How A Culture of Autonomy and Professionalism Can Help Physical and Occupational Therapists Maximize Their Career Potential
By Cassandra Hill, PT, DPT, CWC
Physical therapist
Is autonomy something you seek in your rehabilitative career? I first heard about the concept of autonomy as it relates to the field of physical therapy about eight years ago when I was a junior at Howard University. My Intro to Physical Therapy professor stated that “physical therapy is the autonomous evaluation, treatment, and prevention of physical disability, movement dysfunction, and pain resulting from injury, disease, disability, or other health-related conditions.” I distinctly remember my professor’s emphasis on ensuring that physical therapists should be thought of as autonomous practitioners and not ancillary practitioners as “the future of the profession depends on it,” as she would say. In fact, my Intro to Physical Therapy professor would go so far as to randomly call on students to state the definition, and if we left out the word “autonomous,” we would lose points on our next quiz grade. For obvious reasons (especially wanting a passing grade in the class), the operative word autonomous was particularly igniting for my consciousness. I grew to understand that an autonomous physical therapist is one who is an independent, dynamic, self-driven clinician in the health care delivery system.
Several years later as I was searching for a physical therapy position, the word autonomous continued to echo in my subconscious. I wanted an opportunity that would allow me the best chance to develop my confidence in independent clinical decision making in the short term and provide opportunities for a non-stagnant career trajectory in the long term. I chose FOX Rehabilitation because the practice is uniquely positioned to foster autonomous clinicians in a non-traditional rehabilitative environment. FOX encourages learning and professional development while providing clinically excellent care to the older adult population.
EMERGING PROFESSIONALS MENTOR PROGRAM FOR PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS
Entering FOX through the mentor program was an experience that I learned to embrace rather quickly because I had very little experience performing House Calls for older adult populations. But with each visit, I found greater excitement in taking an individualized approach to problem solve movement dysfunction, functional limitations, and functional mobility deficits. The structure of the mentor program became an immense resource for the reassuring support I needed in transitioning from a student physical therapist to a doctor of physical therapy.
PT school provided me with a solid knowledge base to assess, diagnose, and manage disease and movement dysfunction, as well as to prescribe strengthening, balance, gait, and functional mobility programs and provide modifications for them as needed, but that didn’t come without reservation simply because of my lack of clinical experience. However, having an approachable mentor, a regional quality assurance liaison, and a regional director in my corner greatly contributed to feeling adequately prepared to make the right decisions in the field all on my own due to the support, resources, and evidence-based materials that were provided in the earliest stage of my clinical career.
The FOX Emerging Professionals Mentor Program is designed to assist clinicians with limited experience in geriatric house calls become successful, autonomous rehabilitative practitioners. Clinicians enrolled in the FOX Mentor Program are encouraged to take responsibility for their own growth and professional development by taking a proactive approach to caseload management and using the most recent evidence-based practice interventions.
AUTONOMOUS CASELOAD MANAGEMENT
FOX clinicians have the freedom to create our own schedules. We can manage our caseloads independent of a third-party scheduling our initial evaluations and follow-up treatment sessions. Autonomous caseload management gives FOX clinicians the opportunity to hone organizational skills, time-management strategies, communication skills, and so much more. There are not any mandates stating that you must work Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., certain holidays, weekends, early shifts, or late shifts due to coverage needs.
With FOX, clinicians have from Sunday-Sunday to meet (or exceed if we so choose) our contracted quota and complete all of our documentation. So your schedule can be exactly what you want to make it for what works best for you and your life. My typical day (barring some rare circumstance) is never longer than I intend for it to be. I prefer it that way because those that know me well know I have quite the active and social life; I don’t want to be late to any practices or games!
Furthermore, making your own schedule gives FOX clinicians an increased sense of work-life balance/integration and provides further opportunities for growth and professional development. You can shift your schedule for educational experiences such as live CEUs or conferences if you so desire. All you have to do is communicate the day(s) of the continuing education experience to your Regional Director and other clinical counterparts in your region to see if they can continue to provide coverage for your patients on the days you will be out of the field.
CONTINUING EDUCATION, CLINICAL LEADERSHIP, & BECOMING A STRONG PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Speaking of CEUs, FOX clinicians are provided with a MedBridge subscription upon hire. MedBridge is a platform that is used for clinical and professional development as well as improving patient engagement to enhance patient outcomes. Unlimited digital continuing education content including evidence-based courses, advanced certification prep, and learning materials are available on your own terms. I have found MedBridge to be an amazing resource that I utilize to reduce the likelihood of getting into a clinical rut because I can review the latest evidence behind FOMs, interventions, practice guidelines, or patient education and apply it to my clinical practice as appropriate.
FOX’s culture of autonomy and professionalism helps physical therapists maximize their career potential by believing in the strengths of each clinician and providing opportunities to cultivate skills or ideas that fuel your passions. The importance of discussing your clinical and professional goals with FOX leadership is unmatched as this is a high-growth practice with many opportunities for leadership and expanding your clinical skill set.
In addition to the FOX Emerging Professionals Program, FOX also offers a program where high-quality clinicians are rewarded for the Professional, Academic, and Clinical Excellence (PACE) program. The PACE program encourages continuing education, participation in journal clubs to discuss evidence-based practice with other clinicians, involvement in federal or state professional organizations, research, conference presentations, and so much more.
Another offering: The FOX Geriatric Residency in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy can assist practitioners in reaching the apex of clinical success by advancing physical therapists into board-certified geriatric clinical specialists. The FOX Geriatric Residency Program is an APTA-accredited, 12-month structured program associated with Thomas Jefferson University designed to emphasize the progression of your geriatric clinical skills and knowledge in the assessment and treatment of older adults and lead the charge in the latest, innovative clinical practice.
In the two years of my budding physical therapy career, I have grown confident in my clinical decision making, welcoming opportunities to further my skill set and the chance to share my journey to educate and empower others.
In communicating with FOX leadership, not only have I been able to expand my clinical role to provide mentorship to new FOX clinicians, I have also had opportunities to participate in YouTube live webinars, the FOXcast podcast, and now I’m almost finished writing an article!
Thank you to FOX for embracing my multifaceted self and making me feel like a valued member of the team. I’ll close with a favorite quote of mine, which seems appropriate for the topic at hand. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.” –Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go!
Hopefully, I’ll see you at the top.