telehealth

Depending on where you are in the world right now, virtual PT is a great option for getting care. I don’t see virtual care diminishing, I only see it growing. 

I was doing ONLY telehealth for the first 5 months of COVID, whenever that was. (Where are we? What day is it?). And now that we are coming back from the holidays and more people testing positive, or even having big snowstorms like we did in Virginia last week, you can still get care!

It’s made me a better PT, and quite honestly, I think you as a patient may get a better session because your provider sees you in YOUR environment! They see the chaos. They see the equipment you have.

I feel like my job is assembling a puzzle. I have to have all the pieces to get the results, but I’m going to be missing pieces in the end if I can’t listen to what my patients are telling me. 

As a provider, I have to be really good at listening, really good at asking questions, and really good at observing because my hands can’t do that for me over Zoom. Two of the best skills we can have as a provider are observing and listening!

Shoot, with the right lighting and the right camera angle, I’ve even diagnosed pelvic organ prolapse during a virtual visit! (Take that Spielberg!)

As the world gets smaller, we have the ability to access so many more things. Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, if you can’t find childcare, as long as you have internet access, you can get good care. I feel strongly about this because I grew up in rural upstate New York and it was a 70 mile drive to a major hospital.

I just wish there were more telehealth options available for people! There are ways to get licensed through partner states that can expand your reach and options to see people virtually. We need to improve convenience and accessibility for moms. We need to be better about making sure our moms have options. 

Because we are tired! If we keep putting off taking care of ourselves, it won’t be good for anyone!