Clinicians Creating Impact

Hosted by Heather Branscombe

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124

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Clinicians Creating Impact is a show for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and speech-language pathologists who want to find the next right answer and create more impact. Each week, Clinical Director and Owner of Abilities Neurological Rehabilitation, Heather Branscombe, shares valuable tips, tools, information, and learnings to help therapists find clients, stop overworking, make more money, and make hard conversations easier, so that they can create a bigger impact without feeling awful. Interested in working with Heather Branscombe and Abilities Neurological Rehabilitation? Visit https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com to learn more. This podcast is for you if you find yourself asking questions like: How do I make more money as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech-language pathologist? How do I have a hard conversation with my boss/a client/a patient/ a family/ a parent? How to get more work done as an occupational therapist. How do I create a bigger impact without feeling horrible? How do I get all my charting/documentation/work done as a physiotherapist? How to get more clients as a physical therapist.

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60 recent

October 8, 202617 min

121. The Future of Care: What Holds When Everything Shifts

When everything around you is changing, it can be hard to know what to hold onto. Funding models shift, organizations face uncertainty, and clinicians can start wondering what the future of their work will look like. In this episode, I explore what I believe stays important when everything else is changing, and why having a clear sense of purpose can help you navigate change without losing your direction. Drawing on my experience through the pandemic, changes in regulation, and the current shifts happening in pediatric care, I share why I believe the future of care belongs to clinicians who know their why and families who have a real say in their care. You will also hear how rehabilitation assistants fit into that vision by extending clinical care while allowing therapists to focus their time and expertise where they matter most. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/121 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

September 10, 202620 min

120. Beyond the Basics: Growing into Leadership Before You Feel Ready

Sometimes the next step in your career arrives before you feel ready for it. Whether you are mentoring a therapist, taking on a student, starting a practice, or leading a rehabilitation assistant, there is a common threshold where you move from doing the work to shaping how the work gets done. In this episode, I explore what it really means to grow into leadership before you feel completely ready. As you move beyond the basics, leadership becomes less about doing more and more about developing people, designing how the work flows, and getting ahead of friction before it forms. I share how this shift shows up when working with rehabilitation assistants and why your own discomfort can either fuel your growth or become pressure that spills onto the people you lead. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/120 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

August 13, 202616 min

119. It's Not You. It's Not Them. It's the System.

Something going wrong with a rehabilitation assistant can quickly turn into a story about who is at fault. Is the rehabilitation assistant the problem? Am I the problem? In this episode, I explore the third option that we often miss: the system. When something feels off, the issue is often not about a person failing, but about a structure that needs more clarity, communication, or support. I break down how unclear instructions, mismatched expectations, inconsistent feedback, and supervision that is either too distant or too directive can create friction within team based care. You will learn how to shift from seeing challenges as personal failures to viewing them as opportunities to strengthen the systems that support both clinicians and rehabilitation assistants. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/119 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

July 16, 202616 min

118. Will This Replace Me or Extend Me?

Will bringing a rehabilitation assistant into your practice strengthen your impact... or slowly replace it? In this episode, I explore one of the biggest questions behind team-based care and why true clinician buy in is built on much more than simply accepting change. When the right structures are in place, rehabilitation assistants become a way to expand your reach, deepen your impact, and build a more sustainable future for your practice. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/118 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

June 25, 202614 min

Bonus: What a Year of RA Work Actually Looks Like (A Clinician's Honest Take) with Samantha Sundby

Many clinicians are curious about working with rehabilitation assistants, but taking that first step can feel overwhelming. In this bonus episode, I sit down with speech language pathologist Samantha Sundby to talk about what a year of working with rehabilitation assistants has actually looked like in her practice, including the challenges, surprises, and growth along the way. Samantha shares how her thinking evolved after completing our rehabilitation assistant certification program, what helped her move past the uncertainty of choosing the right clients, and how collaboration with rehabilitation assistants has strengthened both her clinical decision making and client care. Listen in this week to hear an honest reflection on what becomes possible when you move beyond doing everything yourself. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/bonus-samantha-sundby Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

June 11, 202620 min

117. You Already Measure: Turning Objective Findings into Growth

Have you ever had a client tell you that therapy is not working, only to pull out an assessment and discover just how much progress they have actually made? Those moments remind us why objective findings matter. They help us see what feelings alone can sometimes miss. In this episode, I explore why many clinicians trust numbers when working with clients but feel uncomfortable when those same numbers are applied to their own work. Using a framework familiar to every clinician, I walk through how the SOAP model can help us understand metrics in a more meaningful way. We will look at the role of subjective experience, objective findings, thoughtful assessment, and intentional planning, and how these same principles can be applied to rehabilitation assistant integration, team development, and sustainable practice growth. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/117 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

May 14, 202620 min

116. From Orientation to Ownership: Starting with a Rehab Assistant, The Abilities Way

Many therapists approach working with rehabilitation assistants as simply teaching tasks and routines. But in this episode, I show you why true rehab assistant integration is really about building relationships that expand your impact, strengthen your leadership, and create sustainable clinical growth. At Abilities, we have learned that moving from orientation to ownership requires much more than quick training. It means building clarity, trust, and shared understanding from the start. You will hear how focusing on context, guided participation, and gradual ownership development can transform a rehabilitation assistant from extra help into a true extension of your care. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/116 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

April 9, 202614 min

115. The Missing Link Between Documentation and Team Trust

Documentation can often feel like the least rewarding part of clinical work, like a checkbox or something you do at the end of the day to meet requirements rather than something that actually supports your practice. In this episode, I share a shift that changed how I think about documentation and why it can play a much bigger role in your work than you might expect. I walk through three layers of trust that documentation can support: self trust, team trust, and execution trust. You will hear how separating your clinical thinking from how you communicate that thinking can reduce confusion, strengthen collaboration, and make it easier for others to support your clients with clarity and confidence. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/115 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

March 12, 202616 min

114. What Therapists Often Get Wrong About Rehab Assistant Integration

Therapists are often curious about working with rehabilitation assistants, but many are also skeptical. After years of building clinical expertise, it is natural to wonder whether involving someone else in the care of complex clients could lower the quality of therapy. In this episode, I explore why that concern is so common and why the reality of effective rehab assistant integration often looks very different. Listen in this week to learn how rehabilitation assistants can expand the impact of therapy through increased practice, stronger carryover into daily life, and greater consistency between therapist visits. When therapists protect the clinical reasoning and progression of care, rehabilitation assistants can help bring that plan to life in ways that support better outcomes for clients. Book a free demo of the Jane App at jane.app/demo . And, for your first month free, use code ABILITIES1MO Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/114 Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/

February 26, 202617 min

Bonus: Building Confidence Through Team-Based Care: Katie van Baarsen's RA Certification Journey

In this bonus episode, I am joined by Katie van Baarsen, a speech language pathologist at Abilities, to talk about her experience completing our rehabilitation assistant certification program and what it taught her about team based care. Katie shares what surprised her about the depth and rigor of the program, the moments that challenged her clinical thinking, and how supervising rehabilitation assistants helped her move forward even when she felt uncertain. You will hear how her confidence grew, how her decision making sharpened, and how collaboration with rehabilitation assistants became a meaningful part of her practice. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://abilitiesrehabilitation.com/bonus Let's stay connected! Follow me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/heather-branscombe/