RE: Belgian health care services main issues and why I quit my job as a Physiotherapist
Interesting, I'm a PTA on home health, and I've seen some of the same issues here in the states, depending on what system you're in.
In a SNF setting, the "productivity" standards are ridiculous. As a PTA I was expected to have at least 92%. Meaning that 92% of my clock time, I was expected to have a patient in a billable activity. That's doable, but stressful. PTs are expected 90%. With all of the paperwork required, that's damned near impossible.
Now that I'm in home health, it's a MUCH better fit for me. My productivity is based on "units" per week. I'm expected to get 32. That's a combination of patient visits, driving miles, and required meetings.
We have the same clinical system in school. 12 weeks of unpaid work for me, and I believe that as much as 20 for PT.
Depending on which state you're in, the pay varies wildly. When I lived in St. Louis, the ceiling for my pay was about $24/hr, now that I moved to Texas, I can make up to $40/hr. Full PTs make significantly more.
It appears that PTs here have a bit more freedom on their treatments. Orders usually come through as "Evaluate and Treat As Indicated"
Anyway, good luck to you! I enjoyed the post.
Interesting ! I had never heard anything about PTA out of Europe before your comment, thanks ! Probably some other posts about health incoming. I'd like to elaborate simple advices to make the dialogue between Hospitals employees and their customers easier.