My Secret Superpower

Anybody who knows me knows I like to talk. What can I say? I’m a Gemini and like to hear the sound of my own voice. I can talk to pretty much anybody about pretty much anything. You already know I’m not afraid to drop words like orgasm and vulva into just about any conversation. 

And if you know me well at all, you know there’s a good chance of an f-bomb at some point in time in our conversation, too. Some people call it profanity, I prefer to think of it as colorful. 

Good physical therapists spend time talking to their patients, Education is a huge part of what we do. But the most important skill I use with every single patient isn’t something I learned during my PT education, it’s something I learned in life. 

The single most important thing I do for my patients is listen. 

Listening is especially important to my patients during the first visit. I start almost every evaluation by asking my patient to tell me their story. Sometimes they say, “Oh, this started 20 years ago, you don’t have time for all of that!”. My answer is always, “Yes, I do. Start at the beginning, it’s all important”. Because it always IS important. It’s amazing how much I learn when I just shut my mouth and listen to my patients. If I just let someone talk long enough, they give me the puzzle pieces I need to determine what is driving their symptoms and decide on the best course of action.

You would think listening to your patients would be the basic standard of care, right? Apparently, it is not always a thing. Sometimes, my patients been seeking help for years and it’s the first time a health care provider has actually listened to them, to their whole story, and let them feel heard. That makes really sad and really pissed off all at the same time.

I like to think listening is my superpower - it’s shouldn’t be an unusual skill in healthcare, but sometimes it really is. Do you feel heard? Shoot me a message, email me, reach out on my website. I promise, I’m listening.