Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein, provides an engaging and thought-provoking perspective on the specialist versus generalist debate. Throughout, Epstein details real-life cases across a variety of domains to showcase the value of failure, creativity, and diversity, and the detrimental effects of functioning in silos—all ideas that apply to the physical therapy profession.

Readers will emerge with an enlightened view of how to better serve themselves, patients, and students/mentees/employees. There is too much content to discuss it all here; however, outlined below are the concepts I believe to be most important to begin a dialog within the field of physical therapy.

Consider the concept of cognitive entrenchment, the idea that there is an inflexible, limiting effect associated with the narrowing of knowledge, particularly in the areas of problem solving, adaptation, and creative idea generation (p32).

While specialization is a vital component of the development of knowledge and the advancement of skill, what happens when we are specialized to a point where we are unable to see what we do not know? What happens when physical therapy students do not understand the development and application of theory across experiences? Or when our patients are told there is a single path to recovery?

—

Range, by Epstein D. was published by Penguin/Riverhead in 2019. 

This is an excerpt from a book review written by Sarah Sherman and published in JOSPT.