“PT is a small world” - comfort or warning?
If you’ve ever been a student in a DPT or PTA program, chances are you’ve heard the phrase, “PT is a very small world.”
I always loved that concept…when it worked in my favor. PT is a small world, meaning connections around the country aren’t hard to find.
PT is a small world and so the old classmate of your professor’s roommate can get you a job in a new city, no problem.
PT is a small world and that means your heroes aren’t an elusive nor theoretical bunch, but quite tangible and maybe even teach in your very program.
PT is a small world and that’s great when it creates community, familiarity, and comfort.
“PT is a small world” is also a warning.
PT is a small world, and you never know who went to what program or is best friends with which Delegate or coauthored what textbook with whom, so it’s best not to say anything negative. Ever.
Don’t burn bridges because PT is a small world and word travels fast. Oh, and burning bridges doesn’t always mean some big the-house-is-on-fire scene, but rather just a small spark of rebellion - of calling out racist or homophobic language in the curriculum, of reporting back to your program about unethical practices in your clinical rotation, or perhaps simply having a bad day and not wanting to put on a mask of happiness and “professionalism”…whatever that means.
Earlier today, I was talking with a pre-PT student who is a racial minority like I am. Unloading onto them my frustrations with the lack of diversity in the field and the equally frustrating ways in which I’ve seen that handled.
I told them about the time in PT school we were asked to work in groups to “solve immigration” (I sh** you not. That was a real assignment. And, yes, it went just about how well you’d expect.)
I bust out laughing as I relayed the assignment where we were asked to look into Japanese culture to write a business plan for starting a clinic there. We were spending time in a doctorate-level health professions program…Googling stereotypes about Japanese people. (???)
I think about the more personal hits we took and how important it was not to say these stories out loud because,
Well,
PT is a small world. And word travels fast.
