Thursday, March 2, 2017

Complacency

           I've recently been thinking about where I currently am in my physical therapy career, what kind of therapist I've become, whether I'm working towards my career goals and improving my knowledge in the field. I feel complacency has set in and I have not been striving to improve myself as a physical therapist.

           I've been a therapist now for 18 months and have been in the same type of setting since I started working. I started off at a clinic that wasn't ideal to me as a new graduate. However, my current clinic has provided a significantly better work environment and I thoroughly enjoy working with my coworkers. However, I feel like my growth as a therapist has plateaued as I haven't been reading as much as I should, didn't attend many classes last year and have not been working towards my goals.

         My passion in physical therapy has always been working with athletes to help them get back to playing the sports they love. I've had the game of basketball temporarily taken from me with two ACL tears and I know how much of an impact it can have on an athlete's life. God has placed me in a unique situation to help people regularly and I need to strive to do better. I've been trying to shut off distractions (primarily the TV) an hour earlier to spend time reading textbooks, blogs, articles, etc. I've taken one class earlier this year and have one later this month as well. Additionally, I plan on becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist later this year. 

        I've been inspired by people around me, particularly my good friend Nick Jan, PT, DPT who has started his own practice, http://www.janactivetherapy.com. He believed he could offer better quality of care on his own and has taken tons of classes in order to improve himself as a clinician. He put in countless hours of readings, research, discussions, etc in order to achieve his goals. He's motivated me to continue improving myself as a therapist to do better by my patients and strive towards my goals of working in a sports rehab clinic in the future. 

Colossians 3:23
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters"