Hiring: Canine Rehabilitation Therapist

How TheK9PT came to be...

First, let me tell you a bit more about my journey transitioning from humans to canines, including the ups and downs that has led me to this point. Ever since my teen years I have known that I wanted to be a physical therapist. Being an athlete myself, my desire to be a PT developed after realizing that I was always curious about the rehab process when I became injured. So, as I was going through my 7 years of schooling to become a DPT, I always thought that I would want to work with athletes. However, once I graduated and was working with that population, I did not feel passionate about what I was doing. I was looking for something else … and that was when I heard about canine rehabilitation. Right away I knew that was what I was meant to do:  combine my skills and knowledge as a PT with my passion for dogs.

I started my certification as a CCRT through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in January of 2014, completed all of the coursework by March of 2015, and in June of 2015 my wife and I moved to Chicago where I started working as an animal therapist at a veterinary clinic. While working there I was able to hone my skills and make a successful transition from humans to canines … but it came at a cost.

There is a big issue in the veterinary field as a whole: it does not pay as much as does the human medicine counterpart. This is especially the case with ancillary services like rehabilitation that tend not to generate as much revenue compared to other specialties. Therefore, I was paid significantly less than what I was getting paid as a human PT. To be exact, I was getting paid $19.50 an hour. Yes, you read that right. Here I was, with a degree as a doctor of physical therapy, working in canine rehabilitation, a field that I loved, but struggling every day with the way the system worked.

During that time, I was able to supplement my income by working as a contractor in home health on the human side. That was fine in the first year or so, until I did my taxes for the year and realized that between both jobs, I was working 60+ hours a week but still made only about $50,000. Around that time I also started noticing a shift in their business model: whereas the clinic was built with the premise of veterinarians and physical therapists working together, which if done correctly can work really well, they were now hiring veterinary assistants to perform the rehabilitation evaluation with the veterinarians. It was a gradual change in their business model, but it got to the point where I had to confront them about this issue and was told that they saw no difference between a veterinary assistant and a physical therapist.

It was hard to hear that. Were they telling me that all the struggles and pain I went through during 7 years of school to get my DPT were not worth it? That the skills and knowledge I had acquired through that journey were matched by those of an assistant ? As you can imagine, my confidence sank, and my self-esteem hit an all-time low. Coupled with the fact that I was not getting paid what I was worth, given the knowledge and skills I worked tirelessly to gain, I quickly hit rock bottom which had a trickle down effect on my personal life as well. I was working within my passion in canine rehab, yet I still dreaded every … single … day.

I knew I wanted to continue working with canines, but the situation was not feasible. Also, I couldn’t just go find a new job in this field because they were not out there. Going back to treating humans full-time was not what I wanted to do, but I also did not want to stay at that job any longer than I had to and risk losing everything else in my life. Then I realized: What if I combined my passion for canine rehab with my home health contractor gig? That was how in October of 2017 TheK9PT was born. Since then, I have immersed myself into learning as much as I can about all aspects of owning and operating a physical therapy business, which has led into where we are at today!

We now operate out of at 1,300 sq/ft clinic with 3 rehabilitation therapists and 2 administrative staff. Our level of service is beyond parallel, and if you need proof of that just go read our google reviews. We are changing the way canine rehabilitation is provided by focusing on manual therapy and strengthening rather than on unproven modalities of treatment. We focus on empowering the pet parent into learning how to care for their pet at home, and because of that we build long lasting relationships. We are growing and will continue to grow, and this is a tremendous opportunity for someone who wants to come along that journey with us. 

What Are The Goals For Your Role?

• Advance your ability to implement your knowledge and skills as canine rehabilitation therapists, with an emphasis on manual therapy and exercise progression and a heavy focus on home exercise program 
• Develop and/or advance your manual therapy techniques with canines, including a variety of joint mobilization techniques that will help improve outcomes with a patient’s prognosis
• Understand HOW to appropriately progress a patient’s exercise program instead of simply following a cookie-cutter protocol. We have developed a systematic and effective way to progress their exercise routine, and you will learn how to do so as well
• Advance your skills on low-stress dog handling and positive reinforcement training so you can effectively get them to do what we need them to do, while keeping yourself and our patients safe
• Advance your communication skills with clients so you can effectively explain what is going on with their dogs, how you are uniquely positioned to help them, and develop long-lasting relationships that turns them into happy long-term paying clients
• Understand how we market successfully in the field of canine rehab, with a business that thrives on predictable lead generation with direct-to-consumer marketing 
• Understand how to communicate effectively with each client based on how they were referred to us
• Learn how to develop and implement a variety of systems that will help optimize the client experience and growth of the business
• Understand how we track different business KPIs and metrics, ad how they relate to your job performance 
• All the above, and more as both parties see fit, will be accomplished through continuing education as well as regular group meetings and individual training

Requirements to Qualify for this Opportunity:

• Be licensed, or qualify to be licensed, in the state of Illinois
• Certified in canine rehabilitation (candidates currently enrolled in their certification courses will also be considered based on when they would be finishing their coursework)
• Be flexible with working hours that will include evenings and Saturdays
• Be punctual with appointments and adhere by the Lombardi Time for working hours
• Demonstrate a willingness to be held accountable for performance
• Follows through on commitments living up to verbal and written agreements regardless of personal cost
• Demonstrates an ability to quickly and proficiently understand and absorb new information
• Persistence: demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done
• Proactivity: acts without being told what to do, brings new ideas to the company and has a record of seeking out learning experiences.
• Alertness: able to spot potential referral situations or opportunities for the sale of other products and services.
• Communication: comfortable with easily striking up a conversation with anyone, enjoys talking to people, and effectively communicate both verbally and written
• Demeanor: sees the glass as half-full, and can naturally and easily make people feel at ease
• Time management and readiness: dependable, embraces changes keeping up with a fast pace environment, can think on their feet and quickly prioritize what is most important at that time.