A comment calling hospital PTs “discharge monkeys” kicks off a real conversation about burnout, autonomy, and what the system incentivizes. Rebekah Griffith and Jimmy McKay unpack why acute care PTs feel boxed into discharge throughput, how that attitude spreads through teams (presenteeism), and what leaders can do to get great clinicians back to practicing with purpose.

What You’ll Learn

• Why “we’re all just PTs” can still ignore real specialization and skill differences
• How payer-centered constraints quietly strip autonomy in discharge planning
• Why arguing online rarely fixes burnout (emotion first, logic second)
• Presenteeism: when someone shows up but becomes a net negative
• A leader’s playbook: how to actually listen, reset, and decide what’s salvageable
• The one controllable lever: what energy you bring into the patient room