My Journey from Physiotherapist to Rehabilitation Case Manager

My Career Journey

I have worked as a physiotherapist for over 20 years in a variety of settings; hospital wards, community, exercise classes, private physiotherapy.  The physicality of the MSK clinics started to take a toll on my hands with patient after patient coming through the door.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the work! I enjoyed meeting my patients where they were on their recovery journey and helping them to move forward, I loved seeing the relief on their faces after a session of hands-on work made a difference to their pain.  But removing their pain made mine worse, so I knew it was time to move on to a new role.  I wanted to continue to use my physiotherapy clinical knowledge in some way, so I researched different roles and found a job advertised with Rehab Direct.  I read around the company and liked what I read.  I applied and was lucky to be successful and am now working as a Rehabilitation Case Manager. 

The role has some similarities to my physio clinics. I have a list of patients who are my responsibility, and I need to keep in regular touch with them to work through their rehab with them.

Building Relationships

The patients are usually (but not exclusively) rehabilitating from road traffic accidents that have caused various and multiple injuries.  I am currently Case Managing a young child and am working on helping him access appropriate level learning to help him recover some ground at school. In addition to this, I’m also Case Managing a retired gentleman whose goal it was to return to trips out with his family after lower limb and pelvic injuries kept him immobile for an extended period.

As a Rehabilitation Case Manager, I continue to work with patients on their individual goals, identifying the resources and people needed to help them achieve those goals. This might include face-to-face physiotherapy, psychotherapy, imaging, consultant reviews, or gym memberships with input from a personal trainer. It could also involve arranging regular walks to build stamina, or helping someone find a course to retrain for a new job and supporting them in creating an effective CV.

I still get to build relationships with my patients, and in most cases, these are long-term connections. I have the privilege of witnessing their entire recovery journey—from being non-weight-bearing or bed-bound to running again, caring for their children effectively, and returning to full-time work. I get to celebrate the joy of each milestone they achieve.

While I’m no longer hands-on, I can connect patients with the right professionals and support them with a more holistic view of their lives. It’s a fantastic role, and I feel fortunate to use my years of clinical knowledge to help people recover.

As a bonus, my hands are pain-free, and my typing speed is improving!

Debbie Olujic, BSc (Hons), HCPC, MCSP

Case Manager

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