Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Rispoli. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I would say I can point to 2 defining moments in my professional career. One is a personal moment, and one is a business moment. The first defining moment would be when I became a mom. I remember the morning I was going back to work for the first time, walking into my son’s room to check on him one more time as he slept, and thinking to myself “Work is overrated.” From that moment on, my goal was to work less, not more; work smarter, not harder. 18 years goes by quick and it really is the little, day to day moments that matter. A few years later I was able to transition from full time to PRN, which allowed me to be in control of my schedule. I took this time to further my education in women’s health/pelvic floor.
Shortly after this, I approached a former colleague of mine who had his own practice and asked him if he would be interested in offering pelvic floor services out of his office on a part time basis. We reached an agreement and I was able to begin providing exclusive pelvic floor services here. Business was steadily building and I was looking forward to expanding my hours there. However, little did I know but the second defining point of my career was about to happen.
6 or 7 months after joining this practice, he informed me that he was closing the doors. I was shocked, and it certainly left me in a difficult position. Because of my specialization, no corporate office would allow me to provide services through them and set my own schedule. If I were to work for anyone else, I would either A) lose my flexibility or B) lose my ability to provide exclusive pelvic floor therapy services.
After much consideration, it became clear that the best option for me would be to start my own business, so that is what I did! St. Louis Women’s Physical Therapy was born, and I am happy to provide quality pelvic floor physical therapy for women, as well as ensure I am able to be present in my son’s life.
Jennifer, 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 love of physical therapy began when I was 12 years old and I sustained a knee injury while playing travel softball. After undergoing surgery and physical therapy, I was amazed at how much stronger I was than prior to surgery. From that moment on, I wanted to share with others how amazing the body is and how it can heal itself. I have wanted to work in healthcare for as long as I can remember, and while my first thought was to become an OBGYN, physical therapy captured my heart and there was no turning back.
I obtained my Bachelor’s of Health Science from Maryville University in 2010 and my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2012. Even in school, I had an interest and passion for women’s health. I spent 50% of my clinical experience working with pelvic floor physical therapists in order to further my knowledge in this area that is not taught in traditional PT school, and I was really excited when I learned I could combine my love of women and babies with physical therapy! I have received post doctorate education through the American Physical Therapy Association and had extensive training in incontinence, pelvic pain, and bowel dysfunction. I also recently completed my Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Specialist (PCES) certification to become one of only a few therapists in the state of Missouri with extensive training and specialization with this population of women.
Following my graduation in 2012, I began work in the outpatient orthopedic setting, treating a wide variety of surgical and nonsurgical pain and injuries. I have also worked in the home health setting. I am pretty confident, comfortable, and experienced working with patients with all abilities and in all stages of life.
My passion for women’s health has been furthered by my husband’s work as a marriage counselor. Sexual pain and dysfunction are extremely common, especially after pregnancy and childbirth. Pelvic pain plays a significant role in marital satisfaction, and I believe that keeping families together and creating great marriages is of the utmost importance. I am passionate about doing anything I can to address these issues in order to keep families happily intact. Unfortunately, over the years, women have been led to believe that pain and incontinence are typical and unavoidable side effects to childbirth and the aging process. I am committed to educating women that these issues are preventable and treatable, leading to an increased quality of life.
Outside of work, I spend time with my husband, son, and yellow lab. You can frequently find me at Cardinal games, cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers or Chicago Bears, hiking, traveling wherever and whenever I get the chance, watching dramas and cheesy reality shows, or reading a good book.
As to what I do, pelvic floor physical therapy can treat the following diagnoses:
Incontinence (urine, gas, or stool)
Nocturia (waking more than once a night to go to the bathroom)
Urinary frequency (urinating more than once every 2 hours)
Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Pelvic and perineal pain
Interstitial Cystitis (IC)
Pelvic Floor Tension
Vulvodynia
Dyspareunia (Painful sex)
Postpartum Muscle Weakness
Sexual Dysfunction
Muscle Spasms
Constipation
Coccyx or tailbone pain
Pelvic floor Muscle Weakness
Prolapse management
Pre and Postoperative (hysterectomy, laparoscopic female procedures, etc)
Symptoms of Endometriosis and PCOS
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
That is an interesting question. Do I love what I do? Yes. Do physical therapists have some of the highest job satisfaction rates in the medical community? Yes. Do I love my specialization and would I do it again? Yes. But knowing what I know now about physical therapy, would I as an 18 year old sign up for a physical therapy degree? I am not sure. I was accepted into Maryville University’s direct entry program, which meant that my classes were streamlined and I completed my education a little sooner than other’s who take the more traditional route of a 4 year undergrad and then a 3 year grad school requirement. What most don’t realize is that PTs are graduating with $100,000+ in debt. However, despite having doctorates and spending 7-8 years in school (longer for some), our salaries are nowhere near close to what they should be for the amount of time, education, and money spent. On top of that, our reimbursement just keeps shrinking. We are literally getting paid less today from Medicare and insurance companies than we were 10 years ago. In order for business to keep their doors open, PTs have to see multiple patients at a time to offset the cuts in reimbursement. This drives down therapist satisfaction and produces burnout. Every PT I know truly loves what they do. And every one also says the system is so broken. We are constantly being asked to do more for less. We can no longer just treat patients, but have to spend hours documenting and arguing with insurance companies just to get paid. To me, this is a waste of my time and ability to help others, which is why my business model doesn’t include working directly with insurance companies. I spend my time helping people.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
The ability to listen and have empathy. There may not be a lot someone remembers about you, but they will remember how you made them feel. They can tell if you care, or if you are just another patient for them, someone in and out the revolving door. Especially in my line of work, there can be some sensitive topics that arise. While I am not a counselor, there are many times that I have spent half a session just listening to and talking through things with my clients. We hardly do any PT, but yet they leave feeling remarkably better. Tailor your plan to what the patient needs. Sometimes that means you scrap the entire plan you had for the session, and you just meet the client where they are. Flexibility is key.
I also think being honest is important. If I don’t think I can help someone, I let them know and refer them to someone I think can. If they are better and don’t need to see me, or don’t need to see me as often as they were, I let them know. Everyone only has a finite amount of time and money, and I want to be a good steward of that. I am not out to wase anyone’s time or money. If I don’t know the answer to something, I tell them I don’t know but I will look into it and get back to them. People appreciate honestly.
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