Burnout in Physical Therapy: Recognizing, Understanding, and Addressing It
Burnout is an increasingly pressing issue in the healthcare field, and physical therapy is no exception. In the video “Burnout in Physical Therapy”, Gina Carr, PT, shares her perspective as both a clinician and a leader. With over 25 years in the profession, including 13 years as a manager and director of an outpatient therapy clinic, Gina brings valuable insights drawn from her own experience with burnout and from guiding her team through it.
What Burnout Really Means
Burnout isn’t just being “tired” from work. It’s defined as a combination of emotional exhaustion, cynicism or depersonalization, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. The World Health Organization officially recognizes it as an occupational phenomenon, with direct consequences for both work quality and personal well-being.
How to Recognize the Signs
- Emotional/Behavioral: Irritability, cynicism, difficulty concentrating, loss of satisfaction, or reliance on food, drugs, or alcohol.
- Physical: Low energy, disrupted sleep, unexplained pain, headaches, or digestive issues.
Recognizing these early is key to preventing more serious consequences.
Why Burnout Happens
- Individual factors, such as past failures, lack of coping strategies, or insufficient feedback.
- Workplace dynamics, like high productivity demands, role ambiguity, or inequity between effort and reward.
- Systemic challenges, including the mismatch between high demands and limited resources, or environments where negative attitudes spread across teams.
The Scope of the Problem in Physical Therapy
Burnout is widespread among physical therapists. A recent study found that nearly half of PTs in the U.S. report feeling burned out, mirroring rates seen in physicians and nurses. High attrition rates worldwide indicate the rapid departure of therapists from the field, often before they reach mid-career, raising concerns about patient care, workforce sustainability, and the profession’s growth.
Strategies for Combating Burnout
- Organizational: Creating environments where therapists feel valued, supported, and fairly compensated.
- Management: Eliminating risk factors, offering flexibility, and tailoring workloads to individual strengths.
- Departmental: Redesigning jobs for engagement, improving schedules, and providing meaningful rewards.
- Individual: Building skills, seeking mentorship, practicing mindfulness, and setting boundaries with time and energy.
She also emphasizes the importance of self-care strategies like taking vacations, pursuing hobbies, and performing regular self-assessments.
A Call to Stay in the Profession
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