PT Pub Night: Why it’s important to define what you do

“So, what’s this thing called PT Pub Night I keep hearing about?”

It’s an innocent question, and one I should be pretty good at answering by now, as many a phone call at my desk have tackled it over the past five years.

Today, PT Pub Night is actually one of my favorite topics of discussion, but oddly enough it’s one that I – as the founder – haven’t always done a great job of answering.

Defining PT Pub Night
My occasional struggle to define PT Pub Night hasn’t been for lack of insight into what it is, or what it does. I’ve always understood the power of relationships and have seen clearly its potential to create amazing bonds throughout the profession.

And I’ve stumbled not for lack of passion for the PT Pub Night movement. Long before it found success as a global PT brand and movement, my team and I were its sole and unwavering cheerleaders, fighting to give it the chance it needed to take flight.

And it’s not for its complexity either – I mean, the ingredients are rather simple: a few PTs and a place to hang out – food and drink optional.

Now, five years after we started PT Pub Night, my ability to answer the question as to what – and why – it is, has come together naturally, clearly and proudly.

A sense of community
But first, what is PT Pub Night not?  PT Pub Night is not an event, or even a collection of events.  Events are our excuse to gather, and they’re the fabric from which PT Pub Night has been formed across 1,700 events worldwide, but the event itself no more defines PT Pub Night than a penny can be defined by its ingredients, zinc and copper.

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With enthusiasm, I define PT Pub Night as a community – a community of proud professionals and those who love and support them.  They gather because they like what they see of our profession, and they want more of it.  They gather to share, to absorb and to become more involved, more engaged, and more skilled at their craft.

And service
They also gather to serve.  I know PTs who show up regularly and travel far and wide for the opportunity to help those they’re likely to meet at a PT Pub Night event.  Not because they want something in return, but because they wish to help a colleague, make a friend, or explore an opportunity.

At PT Pub Night headquarters, we do our best to facilitate the tenets of community and service through everything we do.  Beginning in 2016 we instituted the PT Pub Night Check-In Challenge which rewards participation in the PT Pub Night community by supporting movement-related organizations and charities by donating $1.00 on behalf of each attendee.  Through the Check-In Challenge and other service-related endeavors, we’ve raised and donated over $50,000 to various charities through participation with the PT Pub Night brands.

I believe defining why it is what you do is important to your own success – which is why it took me nearly five years to accurately define PT Pub Night. And it’s especially important within the physical therapy industry as there can be so many dueling definitions of the work we do. Our world often comes with a lot of red tape as well so knowing why you’re in this profession and what you set out to do can put you on the right track to enacting some serious change. Tell me in the comments below, what does physical therapy mean to you and how do you define it?

For those interested in becoming part of the PT Pub Night community, or if you or someone you know would like to host a PT Pub Night in your area, email us at hello@ptpubnight.com or visit us online at www.ptpubnight.com/start.