4 Signs you may be ready for a non-clinical career

Physiotherapy is one of the most rewarding professions. Every time a patient tells me that they are feeling better my heart fills with joy. Although, from time to time I found myself wondering, what else could I do with my educational background? What are the non-clinical options for physiotherapists? 

Many physiotherapists, of course, search for answers to these questions more often than I did. Some even go on to get a degree in management, clinical research, or any other field to change their career path. Factors such as burnout, inflexibility, less pay, lack of growth, or simply lack of interest can play a role in this decision. 

Let’s look at the possible signs that you may be ready to go non clinical.

A clinical career is great but you want to try something else for now.

You may want to temporarily take a break from your career or may think you have seen it all and ready for more. Or maybe there is a freaking pandemic going on! In all these instances, You will often find yourself googling ‘physiotherapy work from home jobs’ or something similar.

Some physiotherapists love their clinical careers. But they can not spend long hours at the clinic or at the hospital. Because they may have a family to look after or some other commitments.

In all the above cases, it is a good idea to take some time off from the clinical career and explore more non-clinical options. Stay tuned on this site to get more information on this!

You are bored at your current job.

Although patient care is rewarding, it is not for everybody. Think about the job satisfaction you will have when you are out there the whole day, putting a smile on your face, and doing a job that you don’t find interesting! Sounds like a disastrous way to live! 

If you are coming from a place of disinterest, you may not be able to serve the patients who come to you with the hope of getting better. It is essential at this point to introspect and see if you really like what you are doing. So do yourself a favor and think about changing your career path.

Remember, you will be spending 40 hours every week (if not more) at your job. That is almost half of your awake time! Make sure you spend that time doing what you love.

You lost your interest when you were in college

Everybody struggles through college during exam time. But if you simply lacked the will to struggle because what you were studying was not appealing to you, then it is time to consider another career path. It is okay if you did not like a subject or two. But if you always wondered, why am I here or constantly told yourself I am not made for this, then you are not made for this. 

One of the physiotherapy students I know, saw her friend getting better with physiotherapy treatment. That inspired her and she got enrolled in a physiotherapy course. Soon she realized, she did not enjoy studying anatomy, physiology, and other subjects. Although the physiotherapy profession appealed to her at first, she did not have the aptitude to study through the physiotherapy college. If that is the case for you, seek guidance from your professors, parents, and experts to decide what you want to do next.

You are certain that you don’t want a clinical career but don’t know what else to do

You may fit in either one or more of the above scenarios, either ways, you have made your mind that the clinical career is not for you. You are sure you need to change but you don’t know what to do. You may be afraid of the judgement from your co workers, mentors, classmates when you decide to leave the patient care. It is okay to be scared of uncertainty but it is not okay to let other people’s opinion stop you from what you really want to do. Stay tuned for more information and non clinical spotlights. You may just end up picking up your inspiration from here!