The Hidden Downsides of Telehealth Jobs No One Talks About
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[00:00:00] On paper, telehealth jobs look ideal. Work from home, flexible schedule, steady income, no commute and no marketing. So if you took one of these roles and you still feel oddly flat boxed in or less confident than you used to be, something doesn't add up. So lemme say this clearly, that feeling is not burnout and it's not you being ungrateful.
It's not a sign that you chose the wrong path. It's something that many telehealth job descriptions just don't explain, and once you see it, you start making much better career decisions. Today I wanna name what's actually happening and give you three concrete ways to evaluate whether your role is helping you grow or quietly limiting you as a dietitian.
So this matters because every role that you work in shapes you as a dietitian, not just your schedule or income, but your confidence, your judgment, and your clinical voice. [00:01:00] And that's why this conversation matters early, not after years of feeling stuck. The real issue is that telehealth itself is not the issue, even though it's such a popular topic.
It's a delivery model. And what matters is how the role is designed inside of that model. Many telehealth organizations prioritize efficiency and consistency. That means protocols, templates, standardized flows, and that can be really helpful until it quietly replaces the clinical leadership that you need to stand out and also create your own voice.
So the pattern that I see consistently over and over with dietitians that I work with is that they start energized. They appreciate the flexibility. They feel relief having a predictable income, specifically from one of these telehealth companies, these jobs. And then a few months in, they say things like, I don't feel like I'm practicing the way that I was trained or the way that I want.
Or [00:02:00] I mostly follow scripts, or I don't trust my instinct like I used to. Or more commonly I feel replaceable. And that's not a loss of skill. That's what happens when a role stops requiring decision making. Yeah, so it's not a quit your job conversation, right? This is about seeing clearly you don't need to panic or overhaul your career.
You just need better information about what your role right now is teaching you as a dietitian. Telehealth can be an excellent bridge. It can be a stabilizing season in your life, or a long-term solution for you and your family, but no role should quietly reduce your confidence or authority over time as a clinician.
So the question isn't, is telehealth good or bad, which comes up a lot. The question is, is the role that I'm in right now strengthening my clinical leadership or narrowing it? For the next 30 days, [00:03:00] I want you to observe your role instead of judging it. And here are three specific checks that you can use.
An autonomy check is the first step. So for the next month, I want you to notice this. Are you trusted to make clinical decisions or you mainly expected to follow templates? So ask yourself, can I adapt plans based on my judgment or am I rewarded for staying inside rigid protocols? Autonomy doesn't mean chaos.
It just means being trusted to think. So when autonomy shrinks, confidence will also shrink. The second action step is to think about your skill, like a skill growth check. So by the end of the month, the 30 days, I want you to write this down, one clinical skill that you improved, one thing that you did better now than you would've three months ago.
And if that feels like a thin list or it's repetitive, it's not failure, it's data. That means that you've got information. [00:04:00] Roles should develop you and not just occupy you. And the third step would be like a confidence direction check. So compare yourself to when you started. Do you trust your clinical instincts more, less, or about the same?
And if confidence is slowly eroding. Don't ignore that signal. Because jobs teach you what to tolerate, and so you wanna pay attention to what you're learning, even if you're frustrated, especially if you're frustrated.
It's not a personality issue, it's a skill gap and skill gaps are fixable, so that's a good thing. This is about your identity as a clinician and who are you becoming inside the structure you're operating in day to day. dietitians who stay too long in roles that limit leadership, don't just feel bored.
They start doubting themselves. I've been there. Maybe you've been there too. And that doubt can make future moves feel heavier than they need to be. [00:05:00] So clarifying now can prevent regret later and help you grow even if you feel uncomfortable. If you want support strengthening your clinical decision making, your session leadership and your confidence across Telehealth, hybrid or any kind of private setting, that's exactly what we help you with here at Dietitian Boss.
Inside of my monthly library, there's no guessing. There's no drifting. There's just intentional growth. So telehealth works, but the quality of your role matters. You're allowed to expect growth, not just convenience, right?
So I want you to apply these steps, and I will see you in next week's episode.
