When was the last time you looked at your practice with fresh eyes? As someone walking through the door for the first time. As a new patient, a job applicant, a potential partner. What do you see then?
This practical checklist will help you take an honest look at your business and identify areas where it could improve.
Three areas you should assess now
One aspect of this is now more important than the other two put together: the impression your practice makes on good physiotherapists. Because patients will often come anyway, as long as there are no good alternatives in the local area. Good professionals, on the other hand, have a choice. And they choose the practice that wins them over long before any job interview even takes place.
Section 1: Your image as an employer. What impression does your practice make on someone looking for a new job? Do they see modern premises, motivated colleagues, a practice with a promising future? According to a study by the Swiss Association of Liberal Professions (2025), physiotherapists cite recruitment difficulties as the main reason for high workload in practices. A disorganised, outdated appearance puts off good candidates even before the first interview takes place.
Second area: Infrastructure. Are the treatment rooms still up to date? Do your staff have the equipment they need to stay motivated and do a good job? This is precisely where the patient experience and employer branding come together. A practice that invests in its facilities gains both at the same time.
Third area: The patient experience. How long do patients have to wait before they get an appointment? What is their experience of the reception like? Do patients feel that they are genuinely being looked after after their treatment? The patient experience determines whether they recommend your practice to others. And word-of-mouth recommendations are the reason why your practice is doing well.
What the figures show
For you, as a practice owner, this means that the days when therapists actively sought out jobs are over. Today, it is the vacancies that are looking for the right therapists. Employers who make a strong impression before the first interview takes place will win the competition for good professionals and thereby ensure the quality that patients expect.
Many practices are facing a backlog of modernisation work, which creates tangible competitive disadvantages, affecting both job applicants and the existing team alike. Practices that invest in team culture, facilities and their public image grow at a significantly faster rate than the industry average.
The key point is this: modernisation doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means finding the right two or three levers that will make your practice visibly more attractive to candidates and to your existing team.
What’s worth it and what isn’t
Worthwhile: Investments that benefit both applicants and your team. A welcoming reception area, a strong online presence, and clear communication about what makes your practice stand out as an employer.
Less rewarding: Major overhauls without a clear focus. If you give the place a fresh coat of paint but fail to improve either team morale or the candidate experience, you’ll be making a lot of visual changes but none of strategic significance.
In the SPP network Many practice owners have gained precisely this outside perspective – on the practice as an employer brand and on what that means for the quality of care. What you can no longer see from the inside, someone else can see very clearly.
The conclusion: Good staff are essential for a positive patient experience; they are not merely a by-product of it. Your practice deserves to be assessed by you using the same high standards that good physiotherapists now expect from their employers. Take the test. Then you’ll know where to start.
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