The Biggest Lessons I Learned from my First Year Working as a Physical Therapist

This past summer, I passed my 1 year anniversary of working as a physical therapist, and I honestly can’t believe it. It feels like I just graduated, but at the same time so much has happened since then. I’ve learned a ton, and I’ve also realized how much more I still have to learn. Here are some of the biggest gems I’ve taken away from my experiences so far. Even if you’re not a PT or PT student, I encourage you to keep reading, because I think these lessons can apply to just about any other occupation.

Let’s get into it!

My journey as a working PT has already been hectic. I went straight into travel PT a month after graduating, and worked 3 contracts (each 12 weeks) at different clinics in Washington and California before moving to Seattle full time in April of this year to start a permanent position at an outpatient sports clinic.

Probably the biggest thing I learned this past year is that adaptability is key.

That’s it. That’s the blog.

Kidding, kidding. But seriously, being adaptable kept me alive. Especially when I was traveling, I’d show up on the first day of a 3-month contract at a clinic I’d never been to before and have little to no idea what I was walking into. For all I knew, I might have 2 patients booked simultaneously within the first hour of getting through the door. I might have a supportive, flexible clinic director, or one that was hardly ever there. I learned quickly to think on my feet, be open-minded and go with the flow. It was stressful at first, but the adaptations came quickly.

This feeds straight into my second lesson, which is that feedback and failure are GOOD.

Failing or taking tough constructive feedback is still difficult for me, and I doubt it will get much easier, but I’ve learned that there is so much value in making mistakes and learning from them. It’s probably the hardest…but also easiest?… way to identify and define your areas for improvement.

Lesson #3 is that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

There have been so many instances over the past year where I wasn’t sure about something in the clinic. That’s normal, especially as a new grad! I still don’t know lots of stuff. The key is, you have to acknowledge this and DO something about it. This is where mentors are incredibly helpful.

However, if you’re like me and find yourself in a situation where you don’t have much in-person mentorship, that’s ok! I didn’t realize this right out of school, but there are so many incredible resources available online, both free and paid. Seek out continuing education courses that target areas you feel uncomfortable with, find mentors and online mentorships, or follow respected PTs and health professionals on Youtube and social media to get their words of wisdom on different topics.

Over the past year I reached out frequently to my clinical instructors (Dr. Josh Ostrom, Dr. Mat Haager, Andy Roof) and sought out mentorship or took courses from other reputable PTs (Dr. Andy Chen, Mike Reinold, Dan Pope, to name a few). The connections I’ve made with these individuals and the things I’ve learned from their courses and mentorship have had a monumental impact on my growth, development and confidence as a clinician, and I’m still just getting started. The learning never stops!

The last lesson I learned is try to have fun and make connections!

It can be easy to get sucked into the vacuum of stress that is working as a new grad, especially in a mill setting where you’re double or triple booked all day.

BUT, once you develop a flow and some confidence, try to have fun. Build rapport with your patients and fellow workers. Make time for yourself to go do fun stuff on the weekends. Prioritize your health and put yourself out there. Despite working 40+ hours every week this past year, I still managed to make time to do dozens of hikes, travel to 5 different states, visit multiple national parks, see old friends and make new ones, compete in a bodybuilding show and much more. It won’t always be easy, but creating work life balance and having FUN is imperative!

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I appreciate your time and I’m excited to provide value to you both here and on my other platforms in the future. If you enjoyed this article, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter stay up to date with my content moving forward. Talk to you in the next one.

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