Yesterday I heard a story from a Physical Therapist in North Carolina. I did not ask for permission to share her story, so let us call her Lauren.
Lauren was working on an injured client, in the clinic, when a walk-in patient came to the desk, with a prescription, fresh from the doctor's office. Lauren had to stop working with her patient for a moment to attend to the walk-in.
Asking a few questions and realizing her schedule was committed, Laura had started to schedule the patient for an initial evaluation for the next day. At that same time, she wondered if the assessment could get done now through the phone.
She called a fellow PT at home, who agreed to do the evaluation by Telehealth, now as the patient was in the clinic! This permitted Lauren to complete her hands-on care and full session with the customer in the clinic while, at the same time, the telehealth evaluation was being performed.
Why is this story unique? Lauren heard much of the client's story of pain, and decided to walk over behind the client, looked into the screen to join the conversation to offer any help today. After some discussion, Laura and the PT agreed on a plan for Lauren to apply electrical stimulation and manuals.
As a PT, PTA, you are a leader. Self-leadership, leading a clinical floor, leading a staff, you simply lead. A classic definition of leadership is using resources (physical and human resources) effectively to provide solutions. Lauren simply led! No one told her. Aligned with the mission of the organization, she did not need to ask. She just did, providing solutions in ways no one else has, without a how-to manual.
In a book called Linchpin, Godin describes Laura to a tee.
It is a time of incredible opportunity, with folks carving out their careers in a time when the rules have been reset because the playing field has been flattened. New rules, new tools, require new solutions.
Are you being your best Linchpin, creating a new map for yourself in the new sets of rules we live in?
