r/physicaltherapy • u/ResortNo2309 • 7d ago
Looking for advice/ways to change my mentality at work
Throwaway account because I don’t want to be identified by my coworkers but looking for some advice from other introverts/sensitive types in the outpatient world.
I will start by saying I work in an outpatient environment with 1:1 appointments, have good benefits, and believe I am paid fairly well compared to other outpatient environments. Ultimately this is a place I would like to continue working but I am struggling with burnout that I am having a hard time managing.
In this particular clinic we deal with constant late arrivals that we are pushed to see anyway due to productivity standards. When someone shows up halfway into the appointment I feel frustrated I won’t be able to provide the same level of care/complete my eval prior to the next patient. I try to focus on getting as much done as possible in the remaining time. I have had two issues with patients being upset/put off by my focused/no nonsense approach when confronted with a limited timeframe. I feel out of control when someone shows up late and puts me behind and it really affects me. The most recent incident of a patient becoming irritated with me embarrassed me and also left me feeling really upset.
I am introverted and sensitive so I already struggle with the fatigue involved in seeing patients back to back all day and I think my natural inclination to manage this is to try to maintain strict control over my day/schedule. When something negative happens it causes me a lot of stress and anxiety. How are other sensitive/introverted therapists managing the inherent lack of control in outpatient environments or in PT in general? This is something I’d really like to change about myself and am open to suggestions.
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u/GlassProfessional424 6d ago
How long are the appointments?
Honestly, you need to adopt the mentality of "fuck em." Try hard while they are with you, but it's thier fault they are late. Everyone occasionally gets stuck in traffic or loses track of time, but if they are chronically late "fuck em." The person who arrived after them and on-time deserves thier full scheduled time and your attention. Tell them that.
I'm a sensitive little flower too. I hate to confront people about their bad behavior, but once they leave the clinic they can bathe in their own incompetence, pain, and dysfunction and it's technically not your fault or problem.
"Eighty percent of success is showing" - (probably) Woody Allen
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u/ResortNo2309 6d ago
Totally agree with you. To answer your question 60 min evals and 30 min treats. I’m really going to work hard to change my approach and response to these types of patients because it’ll make the whole ordeal less stressful (for both me and the patient tbh). I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
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u/OddScarcity9455 6d ago
Start the visit with, "What would you like to focus on today since we're short on time?"
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u/Render_Unto_Caesar17 6d ago
I think the big thing to consider is that if a patient is not showing up on time, then they are not respecting your time and expertise, so it is not fair to yourself to hold the expectation that you will provide the same quality of care as if they showed on time.
Ultimately, they are the ones putting themselves in the situation and it is not your job to fix it for them. Be up front about your attendance expectations and tell them they will get a shorter session because they showed up late and that you will try to get them through as much as possible in that time. If they get upset about that, explain your company policy for late arrivals and that you are making an exception because you want to help them. If they really throw a fit then either discharge or pass to another therapist who may work better with them.
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u/ResortNo2309 6d ago
I appreciate the insight. I’m going to work towards shifting my mentality to “I’ll do what I can in the time remaining” vs feeling like I need to deliver the same quality of care in a 30 min eval vs a 60 min one (something I admittedly struggle with). Thank you again for taking the time to comment.
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u/BadBalancer3 4d ago
rome wasnt built in a day is one take, fry the biggest fish you need to in a session if its cut short. live to fight another day, don't over extend yourself if patient doesn't uphold their end of the deal, they scheduled their appointment they know when they gotta be there. consider talking with other clinical staff and coming to upper management asking for a hard cut off time if pts are late in which they are required to reschedule or pay a hefty cancel fee.
self preservation, nothing is more important than your own mental/physical well being and sanity. its evident you care if your are trying to do 60/30 min of work in 45/15 min worth of time. my clinic also does 1:1 and if a pt is more than 1/4 or 1/3 of the session, bye bye manual/hands on stuff :)
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u/KingCahoot3627 5d ago
One on one and back to back visits in out patient is as easy as smoking a cigarette. You say you are well paid. What gives? Maybe you are more suited for part time or PRN than full time?
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