How Did I get Here? My Journey to Tour Physio and Performance

Why I Chose Physical Therapy

It seems a common story for most of us out in the physical therapy world that we have some sport or healthcare experience in our adolescence that moves us towards the field. As you are here it shows you have some interest in me and Ashcroft Physio and I would love to help you learn more about me and my story!

I spent my childhood years in England, it was not as rainy and overcast as much as you all may think, but certainly not as bright and sunny as it is out here. My mom was a nurse, she worked nights allowing her time to take care of my three siblings and I during the morning and afternoon. She was my healthcare hero. Not only would she give give give during her work at the hospital but she would give us everything she had in terms of her time and energy at home even when her tank was I’m sure at many times running on “E”. She is a true empath, and helping people is part of her DNA. I’m certain and fortunate that she has passed some of this down to me. My mom is without a doubt one of the first people that drove my interest in healthcare and I’m incredibly thankful for that!

Fast forward a few years… At the age of 10 we moved from England to the States. I continued to play soccer hours on end, through rec, through travel league, with my club team, with friends, and on my own, you name it I was doing it. I also fell in love with the game of golf at the age of 12 but could not quit soccer ( A story for a different day) As I played soccer I worked through several injuries and saw friends and others go through some pretty tough ones ( dislocated ankle, broken knee cap, torn ACL). I always remembered rooting hard for them in their recovery process and was always curious to learn what they were doing in rehab. Playing in high school deepened this interest when I had the opportunity to spend time in the athletic training room and local PT clinic where I got to see clinicians with upbeat personalities spend lots of time helping their patients get through some very tough injuries and pains. After spending only a few weeks in those settings I knew that helping people through physical therapy was the route I had to pursue. 

Beginning My PT Journey

Jump ahead through the collegiate years and it is now May 2012. I was ready to find my first job. It was important to me to find a company that put an emphasis on patient care as well as find a company that had a culture that supported and nurtured their staff. I found that and was ecstatic, especially as I had interviewed at a few sites that did not have that feel unfortunately. 

The Change

During the 5 years + of being in private practice I learned that the insurance world was changing and it put pressure on clinics and clinic owners to cover overhead and take care of people. Its not easy! Unfortunately it contributes to more patients needing to be seen by therapists and decreases the quality time patients spent with their therapist. This leads to decreased quality of care and burnout, a large problem in the PT field and more importantly a less comprehensive and quality experience for the patients we served.

As the landscape shifted and I was learning more I knew that I could change the way we view our healthcare system for the better. I was confident that I could see patients for more time, develop stronger relationships more easily, facilitate more long lasting change, be a champion and mentor for more people and be a gateway to help people in need more quickly. I also had and still have big visions for golfers ( Another big piece of this story for another time) 

It was not an easy decision to leave a steady job and a good company to pursue this vision and dream so I did what many folks would do… I waited, I umm’d, I ahhh’d and told myself it wouldn’t work. As the months went on over the summer of 2017, however, I knew that I had to follow my heart and my vision so I JUMPED!  The result was Tour Physio and Performance! A clinic focused on helping golfers of all ages, get pain free, stay out of pain and perform at their best.

Thank you for taking some time out of your day to learn about me and a piece of my story. 

I hope you enjoyed!  

And as always, here’s to better health and beyond!

James Ashcroft DPT, OCS, CSCS, TPI-CGFI and med level 2