“Your optimism is killing me,” a patient replied after my attempt to encourage her to try to stand up, so she could attend a physical therapy session. At first impression, most would assume that this patient’s personality and mine clashed with one another. To my surprise, the patient requested that I oversee her physical therapy treatments for the duration of her stay after that visit. At the time I was just starting in this new career as a Physical Therapist Assistant. Though I took her comment with a grain of salt, it was the cornerstone for the reputation I would build. Now don’t get any idea that just because she requested me to treat her meant that she worked as hard as I cheered her on. Most clinicians shy away from challenging
