Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Wong.
Hi Jade, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I had always wanted something of my own in hand therapy. I was working at a clinic where I’d take on many students at a time. I loved teaching them, but it was also a lot of work getting them up to speed with treating people in a specialty of occupational therapy. At the same time, I didn’t want to turn them away because, to be honest, I needed the help. Days were either like this: educate the student to competency to help treat people with upper extremity injuries, or see 14 people in 7 hours by myself. I was at a point where I was looking at my resume trying to translate the skills I worked so hard to achieve into something else to make a career shift.
Simultaneously, I was trying to navigate my personal life. My first daughter was having seizures since 5 months old. She was finally diagnosed with a rare, devastating, and incurable condition called Dravet Syndrome. We would be in the hospital 1-2 times a month. I’d be working when all of a sudden I’d have to leave and reschedule clients, then go back in to work the next day while my daughter was in the hospital, feeling guilty I left her there.
All things combined were the perfect catalyst for why I finally started my own practice. I love what I do clinically. I wanted to reframe care for people seeking therapy for their hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. I wanted to be able to make decisions without the red tape of waiting for authorizations or someone to allow me to do so. In addition to that, I envisioned something that could one day provide me the time flexibility I need for my family, even more so for my child with special needs. I first started out going to people’s homes, wanting to fill the gap in treatment where people needed hand therapy but either couldn’t make it out of the home to outpatient clinics or they just preferred to be seen in the privacy of their homes.
Today I have settled down in an office locally in Redondo Beach, while still offering in-home visits! I am happy to have a home base nearby for my family, while also having the flexibility to schedule in-home appointments. Going from clinician to business owner has been a huge step for me, but I love this learning process and excited for where I am going!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing ever goes to plan. I expected that.
I have hopped electronic medical record systems and scheduling systems. I’ve changed phone and fax carriers. I’ve learned all the behind the scenes to how the clinic works. That has been a HUGE pain in my side. And unexpectedly, it did halt some of my flow and slow things down for a while.
Other than that, there have always been mental struggles. Initially when I was doing my business on the side, I’d miss out on nights I could spend with our daughter. The time it was taking from my personal life was and is challenging. It is still a learning process to carve out time and create that boundary to nurture all aspects of life, but I also know that the initial stages of my practice was an investment for future and compounded time flexibility and freedom to spend with my loved ones.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business is a hand therapy practice, treating people with any conditions or pain from the shoulder down to the fingertip. This might range from a shoulder rotator cuff tear to tendinitis anywhere in the arm, to fractures in the hands, wrists, or fingers. On the artistic side, this includes custom splint fabrications, where if someone has an injury or surgery and requires a brace, they can come in and I can make it specifically for their hand then and there.
What sets me apart from others is my detail oriented focus, not just because we occupational therapists are naturally like that, but also because when someone comes to me with his or her hand injury, for me it becomes our hand injury. If they can’t get back to golfing pain free, then we have not completed our journey together. I always tell people that once they walk in the door, this is our hand. Only when we’ve reached 100% is it their own hand again.
Brand wise, I am most proud of my effort to personalize the field of hand therapy. Hand therapy is very specialized and medical, in a sense. I love to talk about hands and the upper extremity with colleagues, but I also love to make learning it accessible for the clients too, because if they understand what’s happening to their hand and arm, the outcomes are far greater and the ability to Reach their full potential is attainable and Beyond.
I am an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, but I am also a mother, a triathlete, a friend, a daughter, a climber, a cook (sometimes), and I know firsthand how injuries and pain can become the biggest hurdle to living life to its fullest. I want that for my clients, and I dive deep into what the root cause of their issues are to create a plan to return back and better.
I offer one on one sessions with my clients, and everything is streamlined and included. We take out the hoops you have to jump through and ladders you have to climb to receive personalized and quality care regarding your hand and arm pain and injury.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I have fond memories of raising Japanese Spitz dogs with my 5 siblings. We owned three of them, and every so often two of them would have a litter of pups. Our big family would become enormous at times, and the oftentimes chaos was uplifting and joyful. We would get to name them and eventually find them all homes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reachbeyondtherapy.com
- Instagram: @reachbeyondtherapy
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings?trk=d_flagship3_profile_self_view_public_profile
Image Credits
CorRi Vaughn
Sender One Climbing Gym
Class 5 Climbing Gym
