May 9, 2023

Paulette Gardiner Millar shares what she has learned in her 25 years as a physical therapist

Paulette Gardiner Millar
Paulette Gardiner Millar

Paulette Gardiner Millar (BScPT ‘98) is a life-long learner and outstanding leader whose passion for sports and working with people led her to a career in physical therapy. 

“I really liked working with people and I played a lot of team sports. And I really enjoyed science and math and the human body, and very logically, when you put all that together, physiotherapy was where I wanted to go.” 

After graduating from grade 13, she jumped right into a bachelor's degree in physical therapy at the University of Toronto. At the time, about a third of her classmates were coming straight from high school, some had partial degrees and some had full degrees, which she said created a diverse learning environment as students brought with them different experiences and knowledge. 

Her final placement in the program was at a clinic in Toronto but having grown up in Hamilton, she was looking for an opportunity to move back home. Her preceptor put her in touch with a physiotherapist who led a group of clinics and offered her a job, which launched her entire career. “Over time I was able to really grow into a whole bunch of different roles. I started out as a part-time physiotherapist, then moved into full-time physiotherapy, then eventually moved into a clinic director role.” After years of working on the operational side to support all of the clinic’s Ontario locations, and later as the Senior Director of Operational Communication & Quality Improvement, Paulette decided to go back to school to pursue a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality. 

For the past two years, Paulette has worked as the Contract Manager for Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services, a program that provides rehabilitation support to Veterans and their families to help with the transition to life after service. Driven by her passion for helping people, Paulette says her new role has been exciting and a great way to give back. 

Throughout her career, Paulette has made it a priority to keep up with what’s happening in the field, even outside her workplace. “I'm always kind of looking for opportunities to learn and grow,” says Paulette. On top of her career supporting the operations of private clinics, Paulette has served as President of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA) where she was able to sit at a table with a group of physiotherapist leaders. “Not only did it help me keep up to date with what's happening in the physiotherapy world, but it also helped to develop me as a leader. Being around them no doubt has made me a better leader,” she says. 

OPA recently awarded Paulette with the Outstanding Leadership Award, recognizing her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and commitment to finding innovative solutions to keep physiotherapy services running through the pandemic. 

Paulette offers some advice to students graduating from physical therapy programs today. “Walk around with your eyes and ears open looking for opportunities to insert the physiotherapist’s voice. They're all around us, but most we don't even see it because we're too stuck in our everyday...I'm really trying to encourage people to notice when those opportunities are there because the physiotherapist’s voice is really important at a local, regional, and larger healthcare system perspective,” she says. “You know more than you think.” 

This year marks 25 years that Paulette graduated from U of T and began her career in physical therapy. “I feel very privileged because that has allowed me so many different career opportunities, all in the same company, but I've been able to do so many different, really rewarding roles over the years and regardless of which role I'm in, I use my physiotherapist brain every day. I feel very, very lucky that I was privileged enough to receive that education when I did and that I’ve been lucky enough to work within the field for these 25 years.”