with a lot of different personalities. How do you gauge if you’re not communicating enough or if you’re communicating too much? Are there a couple signs or how do you figure that out where, “Is it not enough too much?” How do you figure out that sweet spot for individuals on your team?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: You know Jimmy most of the time I just ask. I just had a conversation with the clinician this morning where I said you know, does support your getting feel like it too much too little or just right? And what is your preferred mode of communication? I have some clinicians who prefer that I shoot them a quick text. I have other clinicians who want me to call them or send an email. And obviously we don’t share any you know HIPPA protected information in text. But everybody has their preferred style of communication. I have some clinicians that communicate much better with me in person you know and feel that that connection is important to them. I try to ask most of my clinicians now have been with me for a year and a half and I really do sort of know their style now which makes it easier. But all the new clinicians coming on I try to get to know their style and the best way to do that is just simply ask them.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: It sounds like the simplest thing to do and that’s probably the best which is ask but then listen and then follow through on that.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely. Sometimes I can’t you know and it’s it’s funny because sometimes I’ll have a clinician that says you know I really prefer an e-mail communication and I will always be honest with them and say but I know sometimes I have to call like so I acknowledge that you know you prefer an e-mail communication style but sometimes they do just need to call. And oftentimes when I make that call i’ll acknowledge that preferred style again. But say I just needed to talk to you about this in person you know over the phone.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Love that. Where do we wanna go next, recognizing their discipline’s month. What’s that mean?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I think that’s so important so all of us have both disciplines have a month. OT month is in April. SLP month is in May. And PT month is in October. And I think it’s just really important to message it out to the team you know during those months like, “Hey thank your OT partner you know thank your SLP partner. Say way to go to your PT partner.” During their specific months. I mean we should be doing it all the time but I think it’s just nice to sort of remember everybody’s special month. Unfortunately Hallmark does not make a card yet.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: We should make our own!

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I think it’s really important to definitely recognize each therapy’s month and what each therapy brings to our practice. And oftentimes I will message out during those months like what are the clinical indicators for OT? What are the clinical indicators for speech? What are the clinical indicators for PT? Just to give the reminders to the clinicians like oh yeah you know I’m seeing this client that presents with X Y and Z. I really think they could benefit from SLP. I think they really could benefit from OT.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: That’s great. Get them to think outside of their own discipline more regularly.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely. And it really does then create sort of this cohesive team approach to client care.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: All right. What else are we going to do what’s our third takeaway point for motivating clinicians?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I really think the other motivating point is listening to learn. I don’t know everything about SLP. I don’t know everything about PT. I would like to think I’m a good OT. But, the other disciplines definitely have things that they can teach me. It’s really important for me to also have those conversations with those clinicians about what’s going on with their clients, how they’re addressing them from their clinical disciplines specific approach they teach me about their goal writing they teach me about ASHA noms are. Everyday I think the real important thing for anybody is every day somebody has something to teach.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: That’s a great way to look at that. It’s a good approach and I love the line which is listening with intent to learn instead of just waiting for your turn to talk.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: Absolutely. Don’t get me wrong. All of us have times in our day when we just need to listen and then give a response. But in order to really hear my clinician’s and really be able to support the clinician’s especially clinicians of other disciplines. I need to be able to hear what their specific challenges are with their specific concerns are with their specific approaches to things are in order for me to do then support the next clinician who might have the same issue.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Our last part of the show we do Bonnie is your FOXtale. Are you ready for that? FOXtale, Why did you decide to work with older adults?

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: I came in a roundabout sort of way to the older adult population. I was a COTA first. Did not get my Masters till I was 40 as a COTA. I was a pediatric COTA. And I swore up and down that I would go back to pediatrics when I got my OTR. That did not play out and I found myself working with the senior adult population really thought that it would be just sort of a side road for me and I would go back to peds. And I fell in love. I fell in love with this population for many reasons but one of the things that I always say is I get to touch history every single day every single day that I work with a senior adult. I get to touch history and I get to impact their history and there’s something really awesome and powerful about that. You get to hear their stories. You get to see them at their most vulnerable and then you get to see them blossom and grow and come back to function and be able to engage to be present in their life again when they really want that so much about with more. I will never ever do anything but this.

Dr. Jimmy McKay, PT, DPT: Love that Bonnie Ross occupational therapist with FOX Rehab and regional director. Appreciate your time or your busy schedule to help us learn how to better motivate each other and maybe ourselves too.

Bonnie Ross, MS, OTR/L: My pleasure Jimmy. Great talking to you today.

Thanks for listening to FOXcast OT. A clinically excellent podcast is brought to you by FOX Rehabilitation. Listen to other episodes or read articles and position papers at FOX Rehab.org.