The Characteristics of Effective Physical Therapists - Confidence

The field of physical therapy requires many attributes, which makes this field unique among professions. Due to the fact that physical therapists usually work one-on-one with their clients, it is imperative that these professionals master the art of human relations and interpersonal skills. Due to their close relationship with their clients, physical therapist must display outstanding character traits which will lead their clients to feel at ease during the therapeutic sessions, as well as to develop the feeling of well-being when in the presence of the therapist. Most character traits cannot be taught in a short period of time, and are usually ingrained in the individual in the home environment, but experience can also yield a wealth of knowledge and character development.

Confidence is one of the primary attributes that a physical therapist must have in order to effectively and efficiently engage in his or her profession. Without self-confidence and individual will usually lack the motivation and drive that is required to be highly successful at their chosen profession, which will eventually effect them financially, socially, and in the interpersonal relationship with their clients.

One of the key ways that confidence is developed is through competence in your chosen field. Confidence in a field can be achieved in many different ways, but one of the main ways of developing competence is to seek and obtain a high degree of knowledge about your field. Once an individual develops a high level of knowledge in a particular field, the individual's confidence will immediately increase due to their reservoir of knowledge concerning a particular subject. Knowledge serves to boost the confidence of individuals, due to the fact that it takes the mystery out of the practice of a chosen field or activity. In the case of physical therapy, a highly knowledgeable practitioner will exude confidence because there are very few unknown factors that can effectively inhibit his or her performance, which gives him the inner feeling that he will succeed at his tasks. The deep-seated feeling that one will succeed at any tasks before him, serves to build his confidence in his abilities.