Jas the Physiotherapist : Life is the dancer and you are the dance (Eckhart Tolle)

In honour of International Women’s Month, I have taken the opportunity to speak with women in male-dominated fields to discuss the challenges they have faced on the road to success, both educationally and professionally, and how they are planning for their future careers and, eventually, retirement. One of these women was Jas, a physiotherapist who has opened her own clinic. Jas is a single mother of two. She is highly educated in her field, with a Master’s in Manual Therapy. She is still constantly educating herself so she can provide specialist services to her clients, including treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction, TMJ, and vestibular issues such as vertigo.

 Interestingly, Physiotherapy is actually a female-dominated profession, in terms of numbers. Over 75% of physiotherapists are female. But in terms of compensation and power, women earn only 85% of what men earn for the same responsibilities and activities. In institutional settings men are often promoted into supervisory positions over female colleagues despite their greater numbers. Because of these inequities, more women are moving into clinical setting where they have greater flexibility in working hours, patient management, and autonomy.

“…women’s salary expectations for their first job out of graduate school are significantly lower than men’s…”– Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT, ATC, Founder Letter: It’s Time to Close the PT Gender Pay Gap, Web PT

 Jas graduated from University in 2001 and had early jobs covering maternity leaves and working in private clinics as an employee. Unstable work conditions made her realize she needed to find something more permanent, and she found a position in a multidisciplinary clinic owned by two male partners. She was eventually offered a working partnership in the clinic. During this partnership she continued her education, earning her Master’s degree, and certificates in several specialty disciplines, but the balance in the partnership was off. She was doing the majority of the work, bringing new clients to the clinic, and performing majority of the administrative functions, but was still getting only unequal share of the profits. Her male partners were not listening to or collaborating with her, making partnership decisions without her, and she was dissatisfied. She stayed with this status quo for several years because she had young children. But changes in her life circumstances in 2016 (yearning for change and deciding to fully plunge in entrepreneurship), plus the fortuitous chance for a perfect clinic space, led her to leave the partnership and open her own clinic.

 “As a majority female profession, it stands to reason that women would be similarly represented at all levels of our profession. Unfortunately, as in many professions, women have been under-represented in leadership roles in physical therapy.”–Sharon Dunn, PT, PhD, OCS, President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Founder Letter: It’s Time to Close the PT Gender Pay Gap, Web PT

 In 2016, Jas opened her clinic with just herself and an office manager on staff. She now employs two part-time physios, three part-time massage therapists, and one part-time chiropractor, Her success is due to her own hard work and she now has a new five year plan–opening another clinic.

“The female-dominated professions in health care are not as powerful as the male-dominated medical profession.”–Physiotherapy – A Feminine Profession, STEPHANIE D. SHORT, The Australian Journal of Physiotherapy. Vol. 32, No.4, 1986

 Even now, in 2019, she feels she needs to talk to male doctors differently from female ones when out networking for her business. Whereas a male physiotherapist might break through by golfing or going for a beer, she has had to rely on persistence and results. She uses her success rates with fixing her clients’ issues to get patient referrals from the male doctors.

“…there’s clearly still a clear disconnect between the value women bring to the business table and the level of compensation they receive—specifically compared to men who perform the same job functions.” — Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT, ATC, Founder Letter: It’s Time to Close the PT Gender Pay Gap, Web PT

By taking control of her situation and having the confidence in her training and experience, Jas is a success story in the field of physiotherapy, and an inspiration to other women. When she embarked on this journey she started with a plan. She worked with an accountant and a financial planner from the beginning. She made sure she had a one year cash cushion to handle expenses while launching her business and also made sure she had a good, strong support network in place to help with her children while she put in the time necessary to build her practice.

Jas’ tips for new entrepreneurs are:

• It is critical to take courses on how to manage a business. Understanding the clinical aspect of the field is fantastic but understanding how to manage a practice is a different ball game.
• Find a mentor who is willing to take you under their wing so you can shorten your learning curve.
• Explore what you enjoy and if possible find a niche market. That way you become an expert in that space.
• Have a positive outlook despite facing adversity, we all have our own journey and how we cope. Her coping mechanism was fostered by the fact that she comes from a background ingrained in spirituality. Therefore, when her foundation was shaken she drew strength from reading spiritual books and becoming more centered by practicing meditation.
• Understand your reason for being who you are, where you are and where you are going. Money can never replace those who love you, as a result find bliss in those irreplaceable moments.

Given the opportunity to work with Jas regarding her financial planning, I would have certain additional points to consider for her:

• Have a plan in place that incorporates the expansion of her business; understand the cash flow needs and make sure the current investments are structured with the 5-year goal in mind.
• Have a will written to ensure her estate is divided according to her wishes and to protect her children and their guardianship in the event something should happen to her
• Review of her life insurance to take care of her dependents and review of disability insurance to ensure her financial lifestyle would not be negatively impacted in the event of a life-changing injury, keeping in mind that physiotherapy can be a very physically taxing occupation.
• Structuring the company tax efficiently and protecting her assets, i.e. conversation with an accountant to review the viability of having a holding company to protect her assets.
• Finally, and possibly most importantly, maintaining consistent communication with her Financial Planner to monitor changes in her life and business situations, and adjust her plans accordingly.

Stories like Jas’s are becoming more familiar as more women forge their own paths by becoming entrepreneurs. Jas’s story helps illustrate some of the key traits required for success. You need a dream, but you need a solid plan to back it up. Persistence and determination are essential. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you need a team–as a professional you need to hire professionals to help you. A lawyer will help you set up your business properly; an accountant will help track and manage your business’s finances; and a financial planner will ensure your investments, retirement planning, and estate planning needs are properly addressed.

For a chat regarding your financial roadmap, please contact me, and look out for my blog posts about Maria and Dr. Thomas in the next few weeks.

 This article is intended to provide general information and for discussion purposes only. Accordingly, the information in this article is not intended to constitute accounting, tax, legal, investment, consulting or other professional advice or services. Please consult a qualified professional advisor before making any decision or taking action that might affect your personal finances or business.