Stewart-
I have been there myself, and my sympathies are with you. As a matter of
fact, it seems a spend a few days there every few months, but I always come
out of it again and realize how much I love my profession.
I often seem to feel negative when I feel unsuccessful or unappreciated.
You may want to ask yourself if your feelings could have anything to do
with where you work, the kind of patients you see and the people you work
with. Is it a positive environment, are most of your patients motivated to
get better?
Sometimes I also find that I get bogged down in thinking about a particular
patient who is not improving.What helps me then is to go back over their
case, think about new perspectives or new ideas, and if I have none, try to
refer them to someone who might. It also helps me to stay grounded in a
particular perspective. I'm not talking here about a school of thought, but
a way of working. What do I generally try to address first, although I may
use different techniques to address it with each patient, what are my plans
and how do those work with the patient's goals for rehab. Sometimes, they
just don't work well together, and the patient can't benefit from therapy,
or can't benefit from therapy from me. It definitely has something to do
with knowing yourself and how you think and what you value.
And finally, keep reading the literature. You may find it challenging and
energizing. There is so much out there we keep discovering, (that's a good
thing!)
Good luck.
Lorraine Flaherty P.T.
At 09:29 AM 8/18/00 -0400, you wrote:
>After 5 years as a physio I have hit a wall! It appears that little, if
any,
>of what we practise is proven to work. It feels that I am selling something
>which I no longer believe in. Before I embark on an alternative career does
>anyone have any words of comfort [with references please :o) ]
>
>Stewart Harrison
>Physiotherapist
>UK
>
Lorraine M. Flaherty, P.T.
Staff Physical Therapist
The Pennsylvania State University
Room 3 Ritenour Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-7381
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