Skip to main content

Meredith Castin, PT, DPT, was tired of "being expected to be 3 places at 1 time," then having multiple parties express frustration with her when she failed to do the physically impossible.

Burnout

There also was the psychological toll of constantly being outed in what therapy staff called "the log of shame"—a ledger in which they were required to list their billable units at the end of each day. If they hadn't met the hospital's productivity requirements, they had to explain why they'd failed to do so. Housed in the charting alcove, the log was readily accessible to every physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist, and physical therapist assistant (PTA)—who thus could see which individuals were making the performance grade and which weren't.

Never mind that the southern California PT's productivity was compromised by multiple factors outside her control, such as being scheduled to work in different units simultaneously, having insufficient time to document, needing to remember ever-changing entry codes on doors, and having constantly to walk back and forth among units.

Log in or create a free account to keep reading.


Join APTA to get unlimited access to content.

  1. Castin A. Physical therapy burnout is destroying our profession (blogpost). http://covalentcareers.com/blog/physical-therapy-burnout/. Accessed November 1, 2018.
  2. Berry J. Occupational burnout in physical therapy: clinical implications and strategies for reduction. http://www.fsbpt.org/Portals/0/documents/free-resources/Spring2018ForumOccupationalBurnoutinPhysicalTherapy.pdf. Accessed November 1, 2018.
  3. Jette DU. Physical therapist student loan debt. Phys Ther. 2016;96(11):1685-1688.
  4. Tepper DE. How to cope with health care education costs. PT in Motion. 2014;6(2):34-43.

You Might Also Like...

Article

Advancing the Role of PTs in Falls Prevention Together: From Congress to Clinics

Sep 15, 2025

Through advancing evidence-based care, community education about the importance of prevention, and coordinated advocacy around federal legislation, PTs,

News

The Clock Is Ticking for Congress to Extend Medicare Telehealth Waivers

Sep 9, 2025

Congress must act by Sept. 30 to extend current telehealth access for PTs, PTAs, and other therapy providers.

News

Congress Investigating TRICARE Issues Amid Provider and Patient Disruptions

Sep 5, 2025

Congress is beginning to formally investigate ongoing issues with the TRICARE system that have affected health care providers and military families who