We unpack burnout in physical therapy with new Nebraska data and lived stories, moving from clear definitions and risk factors to practical fixes for clinicians and leaders. The conversation closes with concrete resources, ongoing research, and an invitation to act together.
• Defining burnout across emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced accomplishment
• Nebraska study design, funding, and why the state focus matters
• Frequency of engagement vs burnout in PTs
• Demographics linked to risk, including early career and debt
• Workload, autonomy, and leadership support as primary drivers
• Cultural red flags like leaderboards and misaligned incentives
• Personal costs to health, empathy, and career decisions
• Individual strategies for sleep, exercise, nutrition, and boundaries
• Organizational actions: assess, listen, redesign metrics, protect flexibility
• Advocacy through APTA for reimbursement and regulation change
Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and join the discussion. Because together, we’re driving the future of physical therapy forward.
Episode Links:
The Emotional PPE Project https://emotionalppe.org/
988 Lifeline / National Suicide Prevention Website https://988lifeline.org/
A Multiple Methods Study to Describe the Manifestation of Burnout of NE Physical Therapists: https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/etd/791/
Manuscript citation: Sleddens N, Beam E, Meyer KP, Stamler LL, LaFramboise LM, Sayles H, Wengel SP 2025 Examining the frequency, severity and associated factors of burnout in Nebraska physical therapists. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice [In Press] https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2025.2571795.
