Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Anderson.
Hi Amanda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I feel as though my ‘story’ is very typical. I was a cross-country and track runner in high school and college, and the end of my competitive running career was fraught with injuries and setbacks. I went to physical therapy for the first time as a freshman in college, and the outpatient physical therapy environment really resonated with me. I was all set for a premed track, but after going to PT and taking organic chemistry, I decided to switch gears and focus on more of an exercise science route. This required me to transfer to a different school (my current school didn’t get an exercise science degree until after I left -_-). I ended up transferring to community college for a semester before transferring up to the State University of New York at Buffalo. They didn’t take any of my biology credits so that’s how I am a PT that ended up with a BA in Spanish…
By this point, I had decided I was going to apply to PT school, so I started getting in my observation hours needed to apply. I ended up getting into a school that would start a few months after my undergrad graduation, but a few days after I sent in the deposit, they emailed me to tell me that too many others had also sent in deposits, so I was officially on a waitlist. I ended up staying at SUNY Buffalo for another semester to take gross anatomy in preparation to start their upper-level exercise science program, which you had to complete in order to apply to UB’s PT program. (I would argue this was one of the classes that led me where I am today!)* I ended up applying to a few other PT schools in the meantime and ended up getting into the University of Delaware, which was where I started in July of 2012, and after lots of tears, a couple break ups, and the landing the best friends I ever had and my current boyfriend of almost 8 years, I made it through.
I worked for about 7-8 months in Delaware before moving to Texas to do my Orthopedic Residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. I completed my residency in March of 2017 and passed the ortho board exam (hence the OCS at the end of my name).
I liked the weather, so I stayed in Texas and worked for a little over 4 years at an outpatient hospital-based physical therapy clinic in Fort Worth, TX. After my residency, where I was granted the opportunity to work with DPT students, assist with research, and also treat patients but not necessarily completely full-time, I knew I would have trouble transitioning to full-time patient care. …I was right. I made it a little over 4 years here before I was completely burned out and didn’t want anything to do with physical therapy anymore. I probably actually burned out a whole year before I actually could leave. I had started pursuing A&P adjunct faculty jobs and finally got one in August of 2020. I had been waiting to break into teaching for a while. I also got hired on as a PRN acute care therapist at a hospital in Frisco, so between this and teaching, I was able to leave my full-time job to take a break from clinical physical therapy.
I actually started this business in December of 2021, thinking I would continue along the not-full-time route, but I fell into a mortgage and because there was a little bit of uncertainty about the number of classes I could teach in the spring of 2022, I opted to go back full-time as a Director of Clinical Education for a Physical Therapist Assistant program at a local career college. I met a lot of therapists and enjoyed working with the students, but the whole experience was a little too desk-based and regimented for me, so I just left about a week ago and now am trying to get my business off the ground full steam!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
NO. I don’t think anything has ever gone according to my plans. I actually didn’t even graduate PT school when I was supposed to. I had a clinical instructor that didn’t seem to like or enjoy having students and after I got into the ortho residency in Texas, she decided to “kick” me out of my clinical experience. I still get so angry about it because it delayed my residency start date by a year.
I did the residency thinking I would be in patient care full-time for at least 10 years, so I was surprised when I found myself getting grumpy about going to work about 2.5 years in.
I still feel like a professional fraud sometimes. At 33, I just thought I would have a better handle on what I wanted to do. I think in an ideal world, I would be teaching gross anatomy at a professional level and working part-time clinical on the side for myself and no one else 🙂
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Raise the Barbell Physical Therapy and Performance?
As a physical therapist in a corporate or outpatient setting working for someone else, in most cases you are limited by what the insurance companies ‘give you.’ You many times have to mold your treatment into what’s going to be covered. You are trying to do this while seeing more than 1 person at a time, trying to do what’s best for your patients in the time that you have, while billing what you need to maintain your company’s productivity standards, and also trying to make sure that you’re documenting as you go so, you’re not staying late every night.
Raise the Barbell Physical Therapy and Performance, LLC is a way for me to put an end to this vicious cycle where patients aren’t getting what they need, and I constantly feel like I’m giving second-rate care. I am “raising the bar…bell” if you will. The best way for me to do this is to be an ‘out-of-network’ provider, meaning I am 100% cash-based, and I do not take insurance. This allows me to see patients 1:1. I will be able to give you a superbill that you can submit for reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits. I also eventually will be able to accept payment through your FSA and/or HSA.
Texas is a direct access state (one of the last ones, but I digress), meaning you can come see a physical therapist without a referral. I cannot diagnose any medical conditions (like I couldn’t tell you if you had diabetes), but if you sprain your ankle on Saturday, you can make an appointment to see me the following week. The earlier you get in, the better! If you DO have a physical therapy prescription from your primary care doctor, orthopedist, neurologist, etc., it is your right as a patient to choose where and with whom you receive treatment.
I mostly specialize in orthopedic conditions, including but not limited to ankle sprains, ACL tears/reconstruction/repairs, patellofemoral pain syndrome/patellar tendinopathy, knee osteoarthritis, hip impingement, hip osteoarthritis, SI joint pain, low back pain, including post-op fusions/laminectomies, carpal tunnel syndrome, medial/lateral epicondylitis, shoulder impingement (SAPS), rotator cuff tears/repairs, neck pain, concussions, and vestibular therapy, including BPPV treatment. I also can do slow-motion walking/running analysis and movement screens for injury prevention; this is by no means an all-inclusive list.
If you’re an active individual trying to get back to something you love and you’ve been told “not to do something ever again,” I’m your girl. There is always a modification for the things you love to do! I will come see you in your home, office, or gym, wherever is most convenient for you. If you don’t have equipment or access to a gym, never fear; my trunk will always be full of the good stuff. Also, don’t overestimate the amount of equipment you need to get a good workout…
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Choose the cheapest education you can get. While I was so proud to be going to the 2nd top (ahem, now it’s tied for 1st, but who cares), PT school in the country, it may not have been the cheapest option. I am loaded with debt, and getting your physical therapy degree is not a good way to pay off this debt.
Pricing:
- PT evaluation (55 mins): $200
- PT treatment (55 mins): $175
- I will be running some soft opening specials as well, so make sure to check my Instagram for those deals!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @raisethebarbellphysicaltherapy
