Working in private practice as a health professional is tough.

The constant worry of whether your clients will get better, if they’ll come back and see you again, the confusion of a diagnosis, time pressures of back-to-back appointments, imposter syndrome, your overall performance… the list goes on.

These anxieties can be overwhelming, especially if you are relatively new to private practice. Health professionals, especially physiotherapists, put a lot of internal pressure on themselves to “get it right.”

Don’t get me wrong, internal drive to perform well to help your clients is a great character trait. But sometimes, the constant pressure can feel overwhelming and it may feel like you are just keeping your head above water.

This is a very normal feeling to have as a physiotherapist of any level of experience as you are shouldering a lot of people’s health, wellbeing and expectations.

So, here are some handy tips to avoid professional burnout:

1. What are your values and core purpose?

Your workplace should have a set of core values and a clear purpose. It is important to find a workplace that embodies similar values to your own. Sit down and write down your top 3-5 core values (eg. trust, authentic relationships, growth, fun etc). Do they match up to your current way of practice? Do they match up with your current workplace’s values?

2. Do the simple things well.

Listen. Communicate. Assessment. Diagnosis. Plan. Educate.

With the emergence of social media, we can get swept up in the hype of new and “sexy” exercises, new treatment techniques and innovative assessment tools. What you’ll often find is that if you don’t do the simple things listed above, your clients will lose trust in the process and may drop off. Pick the lowest hanging fruit first.

3. Measure your performance.

As physiotherapists, we are used to measuring outcomes with our clients. So why not do the same for ourselves?

With numbers, you can track your overall performance objectively (instead of subjectively). These numbers shouldn’t be viewed in a negative way. You can take ownership of them to point out where you are performing well and which other areas may need some focus and attention. Some numbers we like to use to guide us are:

% of clients who have successfully completed a course of physiotherapy to return to their meaningful activity.
Number of word of mouth referrals (this lets you know that you are doing a good job!).
Average number of appointments per client – does this match up to the whole practice’s average? Is there a correlation between this number and the % of clients successfully returning to their activity?
Number of appointment cancellations – is there a noticeable pattern and can you make any small changes to reduce this so that the client can keep on track to get better.

4. Choose a position that provides supportive mentoring.

Workplaces that care about you as a person (not just a clinician) will bring you much more job satisfaction. Make sure you choose a workplace that offers regular mentoring to help you grow not only as a clinician, but also supports you in the things that are meaningful to you like your own passions, interests and values.

5. Self care - Sleep, diet and exercise.

Are you looking after your health and wellbeing? Quality sleep, a balanced diet and regular exercise can create good habits to allow focus and high performance in the workplace. Are you also giving yourself enough of a break physically and mentally to perform in a state of flow and enjoy coming to work?

6. Meaningful activities outside of work.

Go back to your list of core values – what activities match up to these core values? Is there anything outside of work that gives you meaning and purpose? It may be a team sport, going to the gym, playing music or volunteering for a meaningful charity or cause. Maintaining your activities outside of work gives you a mental break from the pressures of working in private practice.

7. Don’t take it personally.

Physios like to think that we can help solve everyone’s pain and injury. Occasionally, there will be clients who don’t make progress with your intervention and management despite your best efforts. This can be a frustrating time for both the client and the therapist. Reflect on these cases to learn from them. Do you need to refer onwards to another health professional or specialist? Were your client’s expectations addressed along the way? Is the condition within your scope of practice? Sometimes, physiotherapy management may not be suited to everyone. Don’t take that personally.

We are on the lookout for like-minded individuals to join our physiotherapy and client experience team!

Think we might be a good fit? Email your CV and cover letter to Alina Tran at admin@kinimaphysio.com.au

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