Having to give up or pause on a dream?

When I started to work with people with persistent pain I started to realise something early on; this condition often needs a team approach to address different aspects of the pain and its impact by the right people. This may include doctors, specialists, dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, pharmacists, psychologists, and more. Of course not all of these, but these professions (and more) can play an important role. However, when multiple people are involved in someone’s care and they are not on the same page it can actually create issues and lose its effectiveness.

When I worked as a sole trader I found it very challenging to collaborate with different professionals. I found there were so many barriers and mostly around the way that the private healthcare system is set up in Australia. We all work in isolation, collaboration is not in any way incentivised. Healthcare professionals essentially have to give up their own free time and make an effort to make this happen. Some people are generous enough that they actually do this (shout out to Ruth Sehnke). However, in my opinion I don’t think it can be expected.

This is one of the reasons I wanted to create a clinic with different professions working in the same place, collaborating on people’s care which would theoretically lead to improved outcomes for people and would also provide ease for people.

I wanted to start by recruiting a psychologist and dietitian as I find these professions are crucial in the care of people living with persistent pain or recovering from injuries. And I felt so grateful to have found two incredible professionals from each profession. I have to be honest I was a little surprised I was able to pull it off!

Unfortunately, these two amazing professionals have moved on from us. They are fortunately still helping people and working in their field, just not with us.

So the dream is completely over!

No, of course not. But after a lot of contemplation and talking to other clinic owners I have had to make a decision to put recruiting in these professions on hold. The reality is that recruiting and onboarding is very costly and time consuming. Especially for professions that are quite different to my own.

To conserve my energy, the focus for the time being will be on what we are currently offering, and improving everything we are currently doing.

I am hoping to revisit it again in the future, but for now it will have to be paused.

Written by

Samuel Bulten

Exercise Physiologist | Masters in Medicine (Pain Management)

Director, Adapt Movement

Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. These blogs are written by Sam Bulten and represent his opinions and insights and are based on his experience and interpretation of the research. As Sam is a human, these opinions and insights are not absolute truths.