Thirty years ago a group of physiotherapists opened a small clinic in Burnaby’s Heights neighbourhood. The owners had been doing a lot of work with folks from nearby Simon Fraser University, so Burnaby was the perfect fit. Ten years after they opened, Expert Physio opened a second location at 8 Rinks.
The two locations recently celebrated 30 years and 20 years in operation, respectively.
Expert Physio is owned collectively by three people – Lisa Price, Darin Cohen and Darby Honeyman. Together they run the business as well as continue to practise physiotherapy.
The NOW recently spoke with the trio to find out what they loved about their work and what plans they have for the future.
How did you end up at Expert Physio?
Lisa Price:I was originally here because of Darby. I was assigned to her as one of my mentors doing my manipulative therapy exams. So I was a working physio but I was in the midst of doing my specialization training, and I had to do a three-month practicum with somebody who already had it, and I was sent here with her, and we spent the whole three months laughing. And then, at the end of the three months they said, ‘Do you want a job?’ and I said, ‘Uhhhh, do I want a job? Do I want any job?’
Darin Cohen:As a new grad I was hired in 2006 and that’s how I got here. I applied and I got it, it was a three-day-a-week job and I liked it. I was at the 8 Rinks location and still am, and then seven years later, one of the original owners … said he wanted to step aside but still be a physio and it seemed like a great opportunity so that’s how I became part owner.
Darby Honeyman: My original two partners owned a clinic just down the street. They were too busy for the space and wanted to expand so in May of 1986 we moved into this space. They had asked me to join them as the third partner, and it was wonderful right from the very beginning. We sort of had an opportunity to work together just without me being a partner so we could all sort of check out what the marriage would be like, but I went to all the business meetings and functioned like a partner and then in ’87 became a partner. But I’ve been in this location since the first day we opened in ’86.
What do you love most about physiotherapy?
LP:I love helping people. People come in in pain and they leave out of pain and they’re grateful for life. I just like helping people and I like the connection.
DC:The challenge would be my answer. So that would be the challenge getting to know people in a way you can help them – everybody is different, everybody’s got different goals, everybody’s got different ways of telling you what’s wrong with them. And then the challenge of what is good physiotherapy, which is evolving always. So I like that. So just learning about what research says is good and bad, staying up to date – it’s just challenging and I like that.
DH: I love that I get to create warm and meaningful relationships with people. It is an honour to guide my patients to a healthier place. So few jobs allow for both physical activity and a high degree of intellectual problem solving. Almost everyone leaves happier and healthier than when they first walked in the door.
What are some of the most common complaints patients come in with?
LP:Typically by the time they get to us they’re really frustrated with their experience in the health-care system. Maybe they’ve had back pain for a year and they’ve gone here and they’ve gone there, they say their docs don’t have enough time; they only get a five/10 minute appointment and they’re not listening. Of course, we get a lot of acute injuries, too, but lots of times it’s just a big puzzle that somebody needs the time to sit and figure out and kind of pull the thread through to get them better. And we’re a health-care professional that, as we’re doing our hands-on work and exam and everything else, we have the time that we can actually sit and listen to the whole history, the whole story – what have you done, what have you not done, what makes you better, what makes you worse. You can kind of get a feel for what’s going (on) and what needs to happen.
DC:Pain. Pain is what brings people in.
DH: We see a huge diversity of issues, from competitive athletes who have had surgery for a torn rotator cuff (shoulder), to elderly persons with knee and hip replacements, to young professionals with whiplash injuries, to longshoremen with work-related back injuries. We see them all.
If you weren’t a physio, what do you think you’d be doing?
LP:I actually thought I was going to be a physician, I thought I was going to be a doctor, but a physio came in to talk to us – I lived in a small town in Alberta – when I was in high school, and then I was injured playing sports in high school and I had physio and it was a really good experience, and I thought maybe I would rather do that. But yeah, I was thinking I was going to be a doctor.
DC:That’s a good question, I don’t even know the answer to that. I think it’s something else that would have pulled my interest, whether it’s science or maybe something more human relation based or, I mean I’ve always had somewhat of an interest in business but not really wanting to sit at a desk all day.
DH:I have tremendous gratitude for the work that I do. It is very meaningful to me, and I have a lot of fun with my patients. The old cliché that laughter is the best medicine is most often true. I can’t imagine a better job for me.
What’s next for you? For the company?
LP:Well, we have a strategic plan to expand, but we’re only going to do it if it’s right, if it’s right for the community we’re in and if it’s right for us and we’re able to maintain all our core values. We’re working hard on getting this clinic busier as well; we’d like this clinic to be a bit busier, it’s not at its max potential. So that’s two of our big strategic plans.
DC:I think next would be continuing to improve the two clinics. Continuing to improve my skills as a physiotherapist, so those two branches might mean teaching, I’ve done a little bit of teaching assistant, but yeah, maybe teaching – to go down that stream. Business-wise maybe just expansion, so a third clinic. An evolution on both fronts.
DH:I want to continue to grow, and challenge myself, both as a business owner and a clinician, for several more years. We are constantly looking at better ways to create a “wow” experience for our patients.
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