An assemblage of what I learned in 2014

I’ve learned so much over the last year… both in PT and in business, interaction and skill sets… Let me try to compile some things. I think a lot of these are my own thoughts, but with the amount of information and exposure I have been blasted with… I doubt they all originate in my cortex, please forgive me.

Perhaps this docket of diction will resonate with you. If you don’t read the whole thing- attempt to make a list for yourself…

Warning: wear a vest, there will be lots of bullets…

Words have meaning.
I learned that I want to provide care in a one-on-one setting. This is only fair to the patient, and only fair to me. What do we always say about PT? We spend the most time with our patients. Don’t devalue that aspect.
An easy-to-use EMR is invaluable and worth every penny. It allows less time behind a screen, and more time in-front of the patient, while still getting paid and relaying info.
I enjoy a simple practice.
Rules for the sake of rules drives me nutso. Arbitrary rules show that communications are not intact.
Ask questions. Ask of yourself, ask of others. Can you do it better? What was the cause of the outcome? Why did you go a certain path? …and on
Customer Service is key to business. It allows you to have a low No-Show rate, which allows you the ability to have a one-on-one schedule without fear of lost time/money.
I really enjoy exercise based therapy. I also enjoy manual based therapy.
The Front Desk staff is the most important person in the organization. They can make it or break it. They talk to the patients, the physicians, the families. They are the face of your company and they need to be a smile.
I need to be able to practice in a way that I feel is correct, I need that freedom. I need to be able to adjust treatments to address a patient on that day: be it 25 minutes of pain education instead of running off the TherEx sheet, or what-have-you.
There is a growing group of PTs who are attempting to progress the field… I will be a part of all that.
Life is perception. This permeates all interactions.
All the fascinating pain science and afferent signal science is incredibly important. “There is more anatomy above the Hyoid than below” – Frank Netter, MD

Twitter for PT is pretty great.
Passion and a plan are what you need. Almost all you need.
Management is not a four-letter-word. Similar to the field of PT, many give it a bad name. Leadership, while different than management, is the end goal. Leadership is about developing those around you, maximizing what they can do singularly so that you can do more collectively.
Randomized Repetition truly does solidify information. Keep going over concepts in different ways.
Find a group with a common goal, who knows your strengths, and of whom you know theirs, and success will be in your future. You can’t do what you need to do alone. I apply this to my wife, my family, my friends, the PTBT… I ain’t no Lone Ranger.
The right metaphor can illicit intrinsically driven action in others, and intrinsic motivation is the type you’re after.
Music is not used enough in treatment of brain injury.
Relax. You won’t fix or know everything.
^… doesn’t mean you can’t try.
A great Clinical Internship can really elevate a DPT student’s academic experience. Every PT should teach as many students equal to the number of internships that they went on. Additionally, you should strive to make each one a mini-residency in your setting. Elevate the field.
I feel a little old to be in school.
It is very important to find mentors and keep them. Flip-side: if you can help another person, do it.
Blogging is very fun. Reading other’s is fun as well, allow me to recommend you read…
Keep an open mind about your practice. It will likely change so have a set of core principles or values that you keep and then advance with the field. Follow the current evidence AND use your brain to solve problems.
Keep data. Your recollection stinks.
Critical thinking and clinical reasoning are truly the gift of our field. Spend your efforts here.

I’ve likely got more to say… and I’ll say it in the future. These all seem kind of positive and motivational… perhaps that’s an okay tone for this post. I’ll leave you with this inspiration/desperation: