There are too many physical therapists | What I honestly think as someone in this industry

A new graduate has joined the workplace again.
Even though it happens every year, this year I felt a little differently.
“Where will these kids be standing in 10 years?”
I was thinking about that vaguely.

I've started to feel something every time a new graduate joins

I am now in my 14th year as a physical therapist.
Every spring, new staff members arrive at the workplace.
That is a scene that hasn't changed for a long time.
But recently, the feeling I get when I see that scene has been changing little by little.
In the past, I used to think, “It’s going to get lively with more juniors.”
That’s how I thought.
But now, I find myself thinking, “Where will these people be standing in 10 years?”
I don't mean to criticize my juniors at all.
It's quite the opposite.
When I see them facing patients seriously and trying desperately to learn techniques, I feel like supporting them.
But at the same time,
as someone who knows the reality of the industry, I have an indescribable feeling.There are really too many people in this industry.

The reality of “too many” that I feel in the field

I will put aside the talk of numbers for a moment.
Please let me write honestly about what I actually feel.
First,I feel that while the gateway to employment is wide, the range of choices is narrowing.
There are many job openings.
But the number of workplaces with truly good conditions is limited, and many people flock to them.
I feel that my position has changed from being the “one who chooses” to the “one who is chosen” compared to before.
Next,I feel that it has become harder to change one's standing within the workplace.
Even though the number of staff has increased, the number of positions has not.
There is a limit to the number of people who can become managers.
The number of people who can move up remains a handful.
When I realized that,the feeling that “if you work hard, you will be rewarded” gradually faded away.
And I also feel that “only you can do this” is becoming harder to convey.
There are times when patients tell me, “I don't want anyone but you.”
That is very gratifying.
But within an organization, there are many situations where it is more convenient for things to be “the same no matter who does it.”
I feel that there are more workplaces that demand standardized responses rather than individual skills.
The more physical therapists there are, the more the “rarity of each individual” fades.
That is what I am feeling in the field right now.

What I realized while watching my juniors

A while ago, I had the opportunity to talk with a junior who had been working for a few years.
“Senior, what are you going to do from here on?”
That question, asked suddenly, has remained in my head.
My junior was by no means giving up on the future.
I think they asked because they were thinking seriously and the answer was hard to see.
How did I answer?
To be honest, I couldn't answer immediately.
“I don't know if it's the right answer to keep working at the hospital like this.”
Even while feeling that, a concrete alternative path didn't come to mind immediately.
At that moment, I realized that before worrying about my junior, I hadn't been thinking about myself.
I knew the industry was changing.
I also felt that there were too many people.
But I hadn't thought properly about how I would act in response to that.
The question from my junior was also a question directed at me.

How to live in an overcrowded industry

I will be honest.
The increase in physical therapists will not stop.
Training schools will continue to exist.
Every year, new physical therapists will continue to be born.
We don't have the power to stop that.
So, what do we do?
There is one answer I have come up with.
Instead of “myself within the industry as a whole,”“creating myself for someone specific.”.
If there is an oversupply, the value of an “ordinary physical therapist” will relatively decrease.
But,if there is even one person who thinks “it has to be this person,” your value will not decrease within that relationship.
Within a large organization like a hospital, it is difficult to create that “designated relationship.”
But if you go outside the organization, you can connect directly with people who seek you out.
I didn't start my side job in Seitai (bodywork) because I had great ambition.
I just wanted to test if my skills would work outside the hospital.
And when I actually did it and people started coming back, I felt, “This person is coming because they want me personally.”
That feeling was something I couldn't experience at the hospital.
Instead of trying to fight in an overcrowded industry, create a small place that seeks you out.
That is the realistic solution I am thinking of now.

If you felt even a little bit of “I understand” in this article, I would be happy if you could press the Like button.
The feeling you have about the field is surely an honest one.

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