In our last article, we discussed the ways in which Industrial Therapists provide invaluable services to their communities. By helping to improve workplace environments, therapists help to develop a safer, healthier, happier and more productive workforce. Businesses thrive when their workforce is satisfied, and both Employers and Employees benefit economically as well.

Now let’s take a look at how those effects ripple out into the community.

The workplace affects everyone within the company. When you perform Prior-to-Hire Assessments, you help to ensure that workers are fully capable of their job duties. But those assurances don’t stop with the individual; maintaining a full staff with fewer injuries and sick days makes the entire team a higher functioning unit. Your services actively prevent injuries that could occur from understaffing, overwork, and fatigue – not just in the assessed individual, but also in his or her coworkers.

As an Industrial Therapist, you will influence hundreds or even thousands of workers directly. By performing Prior-to-Hire and Return-to-Work Assessments, as well as ongoing safety training sessions, you get to know these individuals one on one. But your influence does not end there! Each Employee then shares this knowledge with their families, friends, and neighbors. They will often find themselves saying, “I know this terrific therapist who taught me this …. “ and “I am sure they can help you…”

Your position as an Industrial Therapist places you in the unique situation of being able to provide health-enhancing interventions to combat unhealthy life practices or work conditions. By partnering with employers, you can regularly schedule consultant meetings with their Workers’ Comp Divisions, Human Resource Departments, and Safety Committees. This influence allows you to be a part of building safe, thriving industries in your immediate community.

And of course, life is never 100 percent injury-free. Despite our best efforts, injuries can happen inside or outside of the workplace. But when you’ve positioned yourself as the go-to professional for rehabilitation and assessment of injuries, guess who all of these people will want to see right away? That’s right: You!

To learn more about positioning yourself as an influencer in your community, contact us about the KEY Method. We will show you how to build a career and a business that is not only personally satisfying and financially rewarding, but helps you change your little corner of the world.