Common Traits of Successful Physiotherapists

Physiotherapy is one of the most unsung and under-celebrated areas of medical practice. These are people who literally help people to walk again after sustaining serious and even life-threatening injuries. They are people who make miracles a reality, and restore people’s confidence and independence.

Besides the amazing work they do, what is it that sets the successful physiotherapist apart from his/her professional colleagues that are less so? Is it just the luck of the draw? Or are their traits that successful physios share with one another?

1. A Thirst for Knowledge and Development

No successful physio will ever turn down an opportunity to advance their knowledge in the field, such as the chance to attend professional development for physiotherapists online, taking part in seminars and additional courses, and more. Their thirst for knowledge and improvement is seemingly never ending.

A serious red flag you may encounter when meeting or consulting with a physiotherapist is one who either eschews or snorts at new ideas within their field. This is a sign of a medical practitioner who thinks they know it all and that there’s no one out there who can tell them otherwise. This may be viewed as confidence by some, but in reality it’s arrogance.

2. Patience and Determination

Physiotherapy can be a slow and laborious process. On a scale of 1 to 100 percent, there may only be daily increments of 0.5% improvement, or even less. For some people in the world, such slow progress is a source of frustration and ire, but for a successful physio, it’s all just part of the job. The best practitioners know that the most desired results can take time, and therefore proper patience and understanding is warranted.

Furthermore, a strong degree of determination to keep patients on track is another key factor here. Patients may want to give up themselves when they see how slow their progress is. It takes the professional skill and wisdom from a physio to motivate and inspire the patient to keep going no matter what.

3. Organisation and Method

A further trait shared by all successful physiotherapy practitioners is a clear sense of organisation, order, and method. They keep meticulous records of their patients’ sessions and progress, and are acutely aware of all the minute details that emerge during consultations. They are methodical, careful, detail-oriented and care a great deal about proper processes both in the practical and clerical side of their jobs.

While some people perceive physiotherapists as sporty and perhaps therefore more cavalier and slapdash in their general approach to things, nothing could be further from the truth. Much of the work they do helping people to recover involves a lot of regular, carefully planned sequences of exercises. No slapdash or cavalier mindset can achieve that.

4. Good Communicators

As physiotherapists work, they often have to simultaneously explain to patients what they are doing and why. Patients who are in pain or otherwise suffering can have a very short fuse when it comes to patience. Being told to do this, that, and the other by even the most qualified medical professional can send them over the edge.

Therefore, being a steady, calming, and articulate communicator is another essential skill that good physios all share. If you can convince a wheelchair-bound car-crash victim to move past the pain and focus entirely on taking just a few steps to regain their mobility, you can communicate just about anything.

5. Good Judgement

Finally, one more thing that all top physiotherapists share is the good and sound judgement to know when is the right time to stop pushing their patients. Every day they walk a fine line between a patient pushing themselves hard as they should, and going too far and causing themselves further injury. Judging that line takes a serious amount of experience and skill.

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