Our Story
By Robert O'Connell, Owner of Summit Physical Therapy
Summit Physical Therapy, founded in 1988, is an independent, physical therapist owned private practice with an easy to reach location serving Union, Essex & Morris Counties. In a world of medicine dictated by corporations, Summit Physical Therapy stays true to its roots, with treatment provided only by licensed physical therapists. In this environment, we are able to provide the personalized treatment that every patient deserves, as well as develop relationships that last longer than treatment.
So this is “our story” as we give it to you on our Website. It’s all true, we are independently owned by physical therapists, we are easy to reach, blah, blah, blah. You can read the rest above. What “our story” doesn’t give you is the true essence of what makes us special. I know I am a bit biased, having worked here for 29 years this June 6th but I have had the experience of working as an aide and then as a PT student in other facilities and I can tell you with certainty that there aren’t many places that do things like we do.
Let’s talk about the fact that John and I have been together for 29 years. Think about that for a second. This was my first job and has been my only job since I graduated from PT school in 1990. I remember calling John on the suggestion of the director of the PT program at UMDNJ. The phone call basically went like this: I told John I would be graduating in May of that year and after some pleasantries John said to me, “unfortunately, I don’t usually hire new grads”. I sighed a bit, then as I was going to thank him for the opportunity to speak to him he said, “you know what, send me your resume anyway and let’s set up an interview. After a 4 hour interview and dinner at an Italian restaurant in Bellville...well the rest is history.
I have seen some changes since that day, June 6, 1990 but as things have changed, things have remained the same. The philosophy of, “patient care comes first”, has never waivered. You may have heard me say this, if I was fortunate to treat you in the past, I like to think about how I would want my family member to be treated. I say, “everyone has a mother, a father, may have a brother or sister, has an aunt and uncle, and I treat all of my patients as if they were one of my own. I know it sounds hokey and corny but that’s what has been instilled in me since I took this job so many years ago. Even if we get busy, and I know we do at times, I hope we take that extra step to make sure you are made to feel special and not just run through your program. I can’t tell you how important to us to know that you do. We want to make PT a place you look forward to; that we make an unpleasant time in your life bearable if not enjoyable.
And that’s the real “Our story.”
-Rob O’Connell