We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Robinett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?
Even before I applied to PT school at Regis University, I knew that my dream job was to work with children. As graduation was approaching, I was adamant about finding a job as a pediatric physical therapist in a setting that promoted collaboration with other professionals. There were several big companies hiring in Denver, although many of them wanted a PT with experience. I found another posting online for a company that a friend was working for in Phoenix, and it even advertised that new grads were welcome; I was so relieved! I loved going to ASU and was happy to return to Phoenix, so it all seemed to align well! I was so excited, as I was able to fly down and meet with the owner and see the new space and the buildouts they were doing. I started to imagine myself working there and my career taking off, learning alongside physical, occupational and speech therapists. Since it was in central Phoenix, she was wanting someone who was also Spanish speaking. This was great for me, as I had studied abroad in Chile during college! I loved the idea of being able to practice and enhance my medical Spanish skills. She mentioned how there was going to be a team of all new people starting and it would be a great way to gain more mentorship and collaboration skills. A few days after I interviewed, I hadn’t heard back from her, and I was starting to panic that I hadn’t interviewed well enough, or there was an applicant better suited than me. It was the most promising position I had applied for, and I wasn’t sure what to do. My dad is a business owner, and when I told him how I was feeling, he encouraged me to reach out and let her know how strongly I felt about joining her team. I did as he suggested, and she replied back with an offer! I was so excited to know where I was going after graduation, as many of my classmates still hadn’t lined up interviews. My first job was great; I was able to learn from other PTs, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists. I was able to practice my Spanish and even some American sign language (ASL) with patients! My colleagues and I became friends outside of work and we would go to dinner or even on weekend trips out of town. It was a great way to meet other new professionals while also enhancing my skills that would be a great foundation for my career as a physical therapist.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When I envisioned my life as a child, I never once thought I would be a business owner. I loved the idea of knowing exactly what to expect and have a set of rules or objectives to follow. I enjoyed most of my managers and never imagined that I would have a boss I didn’t like. Therefore, having someone manage me long term didn’t present any negatives.
Being creative, taking risks & living life without a set plan were very foreign concepts to me and I had no desire to sharpen those skills of mine. This all changed during Covid. I started Moving + Grooving PT for a few reasons; namely, when I was working for another company, I shared another patient with an occupational therapist, and she was really happy with the work I was doing with him and the amount of effort I was investing outside of our visits to help him gain additional services and support. She asked if I would see another one of her patients, as they really needed in home PT. They’d been looking for another PT for years, but weren’t able to find anyone to come to the home that they truly trusted. She had been dropping hints for awhile about how beneficial it was to have her own business and said she would show me the ropes if I needed. I wasn’t convinced, as I had a close friend living who bought a business recently and showed me how much work it truly takes to make it successful, but I started to think on it.
As Covid started to progress, and there were less facilities offering families to be in waiting rooms, I was also turning more families away from AZEIP (early intervention) because their child ‘just wasn’t delayed enough.’ AZEIP is an amazing, state funded, therapy program free to families, so of course cannot serve the entire population of babies to 3 year olds. However, I felt so awful turning these families away from our program in this stressful time, as I was unable to give them what they truly wanted and needed, which was an expert pediatric physical therapist with immediate availability and willingness to teach them what to do outside of their PT sessions. They wanted someone who was compassionate, intelligent & willing to treat them and their child with respect.
Finally, another colleague started her own business for feeding therapy, and mentioned how great it was for her. I was finally convinced to start my own practice with all of these factors pushing me forward. I truly love helping children of all ages & empowering caregivers to become more involved in their development to enhance that relationship. As of May 2024, I decided that it was time to really dive in to my business and stop having Moving + Grooving PT be my ‘side hustle.’
The number one complaint of healthcare that I heard as a PT was related to insurance. It makes patients frustrated because of how confusing it is & when they don’t follow through with reimbursements. This creates barriers in providing exceptional care as a provider because they will not reimburse specific codes or number of visits, and therefore limits what businesses can offer their patients. I started my business to help those who couldn’t find help with their insurance, and didn’t want to become another facility that had insurance be the barrier between a patient seeking care and an exceptional physical therapist willing to help. I’m so happy that I have the ability to help families when they need PT most rather than asking them to wait several months like big clinics often do. I also wanted to make my service as convenient as possible to busy and working families, so decided on offering in home/ mobile physical therapy, which can also be held at a community park, preschool, daycare, or pool setting.
As I am growing my business, I have recognized that not everyone has a home they are comfortable allowing strangers into, or they have many distractions in their home. I added in virtual physical therapy and parent coaching as an enhancement to help children’s development through the parent’s engagement. Finally, I will also be expanding to renting a clinic space for classes and pediatric PT sessions in South Scottsdale by November 2024! It’s so exciting to be able to meet the needs of families in a variety of ways that caters to their needs and budget!
The group classes will primarily focus on milestone mastery for “pre walking” skills. In these classes, I will be teaching moms/caregivers about when milestones should occur naturally, how to identify red flags in a baby’s development, what toys to buy to promote development, how to avoid spending a ton of money on equipment that may lead to delays later on, and how to improve her confidence as a new mom & reduce her mom guilt. My hope is that by having this space, moms can build more connection between them and their baby and also meet other local, like-minded moms. Then she can build out her mom tribe naturally so she doesn’t feel isolated and overwhelmed, which is a very common experience that I hear from moms who I help.
I am so excited to be able to help families and children in so many ways, and am looking forward to expanding even more in the future. Currently, I coach new parents on how to play with their baby to promote development and prevent delays; I teach babies how to move around before they walk; I improve babies’ head shape and head tilt; I help children who struggle with moving their bodies; I help make physical activities more accessible and enjoyable for children so that they can bond better with their family; I save parents money by teaching them how to use household items as toys that promote development; and I coach parents of kids with delays and disabilities on how to build up their child’s strength and confidence so physical play isn’t such a struggle. If you have a child or know a child who struggles with their strength, flexibility or endurance, send them my way!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Having other professionals that I’ve worked with previously & collaborated with on other clients has been helpful. It’s really nice to be able to ask them questions and refer children to them who need additional help, and the referrals also reciprocated. Befriending other professionals who are working in the same field as me has also been great, as they know the indications for my specialty more than another parent would when speaking on my behalf.
Facebook has also been helpful, whether I am posting directly or responding to a family’s request, or another family asks in a private group, and one of my patients recommends me personally to them.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Learning how to adapt, and how to interact with many personalities. Working with people, especially children, and particularly children who have delays or disabilities, you never know what you are walking into. The child could be hyper, tired, hungry, or sad. The mood they are in sets the tone for the entire session. You need to be flexible and able to adapt your plan based on the child, and also make it fun and interesting in order to convince them it’s worth their participation. Also, learning how to modify the way you educate and present education to caregivers who have different personalities is a necessary skill. Many people can interpret words or phrases differently, and pairing that with hormones in a new mom, the results can be catastrophic. Ensuring you know how to articulate the point you want in a way that conveys severity, but not enough to result in panic, is an art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.movingandgroovingpt.com
- Instagram: @movingandgroovingpt
- Facebook: Moving and Grooving PT
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/moving-and-grooving-pediatric-physical-therapy-scottsdale?osq=pediatric+physical+therapy
