Treat patients as a general practitioner and you are locked into static treatment protocols as determined by insurance companies and the medical profession itself. The same is true in family medicine, emergency medicine, oncology, etc. Treating patients as a therapist is an entirely different ballgame. That is why therapjobs are so unique.

Physical therapists have plenty of opportunities to be creative in their treatments. So do occupational and speech therapists. To put it simply, therapy jobs are open doors to creative opportunities that allow therapists to engage in whatever they believe is the best treatment for each patient.

 

  • Aquatic Therapy in Alabama

 

So, how creative can therapists be? The sky is the limit. For example, consider a PT practice in Atmore, Alabama that utilizes aquatic therapy. The practice recently obtained a brand-new aquatic therapy machine that does wonders for patients in need of certain kinds of treatments.

Aquatic therapy is all about combining the basic tenants of physical therapy with the stress-relieving properties of water. The Alabama practice’s new machine is essentially an underwater treadmill.

Patients stand in 85° water at a depth of about 4 feet. A built-in treadmill keeps the patient moving while the water is supporting the majority of his weight. This results in less pressure on the joints and a more productive therapy session.

 

  • Yoga and Tai Chi in Washington

 

While patients in Alabama are enjoying the benefits of aquatic therapy, their counterparts in Olympia, Washington have access to customized yoga and tai chi classes. Smaller classes of up to six patients are conducted during the week while larger classes accommodating up to 10 patients are offered on the weekends.

Participants note that the classes are not the straightforward yoga and tai chi one might find in a local health club. These classes are modified programs intended to help patients increase strength, flexibility, and mobility. They are designed around research done at the Oregon Research Institute.

Many of the patients say that the classes have literally changed their lives. They speak about learning the actual mechanics of movement as they stretch and turn, gaining knowledge they say helps them even outside the formal class setting.

 

  • Whatever It Takes

 

Aquatic therapy, yoga and tai chi are just three examples of the creative solutions physical therapists rely on to treat patients. There are so many more it is nearly impossible to quantify. An occupational therapist might use equine therapy to help develop a patient’s motor skills while a speech therapist calls in canines to help patients communicate. Again, the sky is truly the limit.

In the end, it all points to the underlying reality that therapists do whatever it takes to treat patients where they are. This offers great opportunities to private practice owners, employee therapists, and even locum tenens providers. All have the opportunity to be as creative as they need to be.

Speaking of locum tenens, creative opportunities are even more abundant for therapists who travel from one assignment to the next. As locums, they do not have the luxury of working with the same patient’s for prolonged periods of time. They might have only a few weeks or months with their patients before moving on to the next assignment. For them, the need for creativity can be a bit more urgent.

There are lots of ways to practice medicine. There are plenty of patients in need of help. But for someone who has a passion for creativity and medicine simultaneously, there may be no better career path than therapy. Therapy jobs are among the most creative in all of medicine.