What to Expect at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy
Values and Missions
Overheard in the waiting room before a patient’s first visit, as he looked at the pictures of our team in Standale: “How come I got the mean-looking one? All the other people look so nice in their pictures.” Now I knew I had my work cut out for me to win this patient over! But it wasn’t that hard because our focus in physical therapy is not on how handsome (or not!), brilliant, or funny the therapist is, but on what the patient needs and how we can offer our services to get them on the road to recovery. Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy is the only company I have worked for that puts its values and mission on the walls in every clinic for everyone to see (Reading them could alleviate some of your initial fear/anxiety). The second value, just behind the mandate for employees to live a God-centered life, is to “love people and build relationships.” The therapists at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy want to take the focus off themselves and place it on the patient in front of them, to hear their story. So, the first thing you can expect at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy is that you will be heard. My recommendation is that you come to your evaluation with a clear and concise history of what happened, how your symptoms are now, and what goals you have for your recovery. Your therapist cares about these things, and they are very helpful in analyzing what is at the root of the problem and how to help.
What to Anticipate
I have been a Physical Therapist for over 20 years, and some of our therapists have more experience and some have less. From the very start of my journey, though, I was able to meet and treat a variety of different people from many backgrounds with diverse injuries and other issues (some they didn’t even teach in Physical Therapy school!) We are considered the musculoskeletal experts, and most of our therapists have some additional training in a specialty related to the field. So, the second thing you can expect at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy is that you will learn something new. Though nobody knows your body better than you, we can be a source of knowledge about the way the human body works and what things get in the way of normal healing. Our main goal is to get you on the right track quickly and reach those goals you told us about on the first visit.
Let’s Make a Change!
Of course, as in all relationships, there is a mutual expectation by both parties when you attend therapy. So, I will conclude with the third thing you can expect at Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy, which is that you will change at least one thing in your life that your therapist highlighted. We love you, but you will not get better by doing the same things that brought you to us, so let’s go ahead and change something to get better results. Luckily, the fourth value of Hulst Jepsen is to “promote growth and embrace change.” This applies to patients as well as therapists! The nature of our relationship with patients is that we prove that we care about what is disrupting your life and have the tools to help you make changes that will return you to your best physical self. The cool by-product of that journey is that we usually all get to make new friends along the way. So come, tell us your unique story and let us start this journey of mutual benefit and enrichment.
Stop by any of our convenient locations or call 616.256.8679 to learn how physical therapy can help get you back to doing the activities that you love. For more information or to request an appointment, visit https://www.hjphysicaltherapy.com/request-appointment/
