We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacqueline Drees PT, DPT, COMT a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jacqueline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
I took my first job out of grad school working for a large, nationwide physical therapy company and spent five years with them before changing course. I had been in school for so many years prior and I was so excited to finally be making a salary that could cover my expenses and newly accrued student loans. I learned so many good and bad lessons during that time and I will forever be grateful for those experiences. The most important lesson I have taken from that experience, and pushed me to where I am today, is that more patients through the door does not equate to better quality of care. With declining reimbursement rates from insurance companies, many physical therapy providers are having to treat more and more patients in order to make up for the decline in reimbursement. More patients with less time typically leads to poor outcomes. In fact, this combination often leads to burnout and frustration in clinicians which even furthers the decline in patient outcomes. I learned this lesson the hard way which led to my own burn out and compassion fatigue. Increased work demand paired with frustrated patients and coworkers led to a vicious cycle of stress, frustration, and declining outcomes. I have realized the importance of a healthy work-life balance and how it can truly impact positive patient outcomes.
Jacqueline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Jacqueline Drees and I have been practicing as a physical therapist (PT) since 2016. I was furloughed in 2020 as a result of the pandemic lockdown and decided from there to create an independent sustainable PT practice. With the experiences I took from my first job as a PT, I wanted to ensure I was giving my patients the necessary time and dedication to care we all deserve. Many individuals in today’s healthcare system, specifically in the realm of pain and injury, are not receiving the time and care needed to truly identify, and treat, the source of the problem. I see time and time again the overprescription of procedures and medications without looking into the daily choices we make that influence our health. There is a massive overconsumption of resources within the healthcare system and I am hoping to provide a more sustainable option that will better serve both ourselves and our communities in the long run. There is a missing relational piece in the rehabilitation space, so I emphasize the cultivation of meaningful relationships where we can openly and honestly discuss concerns, goals, lifestyle factors, and interventions. I am in this space to help us discover what our body truly needs to heal from pain and injury in order to adapt and become more resilient in our daily lives. I am here to facilitate a healthy independence from unnecessary medical intervention while sustainably adapting our body to become stronger and more mobile. Learning how to adapt our body and build resilience to pain and injury is an important aspect when looking to improve our healthcare sustainability efforts.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Persistence towards understanding and a willingness to be vulnerable. Seeking care for your health is a very vulnerable position to be in. As a healthcare provider, the more we can be vulnerable with our patients, the more room we have to develop trust. The more we persist towards understanding our patients, the less opportunity for fear and resistance and the more room we have for improving outcomes.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
1000% I would choose the same profession. It’s funny in a way, I didn’t truly appreciate my profession until my third ACL reconstruction surgery a year after I had been practicing. It wasn’t until my knee failed me for a third time did I realize I needed to change my approach towards health and rehabilitation. Going through my own rehab journey, after several “failed” attempts, helped me to realize large missing aspects in the rehab process that I may not have discovered had I not been in this profession. I have shifted my mindset and approach when dealing with pain and injury which has shaped how I practice today. Being active is such an important aspect of my life and physical therapy has given me a whole new perspective on how our daily choices impact our mobility and health.
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