5 min read | Career Planning
Eccentric Career Paths 2.0: Physio Business Coach
Written by Rutvi Shah
Major contributors: Dr. Priyanka Bhandagey, Lead Physio Pvt. Ltd.
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The world is moving towards automation, a process that uses technology to minimize human input. Automation allows for increased productivity and sustainability. Nicholas Wilde, director of automation design at Santa Margarita-based Applied Medical says “We’re growing very rapidly and automation allows us to do this; we can produce more with the same number of team members,” he said.
However, when it comes to physiotherapy, a very hands-on and humane profession, automation has limitations. The human touch and its healing effects cannot be substituted by an AI-based robot (at least not yet !). Well, this restriction puts a cap on the maximum number of patients one can see without compromising the quality of work, thereby curbing the potential income.
According to a blog written by the National Institute of Management and Technology, recent reports suggest that with a few years working as a professional, the average salary that a physiotherapist can earn is ₹3.60 lakhs a year. This can go up to nearly ₹8 lakhs per year depending on the institution that a physiotherapist is working for and the job experience they have acquired.
Do you find this obnoxious? Me too! Cue the description of the pitiful scenario of physiotherapists in India!
However, we at The PhysioZest, believe in a solution-oriented approach.
How do we scale? How do we grow as business owners? How do we earn enough to support our family and achieve the standard of living we had dreamt of?
HIRE A PHYSIOTHERAPY BUSINESS COACH!
Not only can you hire one but also gain the expertise to become one. Here’s how –
While our curriculum ensures that we are well versed with the clinical skills required to become a successful physiotherapist, it neglects the managerial and business intelligence essential for running a successful practice. For example – HR Skills for Attracting and Retaining Talent, Micro and Macro Operational Skills for Efficient and Smoother Clinic Operations, Cash Flow Management, etc. are some of the areas that require equal, if not more, attention to run a profitable clinic.
Do you relate to this need? Are you better with leadership and management than clinical practice? Do you feel a fire within you to go out there and change the look of physiotherapy and ensure that no PT has to go through financial struggles?
Then this entrepreneurial role is what you are looking for –
Roles and Responsibilities:
A business coach is someone who specializes in developing a business leader; they listen, think and ask thoughtful questions allowing business leaders to grow without being forced and helping them understand their true value. Physiotherapists are nowhere near remunerated well enough for the good work that we do. As a business coach you can build strategies to run the business more effectively, profitably, and with greater perceived value in the community, says John Davie of Physio Business Growth. You can not only help build new set-ups but also guide existing practices to become profitable. You become a consultant cum educator for fellow physios or physio students so that they benefit from your expertise and can conduct their clinics in a better fashion. Your job will include providing good solutions to common practice problems such as physio clinics not getting enough patients due to limited and poor quality marketing or patients not “buying in” to treatment plans, etc.
Skills:
Being an industry leader requires you to be a dynamic personality with passion, patience, and persistence. You need to be prepared to work relentlessly and put in the extra hours to help the company grow. You need to be courageous in accepting your shortcomings and find creative solutions for the same. Doing something new comes with a huge risk but the rewards are also extraordinary. Delicate time management, constant self-learning from reading articles, books, social media posts, regular exercise (practice what you preach) are some habits that can help you grow going ahead.
Education/Qualifications:
According to Dr. Priyanka – there are many examples of top industry leaders who have built their multimillion-dollar business empires without any formal education or are school dropouts. Hence to become a business coach or hold any entrepreneurial position, a basic understanding of business skills is required. But formal education is not a necessity. One can take up certification courses or short-term courses that cover the necessary topics and can help one to gain a better understanding of these functional areas of business and operate more efficiently.
1. 5D10X Growth & Dr. Priyanka’s Clinical Excellency Program
2. Courses offered by Physio Business Growth – The Science of Physiotherapy Business
3. Services offered by the Ultimate Physio
Job Opportunities:
Job? Maybe?
Owner? Definitely.
As an entrepreneur with a unique idea, you will no longer require to work for someone unless you want to. You will be the one to create the market and provide the service that helps solve a problem. An entrepreneur’s product/service is always his masterpiece.
While being your own boss has its perks, it also has its challenges. As an entrepreneur, you have to invest unlimited efforts and time and wait patiently for the seed you planted to grow. It may take years to see success but the fruit will be immensely rewarding.
Being a physiotherapy business coach is a consulting role that requires understanding the challenges a clinician faces, a clinic owner faces, the physiotherapy community faces, and then working towards solutions to solve these hindrances. While it is an avenue that will require you to explore a field outside your comfort zone, it is a service that has immense potential for growth. A truly unexplored shade of physiotherapy, it is an option for the risk-takers, the ones with business acumen, a role with the potential to scale and truly change the face of physiotherapy in India.
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Extremely informative