Q&A: So What’s It Really Like to Be an EmpowerMe Physical Therapist?  

Considering a position as a therapist at EmpowerMe Wellness? There are so many benefits we can point to, from flexible scheduling to great benefits to opportunities for career growth.  

But don’t take our word for it! in today’s post, we’re excited to share a first-hand account from Sharon Chow, DPT, one of our physical therapists at a senior living community in Daly City, CA, about her personal experiences on the EmpowerMe team. 

Sharon: Back in 2011, my grandmother suffered a fall after stepping off a bus. She fractured her shoulder, which was really unfortunate, because she and my grandfather love to ballroom dance. Thankfully she was referred to physical therapy. She made a lot of progress, and now it’s great to see she’s dancing again.  

That’s really what inspired me to look into physical therapy — the ability to help someone get back to what they love to do. You can make sure a positive impact a person’s life, even after just one treatment session. I love that I’m able to help my patients realize their full potential.  

Sharon: I like working with seniors specifically because they don’t take themselves too seriously, which keeps treatments very lighthearted. But once we get into a session, they’re very motivated to get to work, because they really want to better their lives.  

Being here reminds me of the times when I would care for my grandparents. When I’m working with the residents here, I build really close relationships with them. So when I help them, it feels like family.  

Sharon: Prior to coming to EmpowerMe, I was working at an outpatient orthopedic clinic, where I was seeing 12-14 patients a day for 30 minutes at a time. Here, I’m able to spend more time with each of my residents. That gives me the freedom to work with them on the goals that are important to them.  

Maybe they need help going up and down the stairs independently. Maybe they need to work on walking down to the dining room. That extra time gives me the flexibility to meet them where they are and tailor their treatment to their unique needs.  

Sharon: I tell them that I love working at EmpowerMe because I feel very supported. They give me a lot of opportunities to use the ideas I have for my residents. For example, I found out that a lot of my residents like to garden, and so we were able to get a standing planter box. So now they’ll come by the office and help us grow tomatoes and flowers, which makes them really happy…and it gives us a chance to get to know them and find out what we can do to better support their needs.  

They really value creativity and thinking outside the box here. Because at the end of the day, we’re all trying to make therapy better and more exciting for our residents!