Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jaime Kent. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jaime, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.

I attended Ohio University for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. During PT school, I sought out every opportunity available to further my education in the pediatric field which ranged from assisting with treatments at a local clinic to designing and running a motor skill group for children with disabilities. I was also able to do two of my four clinical rotations in pediatric settings.

Jaime, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up, I always gravitated toward working with children. This started with volunteering in our church’s nursery/Sunday school classes and evolved into babysitting and teaching swim lessons. During college, I was accepted into the competitive Interior Design program at Ohio University. Design had been a huge interest of mine, but I began to doubt that I would feel fulfilled by this job. My passion had been helping people, and whenever I pictured my future in a design career, it just felt a little empty. This led to my “quarter life crisis” as I now affectionally call it: hours of research followed by observations of various healthcare workers. Within minutes of observing the treatment and care in a pediatric PT clinic, I knew I had found my calling. The joy and grit these kids showed was inspiring and I wanted to be on their team, helping them make strides toward their fullest potential.

After graduating with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy, I did a mentorship at Dallas Children’s Hospital in their outpatient rehab clinic. I worked in different outpatient clinics over the next 9 years and absolutely loved my job. One frustration I had was with my patients with plagiocephaly, or flat heads. Plagiocephaly is typically caused by tightness or weakness in the neck, causing a baby to only turn their head to one side. Over time, a flat spot develops. Typically, PTs treat this with education on stretching, strengthening and repositioning during the day, without any nighttime intervention. This allows the baby to continue sleeping on the flat side of their head, leading to further flattening. Because of this. many of our plagiocephaly patients ended up needing helmets. As a healthcare professional who is also a bit of a perfectionist, I found this extremely frustrating because I felt the parents of my patients deserved better.

Then, I got the opportunity to work for a company called Baby Begin. It was founded by Occupational Therapist Jennifer Barnard, who developed a safe and effective way to reposition babies at night, which successfully corrects their head shape without a helmet. This was life-changing for me as a therapist, because I could now offer an effective solution to my patients with plagiocephaly. It was an enriching experience to see how parents and their babies thrived when treatment was performed in the comfort of their homes. The little patients perform better there because it is so convenient, with everything they need immediately available during our treatment sessions. Plus, the parents are able to be completely involved in the sessions, which leads to better carryover and patient outcomes.

After moving to Columbus with my family two years ago, I decided to start Mighty Milestones, LLC. I have been able to take the things I’ve learned and loved from various settings in which I’ve worked, to implement a therapy model that yields great results. My primary practice is plagiocephaly, but I have in-depth experience in all forms of pediatric PT, so I am able to treat other pediatric diagnoses as well.

This is such a rewarding and fulfilling profession, and I have loved growing my business here, where we’ve put down roots as a family.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When I first opened my business, I knew I needed to decide which marketing strategy would be the most effective, so I started thinking about what I look for myself when choosing professional services. The question answered itself: Word of mouth. Fortunately, through my work I’ve built some great professional relationships with various pediatricians/clinicians who make referrals to me, and that helped. But the most important thing was my relationship with previous clients. I have to say that it’s tremendously flattering, and very gratifying, to receive referrals from patients I’ve worked with. More than half of my new patients find me this way, and it always makes me smile to hear the circuitous ways I am found — like “my best friend’s cousin’s neighbor used you and just raved about you!” The best part of my job is seeing the results that can be achieved through just a few appointments, but hearing the happy reactions from parents after those successes runs a close second. I love my job, and I think my enthusiasm for it is obvious. That’s something you can’t fake, and I think a good reputation just follows naturally.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

The number one thing is a love and excitement for what you do coupled with a strategic work-life balance. I know many therapists who have switched careers because they got burned out with the traditional therapy model where they are overbooked and underpaid. I feel confident in my business model, because I am in complete control of my caseload. This means I don’t overbook myself, allowing me to give my current patients excellent care and attention, while limiting burnout.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mightymilestones.org
• Instagram: @mightymilestones.llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Mighty-Milestones-LLC-100087928091005/
• Other: e-mail: [email protected]