Last Updated Oct 2012
We say goodbye to this summer and already start to think about the one to come. Can there be a summer like the ones from childhood, when summer meant a change from our normal routine as therapy professionals? As working adults, we have lost that striking difference between summer and the other seasons. The work we do in June can feel a lot like what we do in February. The vacations we take during summer should not even be classified as such because for so many therapists it just takes too much work to take a vacation.
Many therapists are very concerned about “what might happen” if they were out of touch with their office and therapy clinic for too long. That means many private practitioners take a vacation while still staying in touch with their office via some mobile device, cell phone and/or skyping, texting or email. Can you really focus on your therapy job and take a vacation at the same time? Fears are that if you go away you could lose potential business or that if a crisis occurred, it would not be handled correctly.
Here are some simple planning tips so that you can take a real vacation in the year 
2013:
- Get your staff and therapy assistant well organized and prepared. This way, you can rely on them more and hand responsibility over to them long before you leave.
- Let clients and referral sources know in advance that you will be gone and inform them on who will be handling the day to day operation.
- Give detailed instructions on how to handle phone calls and emails from current and prospective clients.
- If you must “check in”, do it in an organized schedule. That is, once in the morning and once in the evening and stick to your plan.
Consider really using the summer as a vehicle of change for your career in therapy. Therapy professionals, don’t think of our line of work as “seasonal” but in many respects, it is. All types of medical practices are slower in the summer for the obvious reasons – vacation time off for the MDs, students are out of school and away, less elective surgery is performed, etc.
Taking advantage of the low volume of patients can be a great business strategy if you turn it into a way to reward your staff. What better time of the year to institute a seasonal change in the work schedule, and switch to a rotating, compressed 4 day work week for 2 months. Don’t be surprised if you find that more work gets done, and with better results – less time to work also means there is less time to waste, and a constraint in time encourages high quality time. What employee would not relish a three day weekend – that alone can be a huge morale booster and a way to show your appreciation.
There are some hidden benefits to a summer vacation where you can actually do some of your best “work” without realizing it. Because we tend to let our 
guard down mentally and physically, two things often happen without realizing it. New ideas and thoughts filter in when your mind is not so pre-occupied with day to day operational management issues, and people are more quick to make connections. New people and new connections often result in new opportunities or collaborations.
As the therapy professionals say goodbye to another summer, plant the seeds for a different and better one next year!
About the Author: Iris Kimberg, MS PT, OTR, has worked in the non-clinical aspect of therapy for the past 30 years. She is the founder of New York Therapy Guide, a site dedicated to the growth, viability and success of therapists in the private sector. Iris now enjoys sharing her expertise and building business intelligence through workshops, webinars and private consultations. She can be reached at [email protected].
Click here to read more about Iris Kimberg.
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