Dr. Joe Tatta | The Healing Pain Podcast

In this episode, we are discussing perfectionism and stress in the physical therapy students. Stress and burnout in the PT profession are personal interests of mine. I have done some research and explored how to use ACT in preventing burnout and creating resiliency in physical therapists. We briefly explored this topic of perfectionism in episode 217 with physical therapist Andrea Moore. She is a PT who specializes in treating women in overcoming perfectionism, and the intersection between pain and perfectionism. Perfectionism is often caused by having high standards or having a hypercritical evaluation of oneself. Some doctor or physical therapy students experience increased stress when they go through the rather rigorous academic coursework that we take in physical therapy schools. Yet there is limited research in understanding the intersection between stress and perfectionism in the PT students, what the successful behaviors are that these students have that help them manage this increased stress, especial