This week’s spotlight is on Dylan Allen, PT, DPT, a non-clinical physical therapist who is now Medical Home Care Manager at Post Road Pediatrics!
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What is your full name, title, and company name for your current, primary role?
Dylan Allen, PT, DPT — Medical Home Care Manager at Post Road Pediatrics
Where are you located?
Sudbury, MA.
Where did you go to PT school, and what year did you graduate?
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 2022.
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What did you do when you first finished school, and for how long?
I worked in home health care — only a month!
In what setting(s) did you work, and what types of patients did you treat?
I worked in home health and outpatient.
What did you enjoy about your early roles? What didn’t you enjoy?
I enjoyed working with patients, getting to know their lives, and seeing their progress. I did not enjoy the physical and emotional toll.
What else have you done since then, prior to your current role?
I have been a question developer for Score Builders. (I got a perfect score on my boards somehow, so they let me write questions!)
When and why did you decide to do something non-clinical?
I looked very early after I passed my boards. I have been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and the physical toll of the job led to worsening physical and emotional health. I felt my past experiences opened the door for me to expand my horizons.
What are you doing these days?
I am working at my current job as Medical Home Care Manager at Post Road Pediatrics. I’m trying to normalize non-direct patient care as much as I can.
My job responsibilities include:
- Complex patient care management
- Quality improvement (QI) initiatives
- Population health monitoring/improvement
- NCQA accreditation/maintenance
- Office management
- Compliance monitoring
- Patient safety
- Network building
Are you still treating patients, or are you solely non-clinical?
I am solely non-clinical. However, I get pulled into PCP visits to ask my opinion on various presentations.
How long have you been in your current role?
Since April 2023.
Did you get any special certifications or training along the way to help you get into your current role?
I did A LOT of self teaching for QI, population health monitoring, and protocol creation. I am working on my NAHQ certification.
How did you find your job? Did you apply or find it through a connection?
I applied through Indeed after a long, arduous journey.
Did you do anything special to your resume and cover letter to land the job?
I made sure my resume and cover letter were eye catching, properly organized, and succinct!
What was the interview like for the medical home care manager role?
It was three interviews with different teams: first an MD, then four MDs and a practice manager, then the behavioral health team.
What are some of the things you did to stand out, take initiative, and advance in your career?
I definitely have a leadership role now due to taking initiative in every aspect of my job. I am the “go-to guy” for basically everything (for better or worse).
How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?
Very mixed! PTs were mostly questioning and concerned; family were very supportive!
What’s a typical day or week in the life like for you? What types of tasks and responsibilities fill your time?
Every day is totally different. I am either:
- Managing psychiatric/medical patient crises as they pop up
- Helping complex patients and their parents navigate the medical system and make decisions
- Working on quality improvement initiatives and monitoring
- Improving aspects of our practice (such as inclusivity, productivity, education; literally anything)
What are some of the rewards of your role? What are the biggest challenges?
I make a huge impact on how our office functions as a medical home.
I also LOVE seeing patients and families who were struggling for a long time or with a new situation or diagnosis begin to find their footing and improve their overall health!
My biggest challenges include being a one-man show with a lot of responsibilities and also the emotionally taxing situations, such as situations involving DCF.
How did your clinical background prepare you for this role? Which skills transferred?
Having a broad education of all medical conditions definitely helped. Task organizations, note writing, and legal implications transferred. Also, my ability to talk to anyone regardless of circumstance from my time in school and prior has helped immensely.
Roughly speaking, how are the hours and pay compared to patient care?
My work-life balance is so much better. I have remote days, and I can bring my dog to my private office! My pay now is better than what I was being paid for patient care.
Ready to launch your own non-clinical career?
Plus, you’ll get early access to curated non-clinical job listings and a bonus lesson on AI!
What type of person do you think would do well in your medical home care manager role?
The type of person who would do well in this role would have the skills mentioned above and the ability to multitask and handle unexpected situations with composure. Above all, though, is a willingness to learn new skills.
Do you work remotely or onsite?
Both! Mostly onsite.
Does your organization hire PT, OT, or SLP professionals into non-clinical roles? If so, what type of roles?
I’m the first.
Did you read any books, take any courses, or do anything special overall to get you where you are today?
Nope!
What is a typical career path for someone in your medical home care manager role?
That depends—there is definitely room to grow in the company. It’s also possible to become a practice consultant for the PPOC as a whole.
What is next for you? What are your high-level career aspirations?
I’d like to continue here or grow with the greater organization.
What would you recommend to someone who is considering going into a role like yours? Do you have any special words of wisdom for the readers?
I’d recommend building connections with everyone in your office, patients, and outside organizations!
What career advice would you give yourself that you wish you had during school?
Honestly, I’d just tell myself I will figure it all out!
What would you teach to today’s graduate students in your profession, if you had the opportunity?
There are other options out there besides direct patient care!
Do you have any special advice for others who want to follow in your footsteps?
Reach out to people who have done similar things. A lot of my success and opportunities in life have come from cold calls and cold emails to people I wanted to learn from.
