Professional Mentorship

Do you need help planning your career? Help with a challenging patient?

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I enjoy working with physical therapists, strength coaches, and students (undergraduate, graduate, even high school) to help guide them professionally. He uses a virtual meeting (Zoom, FaceTime, WebEx) to determine career goals. Once goals are established and agreed upon, a program will be provided that, if performed consistently, will allow you to achieve your goals.

1 hour initial, virtual consultation
1 hour follow-up, virtual consultation
Individualized, custom written suggestions

Get in Touch

If you are interested, email me by clicking below. You will not be charged until we determine if David can help. In your email, please provide the following:

Profession or Major or Plans
What you are doing now (setting, school, year in school, etc.)
Goals

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What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is an opportunity to accelerate growth in any number of ways. Academically, professionally, personally. But at its heart, mentorship relies upon a trusted relationship and meaningful commitment between parties. Mentoring can be traced to ancient Greece as a way to teach young men important values. Modern mentoring has some similarities to its distant past, but is more like a craftsman/apprentice relationship; in other words, it is a relationship in which where young professionals (apprentice) learn from an experienced clinician (artisan).

Check out the blog series on some important mentorship thoughts and considerations:

Physical Therapy Mentorship Series

Finding a physical therapy mentor is important, more important than you may realize at first. Far too many PTs delay finding a mentor, telling themselves it’s not a priority with so many other things to see, do, and learn. But as a former new grad myself, I also know the value of ensuring that you have a mentor.

What is a Physical Therapy Mentor?

A sports physical therapy mentor is a trusted advisor you turn to for help and guidance. Different types of mentors serve different needs; this makes sense . . . after all, you wouldn’t ask a business expert for help with your continuing education options or turn to a pediatric PT for guidance on your choice of residency.

Benefits of a Physical Therapy Mentor

Sports physical therapists often feel like they have to do everything alone: understand diagnoses, differentiate between different positions and sports, proper progression, new surgical techniques. And those are just some of the clinical responsibilities. Having a mentor can make it feel like someone has your back.

What to Discuss with a Mentor

When talking with your physical therapy mentor, the topics to discuss are almost endless. The important thing for you is to establish expectations early on and to constantly check in on them. But also be realistic and sensitive.

Online or In-Person Mentoring

It used to be that online–or virtual–mentorship was viewed as radical and something both the mentor and mentee could not successfully navigate. Times Have Changed. We’ve seen a definite shift from technology as a barrier to overcome to technology as an extremely helpful aid.

My Experiences with a Mentor

These mentors were really teaching me how to live my professional life. Without them, I would not be where I am today and I would not have experienced many of the things I have done thus far. These mentors are one of the reasons I believe in mentoring and why I enjoy being a mentor to so many others now.

Physical Therapy-Specific Mentorship Resources

Most of us start our professional journey wanting to get to the end as soon as possible. As logical as that might seem, it is shortsighted. These mentorship resources will show you that the experience matters and that the end is really just a new stage, not an ending.

Mentoring Stories

I have worked with hundreds of people, here are a few stories . . .

Sam was an established physical therapist who ran an outpatient Sports Medicine Department. She had an opportunity to leave her current facility, move over 1,000 away, and lead the operations for a professional sports team. The usual pro’s and con’s were debated and the meetings concluded with a logical approach to determine how she should proceed.

Sean was a recent graduate of physical therapy school–less than one year out of school–and received an offer to own a single-provider physical therapy clinic. The position’s responsibilities (“I’d be doing everything”) and setting (rural, no support network) were both discussed at length.

Ellie had been out of physical therapy school for two years but wanted to continue moving forward with her career. She and I continue to meet monthly (and have done so for over a year). These sessions involved reviews of research articles, strategies to advance in her current position, and how to continue working toward her long-term management goals.

Jess was in her late-20’s and applied for a senior management position at a private practice clinic. The clinic had five sites. We determined an interview strategy that involved her boldly proposing a new direction for clinic operations and an updated management structure.

Tim was a physical therapy student and wanted to determine a strategy for clinical rotation choices. His goals were to practice in a sport-focused setting upon graduation.

Nicola and I met monthly (and continue to do so) for over a year. She has been out of PT school for four years. She and I discussed how to progress in her hospital and she is now the supervisor for her department. Our discussions revolve around hospital politics, patient questions, research studies, and management strategies.

Jenny was about to graduate from physical therapy school and was considering a job offer or pursue a residency. If residency, she had questions as to which residency would help her achieve her goal of combining strength training and conditioning while also working with injured athletes.

Danni had been a physical therapist for 10 years but was in a self-described rut. She wanted a way to jumpstart her career. “I want to be the PT I wanted to be when I was in PT school.” We spent a year discussing specific patient populations she enjoyed working with, study strategies, the importance of customer service, and other aids to get her where she wanted to be.

A Letter From David

Make Your Own Opportunities

Welcome to the mentorship page of my website. I have been blessed to work with several mentors over the years. Without their support, encouragement, and guidance, I would not have been able to do many of the things I have done. Achieving goals requires hard work, but it is aided by the advice and direction of one who knows what it takes to accomplish tasks.

I would like to help you on your journey. I truly enjoy working with people on their individual professional paths. I care about those I work with and their goals become mine. Sometimes those goals involve direction on a career path . . . advice on a patient or athlete . . . how to publish an article . . . contributing to a professional organization . . . opening a physical therapy clinic or personal training studio . . . advancing a career. I have helped people do all of those things.

Those goals are do-able for anyone. But this journey requires a commitment and honesty from both of us. It requires hard work and moving outside our comfort zone.

My goal is for all of us to live healthy, active lives and to perform to the best of our abilitites. Let me help you achieve your personal and professional goals.

Sincerely yours,

David Potach
Board-Certified Sports Physical Therapist
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Mentorship Solutions

Below are four common mentorship options from which you may choose. If none seem to fit your needs, please email me with specific information as to your needs and goals.

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Contact David

david@preventinjuries.org