Insights from 10 years+ as a Physiotherapist.
If like me, you began as Physiotherapist as a 21 year old it can sometimes feel like a very long old career.
Even if you came to the profession in later life, it can sometimes be useful to have a few tips from someone who has gone before you.
I've put together a few insights into my Physiotherapy career so far, after over a decade in the profession.
My hope is that I may save you some time - some of these insights took years to understand.
Insights from 10 years+ as a Physiotherapist.
1. Competition
2. Money
3. Love/Hate
4. Friendships
5. Personal Development
1. Competition
1. Competition
Most Physios have a competitive nature and it is one of the qualities that makes us successful.
BUT.
What I have learnt is not to be competitive with my Physio TEAM MATES. Everyone is on their own unique career path. Our careers are not a race against each other. Think of it as an expedition alongside different companions, who cross your path for a short time, each heading for their own destination.
Each Physio has their own individual dreams and aspirations for their career. They are not better, worse or delusional for wanting to apply for a specialist role, move into private practice or to choose to remain in a lower grade general rotation in the NHS.
With this in mind, don’t allow others' opinions to sway you from your own career aspirations.
Over 10 years ago, the job market looked very different from the 2020’s. There was fierce competition and comparison following job interviews and release of rotation lists. It was expected that newly qualified Physiotherapists would complete all specialities before applying for a senior role.
This made rotation time particularly challenging when it felt like a competition for the sought after rotations to ‘tick off’ rather than to focus on the learning opportunity of each rotation.
What I wish I could go back and tell my younger self and colleagues is that there is no rush to get promoted. You learnt so much more by rotating into each area multiple times, gaining knowledge and skills that will set you up for the rest of your career.
The 2020’s climate is somewhat different, there are opportunities for promotion at all grades and Physiotherapy opportunities are the most diverse it has ever been.
Please remember, that it doesn’t make you a better/worse Physio if you get promoted after 1 year or 3 years in a role. The main priority is to develop skills that allow you to assess and treat your patients to the best of your ability and be able to support your team in your own unique way.
If those around you are applying for promotions but you don’t feel ready or you are happy learning where you are at - That is OK!. Alternatively, if there is a job opportunity that you think you would like but you are worried that others think you aren’t ready, speak to a trusted mentor for their advice and use a SWOT analysis to identify where you think your learning needs are. You may find that there are training posts to support you in the areas that you need to develop whilst working in that dream role.
2. Money
We don't do our job for the Money!
When I was a teenager and keen to become a Physio, people used to say ‘Ooh, that's a good job, pays well and is very respectable’.
That may have been true in the 90’s and 00’s but sadly the pay has not continued to rise with our standard of living in the UK.
That being said a Physio Band 6 Salary is in line with the average wage in the UK and there are so many opportunities to earn extra pounds over and above the 9-5.
Over the past 10 years, I have taken advantage of the opportunities to earn extra cash by being a pilates instructor, working in private practice and sports physiotherapy. Opportunities aren’t just limited to MSK either if you work in other specialities.
What I have learnt is that at different points in life, TIME will be more important than Money (vice versa). Job satisfaction can be linked to what you earn but enjoying your job can be worth more than pounds and pence. Everyone always thinks their job should pay them more than it does.
3. Love/Hate
What I actually Love about being a Physio is that you help to change people's lives for the better.
During the covid pandemic I was redeployed as many of us were. Whilst working on HDU, I saw many patients and helped them the best that I could alongside my colleagues. Many didn’t make it out of hospital but some did and returned home back to their normal lives. Fast forward 2 years and I was working in a fracture clinic, a patient recognised my voice (and maybe hair) from their time on the unit. The patient was well enough to return to their normal daily life and activity - enough to break a bone! The patient thanked me for being there for them whilst in hospital. It was such a memorable moment. It is a reminder to never forget the impact you have. It is a privilege to work with someone in one of the toughest times of their lives.
It is moments like this that keep me going when I don’t love the job so much. When you have to work when friends have the summer off or only have 2 days off at christmas (or some of us that work bank holidays). We all like to do a good job and sometimes circumstances can make us feel that we can’t provide the service that we aspire to.
What I have learnt is you won't always love your job but you do have an impact on your patient's lives for the better. Never forget that no-one enjoys their job 100% of the time.
4. Friendships
Being a Physio is such a sociable job, there aren't many jobs like it. If you are in a rotational post you will meet and work with a new group of people every 6/9/12 months.
You can create friendships that may last for a rotation, a few years or a life time.
You develop a stomach that can talk about ANYTHING over lunch-time. You always have hilarious stories from strange things that happened whilst you were working together.
You also build up a support network for the tough times. Sometimes just a 5 minute chat that can turn your day around with a colleague who is going through the same workplace struggles as you.
What I have learnt is that friendships in the workplace can come and go and that is OK. Mentors can become friends and that is wonderful.
5. Personal Development
When I look back at my career of more than a decade, I cannot believe what I have squeezed in.
What I learnt early on in my career is that there is no such thing as a bad or wasted rotation. When I repeated a rotation, I took on more responsibility and more complex patients and provided peer mentorship - which is easy to see in hindsight. If I had approached these opportunities with this attitude, I may have developed even more.
I changed my career path into private healthcare after 5 years. With this move, I learned not to be afraid to move or change jobs. Each job I have had has provided me with a development opportunity. With each move I have noticed an increase in confidence and an opportunity to challenge myself to change and adapt.
More recently, I have learnt that you can create a work-life that suits you. Whilst Physiotherapy hours are fairly inflexible you can tailor your work to suit you and your job can grow with you. For me, it has taken opportunities arriving like buses, a global pandemic and burn out to come to this understanding.
Early on in your career it can feel like you don't know anything but before you know it a decade has passed and you have so many experiences to draw upon.
What I have learnt is to be open to opportunities, you have transferable skills and can learn the rest on the job. You do not have to follow the Monday - Friday, 9 til 5 work style if it doesn't suit you. You are unique and your career is unique to you, you can create the career that works for you.
This post covers just a few things that I have learnt in over a decade of being a Physio. What I hope I have shown to you is that your career is unique to you and it is yours to make it what you want it to be.
What have you learnt from your career in Physiotherapy?
What is your top tip that will help others?
Write in the comments below 👇👇👇
About the Blogger:
Hi, I’m Rebekah.
I’m a Physiotherapist with a passion to support others to get to where they want to be. I love to organise and plan which, comes in handy for my mission to empower others to achieve their Physiotherapy career goals.
