“The Best Jobs of the 2000s”—a title that appeared in virtually every magazine throughout the 1990s. At this time, email was nonexistent, and Google was still a decade away from going public. However, everyone knew PT was the profession of choice in the new millennium.
In the early 2000s, information started flowing electronically. By 2010, it became a commonplace to “Google” something. Now, access to information has almost completed its transformation in delivery flow. We used to “pull” information, or actively find and select it. But now, it’s “pushed” to us, compiled based on what the algorithm believes will keep us reading. Make no mistake. It isn’t based on what we’d like to hear or what’s in our best interest. It’s based on what will keep us engaged.
When I was choosing a career, doomscrolling wasn’t even a concept. The closest we had was the National Enquirer, which had nothing about PT. Tabloids kept people’s attention through a constant flow of the strange and negative. Now, the availability of negativity has reached an all-time high.
Here are some articles that have recently been sent through my feeds or email:
- New Report Shows Thousands of PTs Left the Workforce in 2021 (APTQI).
- Physical Therapy Burnout Destroying Our Profession (coremedicalgroup.com)?
- 28% of Physicians Would Not Choose Medicine Again (Medscape).
- 3.4% Conversion Factor Reduction and Its Impact on Payments (APTA).
These are all real, important to consider, and require action where we can take it. Oddly enough, my inbox is not flooded with these statistics:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 23% growth rate for PTs between 2022 and 2032, much higher than the rate for all occupations (BLS Outlook Handbook).
- Physical Therapists have the 7th highest job satisfaction of all physician subspecialties at 4.3/5 (Medscape Compensation Report).
- Job security is strong going forward as PT School Admissions are flat to declining (PTCAS). This creates inherent demand, particularly for therapists willing to work in a rural setting.
- Primary Care Physicians see an average of 22.8 patients per day (Elation Health) while Chiropractors see up to 50 patients per day (Parker University). Physical Therapists typically see 10-15 patients per day (WebPT), allowing more time with each patient than other professions.
The news that is pushed to you is typically not good news. But it is not the ONLY news. It is so easy to get discouraged when we are inundated with the negative.
Everything positive about PT in the 1990s remains just as relevant today, if not more so. Stay involved and aware. Understand the negatives, pitfalls, reimbursement challenges, and barriers to access. Fight against them.
I encourage you to seek out the positives. Know that you are doing what you worked so hard for, in the unique way you do it. Take comfort in the fact that you’re in a profession that values excellence, quality, and measurable results. “Pull” the good and positive things back into your conversations and let yourself feel good about the value you bring every day. Stop the professional doomscrolling and take ownership of your algorithm.