There's an inflation problem in physio that gets quietly swept under the carpet.
Every industry has one. It usually gets dressed up as career progression. Ours just happens to be Physio Bloat.
Hang around long enough. Move up. Treat less. Earn more. Call it leadership development.
That isn't progression. That's inflation.
To be clear - progression matters. Keeping great clinicians engaged often means a blend of clinical and leadership. Replacing them is expensive. Losing them is worse.
But when progression becomes an exit ramp from the craft, the system quietly starts rewarding absence, not excellence.
I never wanted out of clinical practice. I wanted to be better in it. Better judgement. Higher standards. Stronger outcomes. Not escape velocity from patients.
Rupert used to shout at me: "Stick to your knitting, wonderboy."
He was right. The business was right. The culture was right. The outcome proved it. Admittedly the wonderboy was ad-libbed.
Promotion should amplify excellence, not reward distance from the work. The further someone gets from clinical practice, the more careful we should be about calling it leadership.
Leadership isn't leaving the craft. It's proving you still understand it.