Why PT School Left Me Guessing (And What Fixed It)

This episode is for US outpatient rehab clinicians (PTs and rehab chiros, ~2–10+ years in) who feel burned out, dread complex evals (especially low backs), and secretly worry they’re still guessing even when patients improve. Deidre talks about going from “some people get better and I don’t know why” and not wanting to go to work, to having a clear system where she looks forward to low-back evals and can answer patient questions with confidence. It shows skeptical, cost-conscious clinicians what actually changes when you have a repeatable clinical reasoning framework instead of another random weekend course.If you’re a rehab clinician who dreads complex evals and feels like you’re still guessing years into practice, this will feel uncomfortably familiar.Deidre went from “some patients get better and I don’t know why” to actually looking forward to low-back evals because she finally had a system.In this episode, you’ll learn:How “patients get better and I don’t know why” quietly destroys your confidence.Why talking to 10–15 year PTs who feel the same can kill your hope.How PRA gave her a step-by-step clinical reasoning framework instead of more random techniques.The specific shift that made her look forward to low-back evals instead of dreading them.How she uses Day-1 education (bed, car, house tasks) to change outcomes fast.Why she now sees patients as teammates in the plan of care, not people she has to “fix”.Her honest take on cost, “this might be a scam,” and what changed in her first week using PRA.