My 2017 Professional Year in Review

I’m not sure about you, but I’m always ready to put the year behind me about this time of year. I’ve recently done a little better job at trying to reflect about the past year, while trying to plan out a few goals or areas for improvement both personally and professionally. Nothing too formal. Professionally, I’ve grown from a year ago. I’ve been fortunate to say that for each of the last 7 years. Part of that I think comes from not spending too much time looking back and spending more time being in the present and looking forward a bit. I also have always worked with a great group of colleagues (MDs, PTs, ATCs alike) and we enjoy many "professional discussions" throughout the year.

The last year was a busy one. They always are, especially as my kids (8, 6, 3, 1) get older and are more involved in activities. It was also a busy year for me professionally.

My first goal was to launch BrettFischerDPT.com and to this point, it's been a great project for me. I built the site myself and worked on it for 3-4 months in my spare time prior to launch. I was inspired by the many others I've met on social media who have their own personal sites - separate from their employer. I feel like branding has been really difficult for physical therapy in general, and much more difficult for the physical therapist as an individual professional. The goal for my website in the short term is to raise awareness locally and regionally and develop some content that I can share with patients. I have some vague long term goals for the site in mind, but things will be fluid and I'll be interested to see where things go over the years to come.

My second main goal for 2017 was to have more of a plan for raising local awareness about PT during October, which is National Physical Therapy Month. I think I had some success there. We are exceptionally terrible as a profession at raising awareness of our capabilities, especially in SoDak, where we actually DO move at a glacier's pace. October brought the launch of my website, an article in a local paper, and an article in a local magazine. I’m looking to get more consistent with posting on my web site and I also have a few other ideas on how to get more involved locally, so we’ll see how those pan out in 2018, too.

I volunteered to help out with our state association on the public relations and education committees and I realized how organizations tend to move a bit slower than I’d like them to. It was great to meet and work with some of the leaders in physical therapy in our state. Biggest takeaway? Being involved sounds great and all, but you have no idea how much work it is to make our state organizations go, so I'm thankful we have some good people involved who are both willing and able to donate their time and talents to the betterment of the profession.

I completed four different continuing education courses, including blood flow restriction training from Owens Recovery Sciences. Blood flow restriction training has been a great adjunct for my patients, with emphasis on the “adjunct.” Heavy resistance training remains the gold standard for gaining strength, but I’ve seen some good benefits for the early post op, chronic weakness, chronic atrophy, osteoarthritis and shoulder instability crowds. I’m still playing around with the most effective way to use it, especially in the setting I’m in, so I would expect that to be more refined in 2018. Biggest takeaways? Those that benefit the most are the ones that haven't been able to get a good "workout" in a long time due to injury. It helps them be motivated to work at getting better. It really helps them to feel like an athlete again and that goes a long way for their psyche, which is always needed in the sometimes very long rehab process. For the best outcome, the patient MUST be working in the weight room in addition.

"Perspective is something I think we

could all use a little more of sometimes."

In addition, I was asked to volunteer in the “elite runner’s tent” at the Sioux Falls Marathon/Half Marathon. It’s always a treat to hang around athletes at the top of their sport. I enjoyed being a fly on the wall and learned a lot just from listening to their conversations. It also got me a bit more re-energized to pick up some running goals (half number five in 2018).

I picked up 1-2 shifts a month on the inpatient rehab unit in the hospital. It’s always great to keep up on those skills, but it’s even better working with some truly amazing patients. I’m typically walking away for the day with some inspiration. Biggest takeaway? Perspective is something I think we could all use a little more of sometimes.

I tried to read a few more books this year too. I think I ended up reading about 4-5, which is more than usual for me. Mike Reinold had some great recommendations in his 2016 year in review that I listened to or actually read. My favorite two were “Ego is the Enemy” and “To Sell Is Human” (I also read “The Arm” which is a great book for anyone in the medical or fitness field who loves baseball). Both gave me a bit of a fresh outlook on my career as a physical therapist. Biggest takeaway? Patient engagement and buy in are really important for good outcomes and everyone has an ego even if they think it's well under control. I’ve referenced both books on occasion throughout the year.

Another goal for the year was to try to do some more speaking engagements. This is an area where I’m not where I want to be yet, so I need to do more and practice a bit more too. I did a joint presentation at a conference with a former patient about her case, gave a presentation to local high school baseball coaches, and talked to some senior athletic training students about treating low back pain. I definitely could use to get in front of some other groups too, which will be another goal for 2018.

So all in all it was a good year for me, and I hope to improve on a few things for 2018. And if you're not already, I'd highly recommend going over some goals for the upcoming year and starting the professional development snowball on your way to being a better version of you every year- both professionally and personally.

Brett