Improve Your Home-Based Skills: My Recipe for Delivering Excellent Pediatric Services
Home-based pediatric PT (during COVID 19 in Austin, TX)
With over 13 years experience, providing home-based pediatric PT and wellness is my bread and butter. I love the autonomy of making my own schedule, the daily challenges creating fun and exciting exercises, and the joy I feel when I see a child thrive at home with his family. Recently, I received a bunch of questions from new graduates and other practitioners looking to transition into this exciting home-based therapy world. Read more about pediatric physical therapy here.
If you are thinking about becoming a home-based therapist, check out my personal recipe for delivering excellent pediatric services:
Communication, Communication, Communication
Communicating with colleagues
From the moment you step through that front door, you are not just a healthcare provider, but also an active listener. Establishing a relationship with a family takes time. From day one, show parents you are listening. Remember, you might be the first adult a tired mom can lean on during a stressful time. Even if you are at your last appointment and feel the weight from a busy day, take a breath, be present, and listen.
Furthermore, improving your communication really helps direct your patient-centered goals. Listen to what is important to the parent and incorporate those parent-directed goals into your plan of care. Verbalize your initial plan, expectations for therapy, and schedule with the family. This collaboration helps provide a team approach getting everyone on the same page to optimize goal outcomes.
Lastly, if you do not know the answer, ask questions. Utilize your more experienced colleagues for support, just as you would working side-by-side in an outpatient clinic. Write down you co-worker’s numbers and emails and start developing your professional support network. Consider asking your boss about mentorship programs or involving yourself in a local or national professional association like the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy. Asking questions is not a weakness, it makes you a stronger scientist and healthcare professional.
2. Adaptability
Floor therapy at home
Creativity and pediatrics go hand-in-hand no matter what setting you work in. In my experience, working in the home setting requires therapists to not only be extremely creative, but also adaptive to achieve successful treatments. As we know, it is important to design exercises to achieve goals that the child and parents recreate in their home environment on a daily basis. Unlike modern outpatient clinics equipped with treadmills, trampolines, balance beams, etc, the success of home-based intervention starts with a therapist adapting exercises to each different home environment.
In some cases, you might work in a home with a giant playroom with any toy, table, or ball you could dream of. In my experience, I typically work in the middle of a busy living room floor, wedged between the couch, table, and tv. When I first started practicing, I found it useful to brainstorm at least 5 different ways I could adapt exercises to achieve the same treatment goals in the space provided. For example, if I wanted a child to improve balance during walking, I would consider using a portable step stool, stepping over a string, stepping through a hula-hoop, standing on a pillow, and marching to a fun song. During my session, I would start with the space we had available and see which technique optimized my results. I would also think of different motivation tools like a fun song, stickers, bubbles, or using a special toy to improve activity endurance.
Every child is different, therefore, planning out creative strategies prepares you to adapt and succeed no matter where you are and who you are working with.
3. Time Management
When you are out in the field driving from house to house, there will be a day you are running late. Driving between homes to appointments increases your chances of having a flat tire, hitting unforeseen traffic, or even have a session that runs way over. Here are some ideas to help avoid unwanted schedule delays:
Plan driving routes around morning and afternoon rush-hours
Cluster your patients by location and time they are available.
Keep your appointment schedule as consistent as possible to improve no shows and cancellation statistics.
If you are running late, a prompt phone call or text communicating the delay helps maintain your professional relationship with each family you work with. Understanding time management is a great way to combine both your communication and adaptability skills!
If you are looking for home-based services and live in the Austin Area, Boost Babies provides pediatric physical therapy, wellness, and infant massage. We also offer virtual visits for all services and for families outside of Austin. Contact Us today!