Content Writer and Training Developer — Zoe Faselt

This week’s spotlight is on Zoe Faselt, PT, DPT, a non-clinical physical therapist who is now Content Writer and Training Developer for Medbridge!

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What is your full name, title, and company name for your current, primary role?

Zoe Faselt, PT, DPT — Content Writer and Training Developer for Medbridge

Where are you located?

Salt Lake City, UT.

Where did you go to PT school, and what year did you graduate?

University of Utah, 2021.

What did you do when you first finished school, and for how long?

I worked at an outpatient, cash-based clinic specializing in a mixture of orthopedics, chronic pain and Pilates.

In what setting(s) did you work, and what types of patients did you treat?

I worked mainly in the outpatient orthopedic setting, but the clinic would see all kinds of patients, including neurologic and pediatric.

Typically, we’d see patients with more chronic conditions who had failed previous episodes of physical therapy and were looking for a more holistic solution.

The clinic also integrated Pilates and other forms of alternative movement and therapies.

What did you enjoy about your early roles? What didn’t you enjoy?

I loved the educational aspect of being a physical therapist. Going from meeting someone who felt so discouraged about their chronic pain or injury, to being able to educate them, guide them through a healing journey, and see them improve was my favorite part.

I didn’t enjoy the pitfalls of having to navigate the medical system—for example, patients who had run out of insurance visits elsewhere and couldn’t afford the cash rate but were at the end of their rope, emotionally and physically. It often felt very helpless and like an uphill battle trying to help…like taking the world on your shoulders every day.

What else have you done since then, prior to your current role?

I also worked in the industrial health setting. I saw patients at their place of work in factory settings:

• Providing medical physical therapy
• Providing first aid care
• Performing ergonomic assessments
• Consulting on workplace safety

When and why did you decide to do something non-clinical?

About three years into practice, I knew that I wanted to pursue non-clinical work. I had felt the effects of burnout pretty early into my first job. I was struggling to make ends meet financially, couldn’t combat the stress and anxiety I was feeling every week, and admittedly wasn’t great at “leaving work at work.”

In sitting with that, I also realized that the aspects of physical therapy that I’m so passionate about don’t always have to do with direct patient care, such as the education and research side. I also have a background as a writer and missed that part of myself!

What are you doing these days?

I am currently a content writer and training developer at Medbridge!

Are you still treating patients, or are you solely non-clinical?

Solely non-clinical.

How long have you been in your current role?

Since March 2024.

Did you get any special certifications or training along the way to help you get into your current role?

I didn’t get any special certifications or training, but I did start to re-energize my writing portfolio.

I was doing some writing at the clinic I was working for, so I spent time documenting those pieces in a portfolio. I was also applying for freelance health writing jobs and writing on my personal blog to get the writing muscles flexing again. I tried to start an Instagram page and blog (proof that it’s OK to try new things even if they don’t quite take off!).

I had also been following The Non-Clinical PT for a while and took the free mini course to get started!

How did you find your job? Did you apply or find it through a connection?

I found my current position on LinkedIn.

Did you do anything special to your resume and cover letter to land the job?

Yes! I used The Non-Clinical PT’s Job Seeker Starter Pack for resume and cover letter resources. It was extremely helpful, as I hadn’t had a non-clinical resume before. I didn’t realize how much of my clinical experience could be leveraged in the business world, and the starter pack helped me find language to communicate that effectively.

Looking for resume and cover letter templates…plus so much more?

What was the interview like for the content writer and training developer role?

I had three interviews in total, including a writing project and presentation. The initial interview was with a recruiter, followed by two 1:1 interviews with my now supervisors. The final round was to prepare a presentation on a writing prompt for a course and present that to a panel.

How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?

When I announced I was leaving patient care, there was a fair amount of surprise from colleagues and friends. But as time went on, I’ve had many colleagues reach out to learn more about the non-clinical option.

What’s a typical day or week in the life like for you? What types of tasks and responsibilities fill your time?

My job has recently expanded a bit to cover more writing projects for different teams. I’ve really enjoyed getting the exposure to work more collaboratively.

Typically, I have one to two meetings per day—sometimes more for larger projects that require more collaboration. The rest of my day is spent researching a topic, writing scripts, storyboarding, or writing smaller articles for use on our website or help center. I also get to assist with creating some of our video content, and I hope to do more of that in the future!

What are some of the rewards of your role? What are the biggest challenges?

The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I’m still contributing to a community that I care about—supporting both clinicians and patients with the educational content I’m creating. I also love that I get to be creative every day, whether writing a script for a new course or improving on an internal process.

The biggest challenge for me has been learning all of the business lingo!

How did your clinical background prepare you for this role? Which skills transferred?

I’m lucky that the role I landed in still requires me to use a lot of my clinical knowledge. I think the other skills—such as time management, research fluency, and certainly communication—have transferred nicely as well.

Also, PTs are natural educators, so this lends itself well to roles that require teaching others about a topic, product or process!

Roughly speaking, how are the hours and pay compared to patient care?

I currently make more than I did in my clinical jobs. My hours are much more predictable now (classic 9-5) with no weekend requirements.

I also have PTO and paid sick time/personal days, which I never had in my clinical care positions.

What type of person do you think would do well in your content writer and training developer role?

Someone who is great with cross-team collaboration but is also a self-starter and can initiate and follow through with projects independently.

Also, someone creative who is willing to push the envelope a little on what could be possible for content creation—or just to make a current process even better.

Do you work remotely or onsite?

Remotely.

Does your organization hire PT, OT, or SLP professionals into non-clinical roles?

Yes!

Did you read any books, take any courses, or do anything special overall to get you where you are today?

I followed The Non-Clinical PT, signed up for their weekly emails, and utilized their Job Seeker Starter Pack. I also followed other health writers on LinkedIn and tried to browse as many health writers’ blogs as I could.

I read a book called Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap, which was also a great help in reframing my own financial goals and preparing for interviews and salary negotiations.

What is a typical career path for someone in your content writer and training developer role?

Medbridge is a great company for growth and makes a point to create career ladders and trajectories for employees. From Content Developer, I could work my way up to Senior Content Developer, Manager, then Sr. Manager. I think there are also opportunities to forge your own path, depending on relationships and cross-team collaboration!

What is next for you? What are your high-level career aspirations?

I’m super happy in my current position and honestly enjoying the work-life balance after the whirlwind of clinical work!

I’m looking forward to continuing with enhancing my writing skills while also developing my leadership and project management skills. I would love to have more of a role in research and development of content and products. I could also see myself moving into more of a leadership role eventually.

What would you recommend to someone who is considering going into a content writer role like yours? Do you have any special words of wisdom for the readers?

I’d say just stick with it! It took a ton of soul-searching followed by months of work and painstakingly applying to countless positions. But the payoff has been truly life changing for me, and it has been so worth it.

Also, I probably applied for too many jobs—focus on the ones that you truly align with and spend more energy creating a solid resume and cover letter for those.

What would you like to change most in your profession, and why? How would you propose doing so?

I love our profession. If I could change anything, it would be to fix our healthcare system, so hardworking clinicians have more time, resources and space to provide quality care and still make a good living right out of grad school. A daunting task!

On a smaller scope, I think we need to be preparing new grads for burnout more effectively, starting from in PT school. I also think financial counseling for those taking out student loans should be mandatory, not optional, before deciding to take on a doctorate-level education.

What career advice would you give yourself that you wish you had during school?

I think I would have told myself long ago (way before PT school) to explore all of my options! I loved both writing and human anatomy and wish that I had explored more options than just PT school. While I’m so proud of my degree and all of the opportunities it’s created, it’s an expensive education that I’m not sure I was prepared to deal with.

What would you teach to today’s graduate students in your profession, if you had the opportunity?

Start slow when you get out and start practicing. There’s no need to be “the best of the best,” know everything, and fix everything on day one. It takes years and years to develop skills, and you’re still a great doctor even if you have to ask others for help or clarification!

From my perspective, a lot of PT school was about “following your passion” which is so important, but so is overall work-life balance and mental health! Passion can also lead to burnout if you’re not taking care of your needs.

Do you have any special advice for others who want to follow in your footsteps?

Network, talk to others, and be persistent. Don’t be too afraid of failing at the first few things you try—it’s just another learning experience.