Current Information for Entrepreneurs

All physiotherapists who have completed a degree in physiotherapy and who are included in the register of the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs have the right to practise the profession and, therefore, also the right to work as an entrepreneur. For some, entrepreneurship is a long-time dream and an opportunity to fulfil oneself. For others, it may be a situation suddenly brought on by, for example, the outsourcing of occupational health care services. When becoming an entrepreneur and working as an entrepreneur, the expertise of a physiotherapist in occupational health needs to be supplemented by knowledge related to, for example, legislation, contract law, questions of liability, profitability, and many other issues concerning entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship courses are often helpful in acquiring such knowledge, and entrepreneurship organizations, among others, offer education for entrepreneurs. Please see the included links to various sources of information.

For an entrepreneur, the foundation of entrepreneurship also includes personal and professional well- being and the maintenance of expertise. Along with high-level expertise and high-quality services, entrepreneurs also need to focus on long-term entrepreneurship planning and marketing as well as to ensure profitability, for example, through appropriate pricing. The services offered by physiotherapists in occupational health provide benefit and value to customers, which should be emphasized in marketing. Since people are expected to work longer than before, challenges and the need for the services of physiotherapists in occupational health are not anticipated to decrease in the future.

There is strength in working together, and it is beneficial to create your own network of partners both within your own profession and with other entrepreneurs. The regional societies of the Finnish Association of Physiotherapists have contacts for entrepreneurs, and it is also beneficial to get involved with regional entrepreneurship associations. The contact person for entrepreneurs at the Association of Finnish Physiotherapists in Occupational Health is Aija Moilanen. A few times a year, the Association of Finnish Physiotherapists in Occupational Health organizes entrepreneur meetings where entrepreneurs get an opportunity to meet colleagues, to network, and to discuss topics related to physiotherapy in occupational health after an introductory talk. Suggestions for topics and meeting locations are welcome! Information about the entrepreneur meetings is posted on the website of the Association and emailed to those who have provided their contact information.