There’s no doubt about it, we live in unprecedented times – not just in the world of travel healthcare, but in modern physical therapy and the world as a whole. The last month and a half we’ve been bombarded by information from every channel – news media, colleagues, neighbors, and daily email briefings from our managers who all want to weigh in on the Coronavirus status and projected outcome. I’ll admit, it’s been a bit overwhelming to keep track of daily changes in the healthcare environment while also managing a full time work schedule and keeping our ever active 2 year old out of trouble!
We hear and share in the feelings of our fellow travelers – not just as onlookers awaiting the outcome, but as colleagues and co-workers who are out there with you, navigating these volatile times we are living in. Like many of you, our thoughts and emotions have been on a wild ride as this pandemic has unfolded! We’ve been on a journey through frustration and fear to peace and gratitude – and oftentimes a mixture of all these feelings as we daily assess and evaluate where we stand through it all. But as our schedules have become busier and the influx of information has exploded, life leaves us very little time these days to ponder.
Initially, as news of the virus came trickling in, we were severely disappointed that several of our planned international trips were either cancelled or postponed. The freedom of traveling and exploring is something that we highly value as travelers, I’m sure many of you can relate! Even so, with California being on the forefront of mandating “shelter in place” orders, we were fortunate in the fact that the new social distancing orders wouldn’t have too much impact on our day to day – being parents of a toddler and 2 fur-babies, the places we frequent most are wild and scenic and less trafficked anyway!
As the virus quickly made it’s way to our neighborhood in late February, our thoughts shifted to feelings of fear and a looming awareness that what we value even more than adventure was also being threatened: our family, health, and job security. We questioned if we should continue working in the healthcare environment as projected statistics were reported that made it seem as though we were facing an Armageddon! As I’m sure many of you have been feeling, we weren’t worried just for our own safety, but for the elderly populations with whom we work closely. And even more importantly for us, our thoughts were on the life and wellbeing of our little girl who so obliviously depends on us – especially since our extended family is across the country nearly a continent width away! We did what felt unimaginable as travelers conditioned to live a light and minimalistic lifestyle – we loaded our cupboards with months worth of food, and even stockpiled anti-fever meds.
And yet, as Physical Therapists, we still feel deeply rooted in our sense of professionalism, and our desire to use our knowledge and skills to empower and improve the lives of the clients we serve. We aren’t here to argue who is essential or not. In this time, as Physical Therapists in the home health setting, we know the essential role we fill in our patients lives – keeping them safe in their homes and out of the hospitals is more important now than ever before! Playing our part to mitigate the overwhelm that hospitals are dealing with. We are COVID-19 trained, and working with COVID + patients is a reality we will certainly face in the days ahead.
Working in this environment without hazard pay seemed risky at first. We quickly did inventory of our health and resources, and evaluated the foundational structure we’ve built our lives around (after all, proximal stability is necessary for distal mobility!)
Yet we are confident going through this.
Sometimes in life, the things we take for granted are overlooked, and the opportunity that this pandemic has brought is an opportunity for us to SLOW DOWN and consider with gratitude the things that our life together is built around. Our faith, marriage, family, and close friends that we have prioritized and highly value… our professional goals, experiences and contacts that give us job security during this time… and our health, resources, and financial decisions made long ago that now give us peace of mind.
We are grateful for where we stand: our school loans are paid, our mortgage is covered by short-term rental income, we are healthy and yet have contingency plans for Kinley and our fur-babies. We’re extremely thankful for the ability we have to give back and help our patients, co-workers, and even a fellow traveler who needed a place to stay through this time!
Our hearts go out to those losing hours, getting their jobs cut, having contracts cancelled… as well as all the graduates who are looking for their first job and coming up empty. Even many of our co-workers have voluntarily stepped down due to personal or family factors. On top of the recent reimbursement changes in SNF and Home Health, which are now only joining the already deflated outpatient reimbursement models, these are the hardest of hard times our industry has seen for a long time. This is certainly a trying, yet growing time.
Our hope is that we ALL will make it through this, together. But not just to survive. We hope that each person reading this will also THRIVE – by taking this time to re-connect with the important things in life. To SLOW DOWN and re-align with what you consider your core principles, which so often get smothered by life’s busy cascade. View this as an opportunity of growth, a time to learn, and take those continuing education courses and classes to build your skill level as a therapist! Re-assess your strengths and weaknesses and use this time to re-build your foundational strategies. Depending on your situation, now may be a time to extend your contract or take a permanent job for a time if able.
May we all reach a place of peace, and find meaningful growth during this time. We want to support those of you who are struggling, and encourage those who are in need. Together, we will make it through this, prepare ourselves, and embrace the changes in the days ahead!
By Ellen Stockhausen, PT, DPT, OCS
