Endorsement from Amy Fox, DPT
If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re considering working at Synergy Healthcare. Let me aid you a little in your decision-making process. I have worked for Synergy just under 2 years and it is by far the BEST clinic I have ever worked for. In hindsight, I wish I would have started my PT career here right out of grad school, but I was not so fortunate. Nonetheless, working at other clinics gave me a greater appreciation for my role at Synergy. What makes it such a great place to work you might ask? I have ten reasons (in no particular order) that easily come to mind.
First, the owner, Shauna Burchett, actually cares about her employees; she wants you to LOVE your job and will work with you to establish an individual contract that works for you. She is very approachable and easy to communicate with. She understands that life comes before work. I’ve never had such a healthy balance between work and life.
Second, each employee at Synergy is valued; we begin staff meetings by going around and stating “our needs.” This fosters communication between staff and leaves no room to fixate on any issues you may have. And did I mention that we have at least one staff meeting per month?
Third, we take a team approach at Synergy and collaboration with colleagues is a given; everyone contributes and everyone’s input is valuable. There is no down playing a colleague’s contribution based on title, degree or experience. Everyone believes that each person brings something unique to the team.
Fourth, our support staff rocks! They are so organized, on top of insurance, authorizations, billing, scheduling, etc. There is great communication between them and with us therapists. They are our patients’ prime advocates throughout the course of their rehabilitation. Not to mention, when I have down time, you will find me at the front chit chatting with them.
Fifth, our quality of care is the absolute BEST in the Northwest (and I’m willing to bet on this)! We are not a mill clinic; we treat one patient per hour because that’s what is ethical and that’s what our patients deserve. No billing four units when you only saw the patient for two. No maxing out a patient’s benefits when they don’t need to be seen as much. Of course, if you deem that a 30-minute treatment session is more appropriate for a particular patient, then treat him or her for 30 minutes.
This leads me to my sixth point, you are practically your own boss. There is no micromanaging. You are trusted to fulfill your role and to do it well. We are comprised of self-starters and motivated people. The office staff will definitely schedule patients for you, but you manage your own schedule. Work the hours you want to work. Take your lunch when you want to. Schedule vacation time when you want to (run it by Shauna first). Don’t feel ashamed to call in if you or your child is actually sick. Your health and well being is actually primary to the patients’ because if you’re not well, you can’t make others well. I’ve never so appreciated the flexibility in work hours as I have while working at Synergy.
Another unique aspect is that each therapist has their own treatment room/office with your own high/low table. It’s your own space to call home, to hang things on the wall, to have access to your books, to document uninterrupted. Yes, spoiled is another word for this!
Now onto point number eight. You will never stop learning at Synergy. We get a good number of the toughest of the tough cases, and we give these patients our very BEST. We use cutting edge interventions and modalities. Continuing education, mentorship, and manual skill sets are high priorities for those who work at Synergy. If you aren’t passionate about learning and don’t want to challenge yourself, this is not the clinic for you; however, on the flip side, if you are a sponge and gravitate towards challenges, you will fit in very well.
Point number nine, if you’ve been a therapist for any length of time, you know that the amount of documentation is on the rise. None of us want to spend our nights and weekends finishing up notes that we could not get to during the work day. Ask Shauna to work with you to set up a reasonable ratio of treatment and documentation time. Remember, she wants you to LOVE your job and no one loves doing documentation on their own time outside of work.
And finally, to point ten, which is really a combination of everything I’ve written above, you will thrive working at Synergy. We all have a lot of fun together. You will enjoy the humor, the laughs, the support from your colleagues and boss. You will definitely improve your quality of life! I can say this because I’ve experienced “the grass on the other side.”
If you’ve made it this far without calling to schedule an interview, now is the time to do it! This clinic is the creme of the crop, a diamond in the rough, a Godsend for patients, and the very BEST place to work! Take my word for it, take a risk, quit your job or start your career at the RIGHT clinic, try something new and grow professionally more than you ever will any place else!
