The low-risk way to explore career pivots (for therapists)

There’s often a typical expected career path for pediatric clinicians, regardless of the discipline. It can often feel a bit constraining, especially if it doesn’t fully align with your strengths; or if the system you’re working in limits the way you serve your caseload. But what if you weren’t limited to the typical model, or the traditional job postings? What if you could design a clinical career on your own terms? This idea is exciting…but scary. Especially if you’re in a job that you enjoy and that feels “almost” in line with what you’d want to be doing. Many clinicians have this nagging feeling. They love what they do…but they wonder if they could be doing more for their field and in their career. I felt this way when I was nearing the end of my doctoral program and was working the school systems. I knew the next stage of my career was coming…but I wasn’t exactly sure what direction I should go. Private practice? Higher ed? School administration? Something else? To answer this question, I did what I refer to as career “micro-experiments”.

This is one of the strategies I used to launch my business while I was working in the schools full time.

In this episode, I share:
✅Why doing “test-runs” can help you discover your strengths, build your resume and skills, and serve your current caseload at the same time

✅Why I turned down a job interview that could have led me towards what I thought was a “dream job”

✅How to start building your leadership experience NOW, without leaving the security of your current job. In this episode, I mentioned the Clinical Leadership Roundtable, an ongoing event for pediatric clinicians that want to plan a career path that finally allows you to serve in a way that feels aligned and impactful. 

You can join the Clinical Leadership Roundtable here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year.