Help! How Do I Get a Non-Traditional Role?

"I'm just getting started and have no idea where to begin."

All of the moderators of The Clinician Transition (TCT) would agree, this is the most frequent message in our Linkedin inboxes - and for good reason! Most rehab (PT/OT/ST) clinicians are accustomed to not having to put much effort into their resumes or cover letters since it's more of a formality than a crucial part of the job process. Clinical roles are always opening up and it’s pretty easy to change settings. Many rehab professionals have never even logged onto Linkedin, or only log on when they’re actively looking for a job. It’s just unnecessary to put in a ton of effort to get a traditional clinical role - did you pass your boards and are you licensed? You’re hired! It can be quite a shock when you quickly realize non-traditional roles require a completely different approach.

Here are 8 tips to get you started:

1. Why do you want a non-traditional role? Set aside some time to think about if transitioning careers is truly something that will accomplish what you are hoping it will. Getting to this point in your career was an immense investment of your time and resources. What's going on at your current job that's making you want to make this change? Is it something that could be resolved by changing settings? Going per diem for a little bit? Going off and starting your own rehab business!? It kills me when I hear from therapists who absolutely love treating patients, but are bogged down by all the other administrative "stuff." Is there any possibility at all to review your current processes and workflows so that you can get back to focusing on patients? Maybe you’re doing more administrative work than you need to. Career transition isn't easy, no matter what the circumstances are or what field you are in. So it's imperative to make sure you've taken time to reflect and identify where the root of these thoughts are coming from and what a potential transition could do to solve them. If, after doing that, you’re sure you’re ready for a transition, that’s great! Woohoo! Keep on reading.
2. Join The Clinician Transition group on Linkedin and Slack: This is a community for like-minded rehab (PT/OT/ST) professionals to connect and support each other, during and after, transitions to non-traditional careers. It was Co-founded by Emily Kelly and me. Be on the lookout for links to our monthly meetings and other relevant events! Also - go through our *incredible* list of members, and reach out to people who are doing something that interests you! It's a fantastic and easy way to instantly connect with professionals like you who are thinking about or already have transitioned to non-traditional roles.
3. Subscribe to the Beyond These Clinic Walls podcast. Join Julia, a PT-turned-product-professional and her co-hosts, Emily Kelly and yours truly, as we interview former rehab professionals who have leveraged their clinical skills into non-traditional roles. Hear the journeys, follow the career paths, and learn about the opportunities beyond these clinic walls.
4. Consider joining the Humans in Healthcare Community, run by Amy Story . Humans in Healthcare is a longitudinal peer support system that offers regular office hours, career and creator-centric peer accountability groups, workshops around careers and the unique challenges of being a clinician creator, to name a few, a growing career and creator-centric resource library, and dedicated space for networking and peer support. 
5. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK! I know this is incredibly cliche, but it's true. Before you start, look up how to network. If you’re feeling shy, a safe place to start is to reach out to members of the TCT. Once you’re feeling more confident, start networking with people without a rehab background, but are doing what you want to do. With everything going virtual, it’s so easy to find free virtual events/webinars/Slack channels that are relevant to the field you are thinking of switching to. Sign up for a couple of those and try to attend live and engage in the comments. If you can’t make it live, watch the recordings so you know what’s top of mind in your desired industry.
6. Don’t let rejection get you down. Something I learned from Josh Braun is “You can’t control other people, you can only control what you say.” You are in control of your resume, your cover letter, your networking outreach, and the answers you give in your interviews. You are in control of the books you read, the webinars you attend, the Slack channels you join, the podcasts you listen to, and the courses you take to reach this goal. You are not in control of recruiters or hiring managers. I remember being blown away when Robert Richards said that every time he got a rejection, he thought of it as a good thing because that meant he was one step closer to finding the company that was going to be the right fit. Now that’s a mindset for success.
7. Find a mentor. Most people like to help others. It’s human nature. Connecting with someone who’s been there, done that, and can help guide you along the way is invaluable.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my mentors Raad Shebib and Lauren Sheehan, both of whom were (and continue to be) incredibly generous with their time and expertise as I continue to work on my professional development. Here are some tips on how to find a mentor. Success is certainly a team effort these days.
8. Be realistic. A lot of clinicians want to transition roles because they’ve “hit a ceiling” and there is “no room for upward professional development.” I hear you - that makes perfect sense. It’s important to keep in mind that, for the most part, clinical roles can be a relatively stable and predictable source of income, good benefits etc. Make sure you do your research on the field you’re interested in switching to and prepare yourself by understanding that your compensation package could potentially look pretty different than it does now. This can be scary, which is why it might make sense to check in with a financial advisor like our non-traditional PT turned financial coach Brett Michener. Another thing I hear all the time is "I just want a remote role, I don't care what it is." I'd encourage you to think about what you're looking for in a remote role and be sure you know what you're getting into. Sure, it has its perks, but you might be surprised to learn that remote does NOT equal easy and/or less work. In many ways, it can be the opposite. Think about your motivations for your current and long-term professional, personal, and financial long-term goals and explore how you can create synergy there.
9. Be kind to yourself. It can be really grueling to work full time (more than full time if you’re up till 10 at night documenting…) and then do career development work on top of that. That’s why, if you can, it’s really nice to give yourself the gift of getting professional help either through a course or a coach (shout out to non-traditional PT coaches Kim Rondina and Perry Ashley) The time and energy you save by getting it done as efficiently and quickly as possible will more than pay for itself. I’ve noticed that some clinicians like to go “all in” for a couple of months, and others will submit a couple of resumes here and there over a longer period of time. Depends on your personality and your professional and personal obligations.

Pivoting to a non-traditional role can be daunting at first, but once you get started and begin connecting with therapists who have made the transition, you will see that it is completely feasible. There are so many resources available to you. Each person's journey is different, but these are common steps I've noticed in those who've made the transition relatively smoothly.