Poised for Change

By Stacy M. Menz, PT, DPT, PCS

While at the Graham Sessions in Savannah, Georgia, I had the benefit of listening to and interacting with some truly amazing people in our profession. What made it even more amazing was this group of people ranged from those who have been involved in the physical therapy profession for years and several Doctorate of Physical Therapy Students (DPT) who are just beginning their journey. The common thread among the group was their willingness to ask questions and raise issues from their individual perspectives. I left the meeting with ideas of next steps for my practice as well as things that I hope to help drive in our profession.

I usually leave events such as the Graham Sessions wondering, “How do I implement this idea or make it fit my practice?” Then I return home to the daily operations of my practice and all of these new ideas that I brought home with me get pushed to the back of my mind, or written down in a notebook to hopefully work on one day.

In order to ensure that these ideas become a reality, my team has started to use a strategic planning process in which we take these ideas and define and develop them. Once the idea is developed, we set goals related to the preparation, implementation, and follow-up of the idea as well as how we will measure if it is successful. This allows us to break our ideas down into manageable bites and also collect metrics to tell us if the idea is successful. Goal setting and planning has increased the potential of ideas becoming a reality, makes them seem realistic and attainable, as well as provides my staff and me accountability for growth and change.

Implementing new ideas and initiatives is key if you want to be the driver of change in your practice, team, or community. I believe that change happens whether we are ready for it or not. Wouldn’t you rather be the driver of change than the person reacting to it? What are the small bites you are taking toward change in your practice and in our profession?.