Concentra Colleague Spotlight: Jet Thomas
October is National Physical Therapy Month, an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate the transformative power of physical therapy. At Concentra, we pride ourselves on partnering with some of the most experienced and credentialed physical therapists in the industry. 75% of Concentra physical therapists hold advanced degrees.
Concentra is celebrating Physical Therapy Month by putting the spotlight on one of our own – Jonathan (Jet) Thomas, the Center Therapy Director of our Elm Hill Pike Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. Jet has his Doctorate in Physical Therapy and is certified in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy.
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Jet Thomas, shaking his hand, or giving him a hug, then you have met a Concentra colleague that not only lives Orange, but bleeds Orange. With his compassionate and fun personality, Jet has provided exceptional quality care to his patients each and every day for over 5 years with Concentra. He listens attentively and encourages his patients to think positively and take ownership in the healing process. Jet is also a family man – he is happily married and a father to a handsome little boy.
This past spring brought some unfortunate news to our star therapist when he was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He did not let that stop him from providing great care to his patients and coming into work between rounds of chemotherapy. Jet remained confident, continued to smile, and encouraged his colleagues and patients that because of their great support, he would get through this.
After almost a year of challenging treatment, Jet received the great news that he’s officially in remission and no longer needs chemo! Always thinking of others, Jet walked away from his journey with this reflection:
“I have always tried to be an encouragement to patients, whether they have a simple ankle sprain or a complicated back injury. But now more than ever I realize the true importance of having someone take the time to simply reassure and answer questions. I was very fortunate throughout this challenge, but I recognize that often the most difficult hurdle to overcome with a physical ailment may actually be the psychological barriers you place on yourself. I try to remind myself of this when working with patients that don't progress ‘as expected.’ Sometimes I feel like you have to convince patients that they can get better before they will allow themselves to get better.”
Jet is being highlighted not because of his illness, but because his response to illness has shown us the colleague and person we should all strive to be.