Referral Liaison — Ronni Baron

This week’s spotlight is on Ronni Baron, OTR/L, a Non-Clinical 101 graduate who is now Referral Liaison for Children’s Specialized Hospital!

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

Ronni Baron, OTR/L — Referral Liaison for Children’s Specialized Hospital

Where are you located?

New Jersey.

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

New York Institute of Technology, 2000.

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

I worked as a pediatric therapist for over 20 years.

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

Early intervention (0-3 years), preschool (3-5 years), and school-aged (K-12) programs, treating children with a wide array of developmental delays.

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

When I first started out, I loved being involved in treatment. Sensory integration was an area of particular interest to me, and I loved seeing the difference therapy could make in a child’s functional skills. One of the things I found very challenging was handling aggressive behavior.

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

I started out in a per diem role as a referral development representative before applying for a full-time position.

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

As many of us have seen, the landscape of direct care has changed in so many ways. For many school-based therapists, we have seen a shift in districts retaining many students they would once send to special programs. These changes may have benefited the bottom line for school districts, but were ultimately not best for meeting childrens’ needs.

The burnout became too much for me, but I knew I wanted to continue to help children and families in some way.

What are you doing these days?

In my current role as a referral liaison, I am heavily involved in relationship development with referring providers and families. I spend time onsite in the acute care hospitals as a resource for medical and case management teams. Often, I am the first face a family will associate with Children’s Specialized.

I work with families who have been (or may eventually be) referred for rehabilitation to assist them in understanding the differences between their acute care hospital and an acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. I help them become oriented to what they can expect, offer to guide them on a tour around the hospital, discuss amenities we offer families and answer any questions they may have about therapies.

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

I am solely non-clinical.

How long have you been in your current role?

I started in my per diem role in June 2022 and transitioned into this new, full-time position in September 2024.

What do you wish you would’ve known before going into this referral liaison role?

I wish I would have had more confidence in how transferrable my skills as a therapist were before I started. Our skill set is applicable to so much more than just treating!

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

I am a Non-Clinical 101 alum! I also joined the social media groups that The Non-Clinical PT is associated with and recommends for networking and researching different avenues to explore.

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

I was recruited by a fellow OT who has been non-clinical for many years.

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

I updated my resume prior to formally applying for the role. I utilized the job description to figure out how my clinical work could be seen as beneficial to the role I was seeking.

You would be amazed by how much of what we do crosses over into other arenas. We just have to learn how to convey that to others.

What was the interview like for the role?

I interviewed with two people for my original role—the person I would be reporting to, and the person I happen to report to now in my new role.

I reviewed a lot of Non-Clinical 101 material, including information about my personality type to find ways to turn weaknesses into strengths, and again referred to the job description to try to anticipate questions I may be asked.

What are some of the things you did to stand out, take initiative, and advance in your career?

I volunteered for a lot of committees and work groups while I worked per diem. I took a lot of initiative running meetings with referring providers and writing and leading presentations.

I also made myself extremely accessible to folks across various teams within the organization. When people learned I was transitioning into a full-time role, most were surprised to learn I was previously per diem.

How have people reacted to you leaving patient care?

Some people were surprised, but most were not. And all have been extremely supportive.

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

I work both remote and onsite, so my days vary.

I attend rounds in various units through different hospitals (NICU, PICU, Peds and Adolescents, Trauma, etc.). I present educational information to new providers, or about new programs or offerings. I meet with families who have been or will be referred to our hospital for inpatient rehabilitation. I offer tours to providers and families who want to learn more about what we do and how we support children and their families.

Much of my remote time is spent writing and responding to emails, scheduling meetings, chatting with families by phone to answer follow-up questions, completing documentation related to meetings, preparing in-services for presenting to providers, etc.

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

The most rewarding thing about my role, hands down, is the fact that I still have a direct, positive impact on a child and his/her family’s life.

Some of the biggest challenges can be getting your foot in the door to meet with people. Some people think they understand everything we do and offer, but there is so much more than they think, which can be frustrating. One of the toughest things to deal with has been accepting the challenges our verification and authorization team faces with insurance issues.

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

My clinical background was key in helping me prepare for this role.

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

The current hours are a tough comparison for me to make because this current role is my first full-time job in 16 years. However, I found working per diem hours to be easier than treating per diem/contract because there was no extra time spent doing paperwork. It’s a normal part of my role, so it is factored into my day, as opposed to treatment notes and reports which need to be completed outside of treatment time. 

As for the pay…I definitely took a pay cut by leaving direct care. And the work-life balance has been well worth it.

What type of person do you think would do well in your referral liaison role?

Traits that come to mind when considering an ideal person for a role like mine include detail-oriented, highly organized, and outgoing. Strong communication (verbal and written) skills are a must. To be successful in a role like this, you need to feel okay pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, be a confident public speaker, and yes—have a thick skin.

Does your organization hire PT, OT, or SLP professionals into non-clinical roles? If so, what type of roles?

Yes, depending upon the role. An example would be my role. Referral liaison is a role that historically has gone to nurses, but I believe this is an area that we as therapists are well-suited for and can and should be considered for, which my organization does.

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

Through the Non-Clinical 101 course, I learned about a lot of different possibilities to explore. I did a lot of research on many of the resources I learned about in the course, including bootcamps and such.

What is a typical career path for someone in your referral liaison role?

Referral liaisons can take different directions, depending upon the organization’s structure. They can become team leaders and move up the ranks into more involved positions with greater responsibilities and direct reports—or use their skills to venture into other areas completely.

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

I would love to eventually develop a team of liaisons in each hospital within our healthcare system (in pediatrics and beyond). Our hospital is part of the largest academic healthcare system in the state, so there are endless possibilities.

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?

Keep yourself open to all possibilities. Research everything that sounds even remotely interesting to you. Something will ultimately speak to you.

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

Change is how we grow as professionals—and as people, too!

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

I would advise today’s students to try many different practice areas. Working in more areas will create a great variety of opportunities.

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

Definitely take time to research what is involved in transitioning into a new career path, and if you have the luxury of shadowing people in various roles, take those opportunities.