Working On Your Weaknesses

One of the hardest things to do in the clinic is to regularly practice things at which you are uncomfortable or less skilled. Most physical therapists work a busy day with patients and have notes to complete afterwards. The desire to do anything PT-related outside of those obligations can be exhausting. What we must do as clinicians, if we are to regularly improve, is reflect upon our weaknesses. They often can be difficult to identify, because we think we are examining our patients as efficiently and effectively as possible. But what lies unknown remains unknown.

An easy way to start reviewing weakness is selecting techniques or other aspects of care with which you are less successful. Maybe it includes a lumbar manipulation or educating a patient on pain science. A more difficult weakness to identify is that which you are unaware is occurring. There are a couple methods of reflection I like to use for these. One is to review groupings of patients that have had less than optimal outcomes with your care. Maybe there is something else that should be included in managing the patient? Another method is to regularly review other PT blogs or courses that may point out examination or treatment techniques with which you have less experience.

---

So how do we manage these things? For the technique or education aspects, it is simple - practice. To develop an expertise level at something, it requires lots and lots of practice. This is easier said than done for some things. For example, if you want to practice lumbar segmental mobility assessment, you can perform this on every one of your lower quarter patients. You will know more than almost every one of your patients, so go ahead and practice assessment techniques. You will notice differences between tissues and segments far more easily over time. Now, certain treatment techniques should not be practiced on patients as liberally. For example, cervical manipulations carry some level of inherent risk, so it is essential the clinician already have sufficient skill when performing. These sorts of techniques should be practiced for prolonged periods outside of patient care before performing on patients. For more non-technical aspects, it may benefit from some form of peer discussion or mentoring. As we've said many times before, it helps to have multiple perspectives in clinical development. Someone may have had some other success or experience that could benefit you in the future. Regardless of how you work on your weakness, it is important that we take the time to identify them and then address them.

-Chris

---

You may have seen some posts earlier on our site about OPTIM Physical Therapy. Several months ago, Chris and Jim joined OPTIM Physical Therapy to create a COMT program based out of Scottsdale, AZ. The mission of the program is to create a residency-like experience for those who are unable to make the financial and location commitment. The program consists of 6 weekend-long courses on-site, in addition to Medbridge courses and online mentoring between classes. Throughout the year, the class as a whole will improve their clinical skills and reasoning while working as a team.

---

Like this post? Then check out the Insider Access Page for advanced content! And check out similar posts below!

The Importance of Reflecting Every Week

SHC Residency: Reflecting on the Year