Earlier in my career I worked as a speech-language pathologist in a hospital setting. The speech pathology department was separate from the physical and occupational therapy departments, and I rarely had opportunity to interact with these therapists. When I transitioned to a career with RehabVisions, I quickly noticed the benefits of practicing near and collaborating with the other therapy disciplines. In RehabVisions rehab departments, our therapists benefit from working as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Professional Knowledge

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team in a shared therapy space not only expands your general knowledge of the other disciplines but provides an excellent opportunity to “see” your patient participate in their therapy sessions. As life-long learners, there is always something valuable to pick up by seeing and hearing other clinicians work—knowledge of the latest treatment techniques, communication methods or insights on how to best work with a patient who is receiving treatment from multiple therapies.

Patient Care

It goes beyond proximity though, at RehabVisions. The therapists we hire do a good job of communicating across disciplines, taking extra steps to make sure co-workers are on the same page, and working as a team. In our hospitals and skilled nursing communities, many of the patients we treat will require physical, occupational and speech therapy services. It is incredibly important for these therapists to work as a cohesive team, communicating their individual strategies and results while making sure all involved are moving toward a shared goal.

Job Satisfaction

Our rehab managers and team leads work hard to support collaborative work environments within their rehab departments. In addition to this connectedness fostering a happier workplace, therapists are more successful when they aren’t in their own “silo”, with no interaction. It keeps the excitement and energy levels up; good for both therapists and patients.

With awareness that we are sometimes interdependent we can all foster development and communication, and grow professionally in multidisciplinary teams.