If you’re a physical therapist today, you may be feeling exhausted and disillusioned with your career choice.
You want to be helping people feel better, but instead feel rushed during every patient interaction and frustrated by their lack of engagement.
You want to live a life outside of work, but instead are stuck inside on nights and weekends catching up on documentation.
You want to focus on the quality of care you provide to patients, but instead are plagued by constant stress over student loan debt.
Sound familiar?
All of this contributes to a chronic cocktail of toxic stress that is causing more and more PTs to feel overwhelmed and question why they became physical therapists in the first place.
Enter PT burnout
Burnout is more than an uncomfortable feeling—it’s an official medical diagnosis. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is characterized by three key qualities:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job;
- Reduced professional efficacy.
Experiencing some stress at work is normal, but if you’re noticing more bad days than good ones, feel completely overwhelmed, and like nothing you do is making a difference, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with burnout.
Why burnout is so common among physical therapists
Burnout is common in the healthcare industry, and the same holds true in the physical therapy space. Today’s PTs are facing increasing patient loads, documentation requirements that eat into their time “away” from work, and compensation that simply doesn’t compensate for the time and resources they’ve devoted to the profession.
Bottom line—the current PT paradigm is leaving physical therapists physically and emotionally exhausted, unable to thrive at work and in life. Something needs to change.
How Luna solves the PT burnout problem
Luna was designed to reimagine the entire physical therapy experience for both patients and the therapists who serve them. Here are just a few ways Luna helps therapists take control of their lives, reduce stress, and rediscover their passion for this work.
More pride: Too many clinics focus more on patient volume than the quality of care and treatment. This puts PTs into a bind—meet my productivity minimums or provide better care for my patient? Luna eliminates this predicament by giving each patient 45-55 minutes of undivided attention per session. Patients feel more satisfied; therapists feel proud of the quality of care provided.
More choice: Autonomy is a major burnout buster, and Luna’s model is dependent on enabling more of it to all PTs. Luna therapists have full control over their schedules and can work as much or as little as they’d like. It can act as a source of full-time employment or supplemental income. It also gives PTs more control and choice around the type of work they take on, matching them with the patient populations they’re most passionate about serving.
More power: Too many PTs today aren’t given the tools and support they need to thrive and make a significant clinical impact. Luna uses technology to help therapists deliver integrated care experiences to patients and help them achieve meaningful relief faster. Luna’s technology also eliminates paperwork for physical therapists, giving them more time to focus on what matters most.
Burnout isn’t something to feel ashamed about. It’s a signal from your body that something in your life needs your attention. If you’re a burnt-out PT looking for a new way to move forward in your career, reach out to the Luna team today.
