And doctors are people too.
They got interviewed as well - most of them just never realised it.
There's always been a strange dynamic when doctors and physios first meet socially or at clinical events. Something about the whiff of the NHS hierarchy still hangs in the air.
Physios can get a bit gushing.
Doctors can go oddly tongue-tied.
I wasn't interested in titles.
I was interested in who I could genuinely trust with my patients.
It wasn't tribal. It was protective.
So I had a few simple red lines.
First names. A mobile number. And the ability to tell a decent, non-clinical story.
Not a case. Not a CV. A story.
If you couldn't drop the hierarchy, speak like a human and connect without jargon, you didn't make the cut.
If I was going to be diligent about the physios I worked with, I had to be even more diligent about the people I recommended.
Clinical skill matters. Accessibility, judgement and humility matter just as much.
Patients don't need egos coordinating their care.
They need adults who can talk, relate and empathise with each other properly.
And yes - I made plenty of good pals along the way.