Using humor on travel PT jobs

We all know the saying, "laughter is the best medicine," and this can be beneficial for travel physical therapy professionals to keep in mind. Obviously, you'll want to make sure that you are implementing the proper techniques, but when paired with compassion and humor, you can help ensure your patients improve. The key is knowing how to do so appropriately.

Benefits of laughter
Not sure how you can help someone by making them chuckle? Well, laughter is a great way to relax your patient, especially if you are working with someone who is uncomfortable in their first few PT sessions. Cracking a joke will help relieve some of the stress and tension that may have been building up, allowing your patients to feel ready to get to work on exercising. Other health benefits of laughter include a boost to the immune system and the good feelings that come along with an increase to the amount of endorphins being released.

Longtime physical therapy patients may be faced with struggles of depression and other mental health issues. Although it's your responsibility as a travel PT to help improve their physical well-being, you won't see much success if they have negative attitudes toward their recovery. Making your sessions fun through laughter will help them to cope with those down-and-out emotions, and it may even improve their perspectives on the situation.

Lighten up
Not only can humor help aid in the health of your patients, but it will also do you a world of good. While working travel therapy jobs, you may get homesick. By keeping a good hearted attitude toward life and work, you'll see that you are able to enjoy day-to-day activities much more. Looking for ways to improve your humor? Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself. Sure, life can be embarrassing at times, but getting down on yourself over a small mistake – like tripping when you walk into a room – isn't going to do anyone any good.

If you're lucky enough to connect with children throughout the day, it will be a lot easier to look at the lighter side of life. Children are resilient and adults can truly learn a lot from their light-heartedness. Although a toddler may cry when dealing with disappointment, you'll notice that he or she quickly moves onto something else. This should help you put things in perspective and recognize when something shouldn't be taken seriously.