In preparation for this blog, I searched Burnout in the Facebook group Global Health Physio. Here are some snippets. See if you can relate?

The struggle is real and relatable.

Then this comment held me in contemplation...

“Within our profession as physical therapists there is a PERVASIVE culture of giving away too much of ourselves and our time. Corporations have long taken advantage of our giving/helping nature by overloading our schedules and demanding impossible productivity standards such that we end up not feeling good about the care we provide, and we do documentation on our personal time. “

In last session’s Boundaries Meditation and Self Care class we were all relating to the fact that we tend to care TOO much, spend too much time with patients and paperwork piled up leaving us stressed and depleted in both time and energy.

This led to Nari (Clemons, my bestie and brains behind this class we developed and co-teach) vibrantly encouraging us all to “channel our inner Selfish B****” to the result of a Zoom full of laughter!

Nari went on to explain that our ability to accurately judge ourselves for healthy boundaries with patients was skewed or even broken. Holding a HEALTHY boundary with our time or energy was to US going to FEEL LIKE we were being totally selfish! And so why not just allow that bass a** chick to have a much-needed voice!

So, what does being a (tongue-in-cheek) “Selfish B” look like in clinical practice??

Developing a model of clinical practice that values YOU the clinician and your health and well-being as MUCH (or MORE) than that of our patients.

Some behaviors to strive for:

• Finish sessions 5 mins early or spend the last 5 minutes documenting your intervention.
• Hold that “one last thing” you want to do with that patient and put it in the plan for the next visit.
• Actually, take your WHOLE lunch time to refresh yourself, finish paperwork, eat, move, rest, breathe or connect with coworkers.
• Be proactive in setting up a shared model of care with your patients on an initial visit.
• Say things like:
  • Our time is up, and my next patient is here, I look forward to (answering your questions, furthering your program, seeing you, etc) in our next appointment.
  • I don’t take phone calls, but you may email me concerns and we can talk about them at your next visit.

Let’s be honest about a few things. We serve a population of patients that can be emotionally taxing, medically challenging, and complex on all levels. AND while we learn excellent clinical skills, no one teaches us energetic, emotional, and behavioral skills to manage this level of patient care and interaction.

Until NOW.

If you’ve been struggling with burnout, exhaustion, time management, energy depletion or your own Selfish B is struggling to find her voice, come join us on a journey of healing and equipping.

We promise you won’t regret the investment in YOU and your future.

Boundaries, Self-Care, and Meditation (scheduled for September 27-28) is a course built from the combined experience of me and my bestie, Nari Clemons, as we navigated the complex task of Burnout recovery. 

This course is for anyone who finds themselves over-giving, spending too much time on paperwork, not having energy for their life outside of work, knowing something is not working, but not knowing how to change.

We explore how to set boundaries with time, energy, and patient care. We reframe the narrative of what it means to be a therapist, a giver, an empath. This course is one part equipping through shared information, and one part deep reflective soul search tied up in story, values, intentions, and accountability.

AUTHOR BIO
Jenna Ross, PT, BCB-PMD, PRPC

Jennafer Ross PT, BCB-PMD, PRPC, (she/her) After graduating from Ithaca College, Jenna began her career as a physical therapist at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI. Since 2002, she has focused her professional attention on treating women, men, and children with pelvic health disorders. She is energized through education and enjoys her position as adjunct faculty at Grand Valley University, speaking at community events, organizing a regional pelvic floor mentorship and study group, and didn’t necessarily enjoy but survived part-time home-schooling her two daughters. She has been faculty for Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute since 2009 and loves to inspire other rehab professionals treating pelvic floor dysfunction. She is the author of the chapter, “Manual Therapy for the Pelvic Floor,” which was published in the book, “Healing in Urology.” Jenna was a contributing writer for the Pelvic Floor Capstone curriculum and also co-authored the continuing education course, “Boundaries, Self-Care and Meditation” with Nari Clemons. She is certified in pelvic floor rehabilitation and biofeedback for pelvic floor disorders. Outside of teaching and treating patients, Jenna loves to spend time with family and friends, run, cook, travel, do yoga, and snuggle with her doggo.