The Better Outcomes Show

Full episode note: https://rehabupracticesolutions.com/better-outcomes-168

Podcast: https://www.betteroutcomes.show
Get a Book: 
Book a call with me: https://calendly.com/rehabu/discovery
Connect with Me: https://www.rafisalazar.com

168: Don’t Let Go of the Vine Too Early
Patience, Career Pivots, & Strategic Transitions in Healthcare

What do you do when the career you worked so hard for turns out to be nothing like you expected?

In this episode of The Better Outcomes Show, I share a story from early in my career that completely changed how I think about work, leadership, career transitions, and difficult seasons. Only weeks into my first “real” clinical job after graduation, I found myself trapped in an unhealthy work environment, questioning my career choice, and seriously considering walking away entirely.

Then my dad asked me a strange question in a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot:
“Do you know why Tarzan never fell out of the sky when he was swinging through the trees?”

That conversation became one of the most important professional lessons I’ve ever learned.

In this episode, we explore the difference between being stuck and being strategic, why emotional decisions can derail long-term growth, and how patience—when used correctly—is not weakness, but positioning.

In This Episode, We Discuss:
-The reality shock many healthcare professionals experience early in their careers
-How toxic environments can distort your perception of an entire profession
-Ethical pressure, workplace culture, and maintaining professional integrity
-Why emotional career decisions often create unnecessary instability
-The difference between patience and passivity
-Strategic career pivots vs reactive exits
-How difficult seasons can unexpectedly prepare you for future opportunities
-Why some of the most important career growth happens quietly behind the scenes

Key Takeaway:
Not every hard situation needs an immediate escape plan.
Sometimes the better move is enduring it long enough to position yourself for something better.

If you'd like to learn more about Strata EMR & RCM and achieving a 99.99% reimbursement rate for your PT, OT, or SLP Clinic head over to stratapt.com and book a demo with their team!

What is The Better Outcomes Show?

Exploring the possibilities of a new healthcare.



Let’s get real: Healthcare is broken. You know it. I know it. Every clinician who came into this field from a desire to care for others, knows this to be undeniably true. We feel it everyday when we enter our clinics, hospitals, and practices. We feel the burden of time-based productivity metrics, utilization rates, and the expectation to behave like cogs in a giant, soul-crushing machine aimed at extracting revenue from our patients in exchange for “units” of treatment.



Healthcare should be about one thing: PEOPLE! Yet how many clinics, organizations, or healthcare professionals live their lives by the numbers? Metrics & spreadsheets drive most of our healthcare decision makers and administrators. That leaves patients -the people we serve- lost in the mix. Patient’s feel lost, forgotten, and ignored by a system that prioritizes efficiency & productivity over their own personal experiences, priorities, or goals.



It’s time for clinicians to finally stand up and say what we’ve all been thinking for so long: enough is enough!



It’s time for healthcare organizations to commit to serving the individual needs of each unique patient that they are charged with serving.



Join Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi), principal of Rehab U Practice Solutions and host of The Better Outcomes Show as he explores the possibilities of a new healthcare. Guests range from clinicians trying new techniques and treatments to executives and entrepreneurs exploring new service delivery methods, business models, and organizational structures.