In this episode of The FOX Five, FOX Rehabilitation Clinical Practice Leader of University Relations and Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, Steph Walker, PT, DPT, shares five creative and refreshing ways clinicians can make the most of their time between house call visits. From gym breaks to midday naps, Steph highlights the freedom and flexibility that comes with being a FOX Rehabilitation clinician. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have real autonomy over your weekly schedule—and how to strike a healthy balance between productivity and self-care—this is the episode for you. Discover how FOX clinicians take full advantage of a workday built around their lives, not the other way around.

Jim: Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. That FOX colleague today is FOX Rehabilitation physical therapist, Clinical Practice Leader of University Relations, and Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, Steph Walker.

Steph: Thanks, Jim.

Jim: New York City! We represent the New York branch of FOX Rehabilitation.

Steph: We do. I like to specify and say Astoria, Queens, because I just love Astoria.

Jim: No, I love Astoria too. But it is part of New York City.

Steph: Yes, it is part of New York City.

Jim: Great Greek food in Astoria.

Steph: Yeah.

Jim: One of my favorite pizza places is in Astoria.

Steph: What's the name of the pizza place?

Jim: I like Milkflower.

Steph: Okay. Oh yeah, I've had that.

Jim: It's a good pie. All right, we're not here to talk pizza. We're not here to talk New York City. Steph, what is your FOX Five today?

Steph: My FOX Five is Five Things You Can Do In Between House Calls.

Jim: This is a cool FOX Five. This is an out-of-the-box FOX Five because FOX clinicians are always on the go. We treat patients in their homes. So, what happens in-between patients? You're going to fill us in today. Steph, what is Number One on your FOX Five?

Steph: Number One for me—what I like to do throughout my day—is to schedule in a gym break. I might treat four patients in the morning and then take an hour. But instead of eating lunch, I'm going to the gym. That way I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn and go to the gym. And I also don't have to fight the gym crowd after treating all my patients—the 5pm gym rush. I always like to go to the gym in between my patients because I felt like I was staying active and practicing what I preach.

Jim: It's easier to do if you schedule it in. If it's part of your schedule, you have to do it.

Steph: If I'm writing four names down and then I'm writing "gym" and I don't go, then I can easily shame myself and say, "You didn't do that. You wrote it down and you didn't go." So, yeah, it definitely kept me on track with my health goals.

Jim: All right, Steph, that brings us to Number Two on your FOX Five.

Steph: Number Two is having lunch with a friend or a family member. Living in New York City, I often have people visiting. A friend might reach out and say, "Hey, I'm in the city this week," and I don’t have the PTO to take off to hang out with them. So, I’ll say, "Oh, I have a break in my schedule around 1pm. I can grab lunch from 1 to 2pm." I grab lunch with them and go back to treating my patients. Especially in Manhattan, going from apartment to apartment. I was not in an assisted living facility or one building, and that freed up my day to pop into a restaurant.

Jim: You're only two into your FOX Five, but I think you're building a story here about how FOX clinicians are autonomous and build their own schedule.

Steph: Yes. We get a lot of freedom with that, which I personally like. You should take advantage of it.

Jim: Absolutely. Which is what this FOX Five is all about today.

Steph: Exactly. I wanted to do something a little bit more on the fun side to really show what you can do as a clinician with our flexible schedule.

Jim: That brings us to Number Three on your FOX Five.

Steph: Number Three would probably be to catch up on any notes. If I had time throughout my day, or if I scheduled some time—like 30 minutes—it helped me avoid going home tired after treating and then thinking, "I don't want to do my notes now." It also helped me keep my notes more accurate. I was able to finish my documentation during the time I set aside between my patients, which I found beneficial. It's very easy to get bogged down in documentation. If you save it for the end of the day, it's easy to say, "I'll just do this tomorrow," or "I'll finish this in the morning," and that excuse just continues. I like to schedule a little bit of time when I can to wrap up a note.

Jim: Amen to that one. That's a good one. I'm not a clinician—it’s no secret—but if I was, I would definitely do that because I can't stand when things are hanging over me. I need to get it done.

Steph: I'm the same way. Even if it's just five minutes after a patient, each time you sit down and say, "I'm going to finish this note. I'm going to sign off," it's one less thing you have to worry about.

Jim: A great one. All of these are great. That brings us to Number Four on your FOX Five.

Steph: Number Four—if you have the opportunity to work close to your home—is to take a nap. I had days where I had an hour free or a patient cancellation and couldn’t find another patient to see. If I was really tired, I could pop back into my apartment because I was treating in the same area where I lived at the time. I'd pop back in, take a nap, rest, relax, or watch an episode of TV if I wanted to. It really allowed me to just take a breath during the day if I wanted to and needed to. I think that could be an option as well.

Jim: This is one of the coolest FOX Fives. It almost sounds like you're cheating at your job—but you're not.

Steph: You’re not. That's the benefit of a flexible schedule. You're scheduling around your time, your day.

Jim: And the perfect nap is 25 minutes.

Steph: Okay, I'll argue because I've always thought 17 minutes.

Jim: But what I'm saying is, you can't get into that deep REM sleep because that messes you up.

Steph: Yeah, I won’t nap longer than that.

Jim: All right, I'm with you. That brings us to Number Five on your FOX Five.

Steph: Number Five would be running errands. I don’t have kids, but if you do, maybe you can pop out and pick your kid up from school during pickup time. If you need to see a doctor or take your kid to the doctor, you can do that in-between your patients. If you need to pop into the grocery store to grab something you're cooking for dinner and you have 10 minutes between patients, you can do that. I think it’s just the ease of running errands if you don’t want to always do it on the weekend or in the busy afternoon when everyone else is doing it.

Jim: You know why this is such an excellent FOX Five?

Steph: Why?

Jim: Because if someone follows it to a T, when their workday is done, everything is done.

Steph: They're done. Exactly. You're just going home to spend time with yourself, your family, your friends—whatever you want to do. Your dog, your cat—I don’t know. You just get your afternoon to yourself.