Yes, you read that correctly. I believe creativity is the soft skill that all physical therapists have and need to be successful clinicians. If you’re telling yourself, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” allow me to change your mind.
First, everyone is creative (not just physical therapists).
In August, I purchased a book entitled, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron. In the introduction, Cameron explains the fact that everyone is creative. That means doctors, occupational + speech therapists, and our loved ones are in fact, creative. However, in most people, the ability to use that creativity is often suppressed and dormant. It is up to the person to tap into the skill and use it for the good of others and ultimately their self. I’ll go into more detail about this later.
Next, being creative is different from being artistic.
By my friends and family, I was always known for being creative, but a career in the arts was not necessarily the best option in terms of job security. When I entered physical therapy school, I was dealing with doubts about becoming a PT because I wasn’t able to express myself creatively. To fulfill that need, I resorted to making “pretty notes.”
I mention this because I didn’t need a “creative outlet” to be happy – I was actually seeking artistic opportunities. According to Indeed.com, creativity is described as “the ability to think about a task or a problem in a new or different way, or the ability to use the imagination to create new ideas.” Whereas, the dictionary defines artistic as “satisfying aesthetic requirements” and “exhibiting an involvement in or appreciation of the fine arts (drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.).” Coming to terms with the difference of these skills is something I needed to learn, and I think we as people tend to think of creativity and artistic ability to be the same. In reality, the two go hand in hand.
Now that I understand these definitions, I consider myself to be both artistic and creative. These skills led me to opportunities at my graduate school that allowed me to use both and ultimately prove that healthcare students can be creative too.
Finally, how are physical therapists creative?
Honestly, I could have made my point by just answering this question without acknowledging the first two statements. I’m sure most physical therapists would answer this question in the same way: “We create unique exercises and activities to improve the patient’s function. We create an individualized plan of care for each of our patients.” That response isn’t wrong, but I ask you, the reader, to use your creativity and think about physical therapy beyond a patient standing on foam with one leg while throwing a 5 lb. medicine ball at a trampoline to get back to their sport or modifying the fine motor activity to fit the patient’s hobbies and interests.
- During an ongoing pandemic, physical therapists are thinking outside the box (more rather a computer screen) to provide rehabilitation to their patients. Telehealth unlocks the opportunity to explore different methods of examination and treatment without meeting the patient in person. Physical therapists who are also professors modified their methods of instruction to be virtually compatible, so students can continue their coursework.
- There is creativity when we write our letters of medical necessity to companies so our patients get the appropriate adaptable equipment. We have a way with words when we explain a patient’s PT and medical diagnoses.
- Physical Therapists who work in the home health setting have to use the items in their patient’s home to modify the environmental barriers and improve patient’s function and quality of life. Similarly, physiotherapists in developing nations have to use natural resources to construct therapy equipment and assistive devices.
- Creativity is required for private practice owners and entrepreneurs when establishing their business’s brand + color story, services, marketing strategy, and interior clinic design + layout. They are challenged to use new social media features to reach their target audience.
- Some physical therapists write blogs, pamphlets, infographics, courses and programs to educate the patient or other physical therapists. Others present the information in digital formats like podcasts and YouTube videos.
I could go on and list more examples of creativity in the physical therapy profession, but I will leave it as is so you can use your imagination and come up with the rest of them.
If you’re still in disagreement, it is because your creative being is suppressed, and that’s okay. The poet Sylvia Plath once said, “The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.” The first step to unleashing your creative being is by believing in yourself. Turn the first two statements I mentioned into affirmations (“Everyone is creative.” and “Being creative is different from being artistic.”). Repeat saying or writing these affirmations to yourself until you believe it to be true. Additionally, perhaps why you may not see the necessity of this soft skill in our practice is because you’re stuck in the same methods of patient care. I encourage you to change things up! Listen to PT-related webinars + podcasts, read research articles, and observe physical therapists around you. Treat yourself to getting new tools for your toolbox and actually implement them in your plan of care.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope it allowed you to see physical therapy in a new light.
As always, you can follow me and my journey #forthedpt on Instagram (@jordaineenriquez).
Until next time,
Jordaine Enriquez, your fellow creative SPT