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As a past author for the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) magazine, they asked me to weigh in on 2020 with my reflections for that year. We can all agree, 2020 was a doozy!
Here is what I had to say.
Theresa Marko, PT, DPT, MS (author of "Advocacy for Our Profession Isn't a Spectator Sport," APTA Perspective, January 2020)
"In March, I sat on my couch in New York City and saw the COVID-19 deaths reach a startling number. I felt torn about whether I should temporarily close my business. After some intense thought, I made the difficult decision to close and walked out on that limb, hoping the universe would provide. I was scared as heck. It was mentally challenging to keep my spirit up, but I put one foot in front of the other every day and just kept going. I reached out to other physical therapy business owners in NYC, and we formed a close information-sharing group on all things business, including the PPP loans, grants, and business webinars that might help us. During that early time I shared as much info as I was absorbing about the rapidly changing landscape. I feel proud to know I helped my group here in the state and am so grateful that we were all there for each other to lean on mentally. Being a solopreneur woman business owner can feel scary at times! I'm happy I had my NYC group as well as APTA and the Private Practice Section to be there for me as we all navigated through the fog together.
As I enter the new year, I want to do it with gratitude. The profession, the country, and the world have been through a lot the last year, and many of us didn't make it through unscathed, whether from the effects of the polarization of politics, COVID-19, disinformation, being shuttered at home, lack of human connection, or financial losses. I view it as a storm we weathered together, and I'm happy for it to one day be spring and be able to repair things. As a conference junkie, it was hard not seeing everyone this year, and ... man, I cannot wait to give and get some hugs!"
Dr. Theresa Marko, PT, DPT, MS, OCS is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic physical therapist & Certified Early Intervention Specialist with over 20 years of experience. She is the owner of Marko Physical Therapy, a private practice in New York City, specializing in spine, orthopedics, adolescents, and pediatrics.
She has helped thousands of people to overcome injuries, optimize their movement, and return them to work and sports pain-free and better than ever. Dr. Marko is also an adjunct facutly professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
If you would like to reach out to her you can by email or phone.
Phone: 347.766.5979