Amazing physical therapy clinics don’t just come about by chance. They’re created with clear intentions that foster a supportive environment for staff and leadership. An enjoyable PT work culture helps retain staff, operates more smoothly, and simply makes it easier to get up in the morning. Along with the advantages to physical therapists, patients also benefit from a positive organizational culture.
So, how do you create that type of environment for your PT practice?
In this article, we’re offering tips you can use to craft an exceptional PT (or OT, or SLP) clinic work environment, including real-life examples from practice owners and managers who’ve created strong work cultures.
1. Maintain a manageable patient caseload
We can’t really talk about a great place to work if the patient caseload and expectations are too demanding. You want to help as many people as possible, but in order to make sure you’re providing quality care and your physical therapists aren’t feeling the burn, keep the number of patients each therapist sees to a reasonable level.
This can be somewhat variable based on location, resources, and hours, but if you’re unsure, take a look at your local market for ideas. It may require regular check-ins about your team’s caseloads, redistributing some cases as needed, spreading out appointments to avoid overworking, or considering different hours-per-week for individual employees.
Set optimal visit durations and productivity standards
How you schedule visit durations can not only impact PT productivity and well-being, but also profitability per provider and the clinic as a whole. (Read about why 40-minute visit durations are optimal when it comes to Medicare billing.)
Also, if you’re noticing a higher than usual turnover rate with staff physical therapists, the amount of patients per day could be a factor. (The average PT turnover rate in 2023 was around 12.1%, so measure against that to see how your clinic is performing.)
Directly related to the number of patients treated each week is enforcing productivity standards. These can feel overwhelming for staff, especially when factors for patient arrivals and no-shows are seemingly out of their control. Looking at these stats can be useful as long as you truly understand the drivers for the numbers. But keep in mind too much focus on productivity standards can have a negative impact on job satisfaction.
Prompt users, be sure to check out the capacity utilization report to see a detailed view of each provider’s available hours, scheduled visit hours, and arrived visit hours. It’s a really helpful way to visualize productivity metrics and identify areas for improvement, such as caseload distribution, or the need for additional support.
2. Invest in leadership training
Speaking of job satisfaction, providing your leadership team with training on effective management, communication, and mentorship will go a long way in creating an empowered clinic staff. Allocate time for focused training with new clinic managers and leaders so they can comfortably build their skills without being expected to do so after hours or on top of a full caseload.
Below are some great resources to check out:
- The APTA can get you started with some solid leadership programs, continuing education, and even some certificate programs.
- MedBridge’s leadership and professional development continuing education courses include leadership for non-managers, developing an employee-first culture, and coaching for development, just to name a few.
- Gallup’s strength-based leadership assessment CliftonStrengths, and associated resources, are popular in helping managers identify their teams’ individual strengths in order to develop their leadership abilities.
No matter what resources you use, it is important to keep in mind that your clinic managers and directors have a significant impact on setting the tone of the clinic. It is essential they are able to communicate in an effective manner that is clear, empathetic, and positive. In this way, they are also able to facilitate mentorship and guidance of less experienced staff who will benefit from strong leadership.
3. Encourage autonomy and offer growth opportunities
One of the most important qualities of a good leader is the ability to provide some autonomy to their staff. This allows therapists to find their own confidence in their decisions and treatment plans with patients. Avoid micromanaging where you can. Try to offer scheduling flexibility so staff can maintain a healthy work-life balance, with the trust that they will get the work done on time and at the highest standard for your practice and patients.
Leaders should work with people individually and adjust their delegation to match the provider’s abilities and comfort. Consider the unique strengths of your practitioners, as well, and you might shape your care model and marketing around them.
How NorthSound Physical Therapy in Seattle empowers its staff
“We are easily able to compete with the big boys, and our staff is empowered with the autonomous environment we have created for their practice pattern,” said Karl Hedeen, owner at NorthSound Physical Therapy in Seattle, WA. “This of course includes supporting their goals of individual clinician specialties. This has allowed for a wide variety of specialties including staff to obtain their transitional DPT degree, women’s health, sport-specific such as golf certification, obtain their CHT, and so on. We are then able to market around these specialties and hopefully continue to capture more market share.”
In addition, different therapists may have different comfort levels and desire to take on more decision-making roles. This can include pathways to not only management and clinic director, but potential ownership stake.
“I would encourage independently owned PT clinics to start thinking now about their exit strategy regardless of their years of experience or years left before retirement,” said Karl. “Start looking for those individuals that can take your business forward for many more years. I am always thinking about ways to grow the business, additional specialty services to add, other locations, trying to mirror staff goals with company goals, and finding a way to stay in business for another 32 years.”
Read our recent report that found “lack of growth opportunities” as the number-one reason clinicians transition out of traditional patient care.
4. Implement open door policies for feedback
With growth and change, there will inevitably be some speed bumps along the way. But with an open door and receptive ear for your staff’s view point, a clinic can take feedback and turn it into a chance to make the work environment even better.
This will go a long way in showing your staff how much you value them and are willing to work together to implement changes where possible. Let your team know they can bring their work issues to you in a safe and non-judgmental way. Then, follow through by listening, processing, and seeing if there are any positive changes you can reasonably offer or make in how the practice operates.
5. Make time for fun work activities and team bonding
What would all this work be for if it wasn’t at least a little fun? Not only can you create a workplace that therapists are excited to go to, but getting out of the clinic and doing some team activities can really help strengthen your clinic team. Some ideas for your next staff outing that don’t involve trust falls:
- Escape room
- Karate aimed at team building
- Ropes course
- Team lunch
- Volunteer together
- 5K race
- Intramural team
How Bodies in Balance Physical Therapy in Wilmington, NC, prioritizes team bonding
“The things that have influenced our culture the most would be activities outside of work, and usually include employees and their families; some we have done include volleyball, maybe meet at a brewery, celebrations for weddings, babies, etc.” said Beth Connell, co-owner and lead physical therapist at Bodies in Balance Physical Therapy in Wilmington, NC. “Our staff are often friends outside of work whether playing golf, poker nights, and surf sessions.”
“This year one of our leaders has added activities such as ‘March Mileage,’ where each location reported mileage and other fitness competitions to see who won. We do a monthly potluck lunch now and quarterly provided lunch, where everyone has an hour off to socialize and eat. We do questions at the end of the staff meeting w/ goofy prizes (candy, funny socks, etc.). One of our core values is Teamwork Without Boundaries which also includes encouraging collaboration during work as much as possible – sharing patients and teaching each other.”
In addition to events outside of work, it can be fun to take personality quizzes to understand more about how everyone works alone and together.
6. Get the word out
Once you have spent the time and effort to develop your winning culture, make sure to market it in your job interviews, especially for people looking for PT work culture fit, so you can attract the right people. Your practice’s social media profiles can be a great place for posting about the things your team does both inside and outside of the clinic, and a chance to be creative together in coming up with post ideas.
They can also allow people to get a better idea of your values, and you could even let people know if you’re hiring with posts that showcase your amazing work environment you’ve worked hard to cultivate. 😊
How Dynamix Physical Therapy attracts talent by showcasing company events on social media
Check out this great post example from Dynamix Physical Therapy:
If your clinicians have personal social media profiles and are willing to use them for PT-related content, you could also see if they’d like to get involved in creating posts that show off their personality, expertise, and happenings at the clinic. This can help them feel both engaged with and supported by the business.
Conclusion
With time, clear intention, and the tips above, you can take steps to develop a winning work environment and culture at your PT clinic. Your goal is to make your practice a place where physical therapists love working and patients love going for the best care!
About the author:
Chelsea Krotser is an outpatient orthopedic physical therapist and freelance writer. Drawing on her experience as a PT as well as her former life as an accountant, she is dedicated to providing an insightful clinical and business perspective. She loves writing about all things related to physical therapy. You can find her on Instagram @chelseakrotser.
