Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to BizTalk. I'm Ryan Herpin. Today I want to start with a question that speaks to a lot of professionals, especially in healthcare. What happens when the career you train for is only one version of what you are really capable of becoming? In pharmacy, many people think the path is already written. Clinical practice, retail, hospital, managed care, and maybe academia. But the reality is China changing expertise can now become consulting, coaching, writing, digital health strategies, personalized health guidance, and business ownership. And my guest today, Ross Fan, founder of Off Script Consults. She is a board certified clinical pharmacist with years of experience across different pharmacy settings. Today, she uses that background to help, well, college's colleagues through career coaching and business consulting, while also offering personalized health consultations and contributing to digital health through medical writing and review.
This is a conversation about career reinvention, business ownership, health communication, and what it really means to take professional expertise off script. So, ross, welcome to BizTalk. It's such a pleasure to have you here with us today.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Thank you for having me, Ryan. I appreciate it.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: So as we begin, I want our audience so everyone watching, you know, whether you're in healthcare business or a professional field that feels boxed in to ask yourself this, am I following the only path available or just the most familiar one?
You know, I really want to start this conversation with Ross by looking at what it means to rethink a pharmacy career. This segment should open the door to a bigger business conversation, as in how professionals can transform deep expertise into new opportunities.
And I've got my own wild experiences in that exact concept. But you know, for Ross, pharmacy is not only a clinical role, it can become a platform for consulting, education, writing, personalized support, and entrepreneurial growth.
So the focus here is career expansion. And many professionals build strong technical skills, but are never really taught how to translate those skills into broader opportunities.
So really I like to jump right in and get to the heart of these big questions. And digging into your experience, I am curious, when you think about the phrase off script, what does that mean in your own professional journey?
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Sure. So for me, it definitely was fun coming up with this phrase for my business, but it's definitely very applicable to my journey as well.
But in general, I think it means using my own professional judgment. I think all healthcare professionals can relate to that phrase. Right? Use your own professional judgment to help, best, to help, to best help your patient.
So the skill set, believe it or not, it looks like it's already there. Right. Because all healthcare professionals need to use this. There's so much information out there for example, there's all these clinical studies, all these treatment guidelines that we were taught to become familiar with and to continue to become familiar with to help our patients. But not every patient fits into a specific clinical study, right? And not every patient fits into a treatment guideline. So because of that, that means that they don't fit into that box. So you need to, depending on the patient, you need to use your own professional judgment to interpret what is available out there for you. But then having to extrapolate that data or that information to your unique patient. So instead of thinking it for, just for healthcare wise or for your patient, now apply that same, that same option to you. You don't fit into a box. I didn't fit into a box. Right. How can I extrapolate what my, my passions are, what my skill sets are and then turn my career into something else with my pharmacy degree?
[00:04:16] Speaker A: And that makes sense because like you said, whether it's patient care or our own journeys, we all kind of have to go off script because it's, it's not just one size fits all, it's not just simply a box that we fit in. You know, there's times where we fit in a box, but you know, there's definitely different directions out there. There's so many different ways we could go. And like for me, I began my career as a certified welding technician, became a master welder, found a good mentor, and then took over a massive manufacturing company that grew into multiple businesses across the US and it's grown from there. But I took a different route. People said, you go welder, you're just going to be a welder forever. Well, I got into upper level business management now consulting, but with that in mind, you know, what did you notice in pharmacy that made you realize there was room for a different kind of career conversation?
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Sure. So I think for me it's kind of started a little bit in pharmacy school because I've always enjoyed researching, analyzing data and writing.
But while I was in pharmacy school, I did get into the dual PharmD and PhD program, but I decided not to pursue the PhD part of it. Further, I like to interact with people more is what I've come to realize. Even though I enjoyed the research and analyzing data, sitting at my bench all day was, I realized, not for me.
So when I graduated with my PharmD, the only options that were available for me at that point was hospital or community retail pharmacy. If I wanted to do clinical pharmacy, I actually at that point had to pursue residency, which is more training and at during that time in my life that was not ideal to do. So I didn't go that route. And so a part of me, I've always, like, wondered, hey, I have this skill set. I enjoy researching. I even have some experience in it. Right. I enjoy analyzing data and I love writing.
How can I.
I also enjoy that clinical aspect. How can I get all of this done and use my pharmacy degree without having to do more training with a PhD or with residency?
And then I found myself in a pharmacy manager position at an independent pharmacy. And there I wore a few little different hats and I was able to use all the skills that I just mentioned because I was able to, in order for the business to be successful, I had to gather data and then I had to analyze that data, notice trends, make decisions based on those trends. It was applicable more for business than for science, but still the skillset was there. Right? Right. And then I was able to use my writing skills to write collaborative practice agreement drafts.
You know, do our SOPs make health handouts for patients? And so I was like, okay, I didn't need residency. I didn't need a PhD to do what I love. I just need to make the role mine. I just need to change it a little bit and it can work out just fine.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: You know, I relate to that deeply. And here's how. It's kind of funny because as you're talking about this, I'm thinking of my own journey, my own path, because going from welder to, you know, chief operations officer of different companies and now working with many others. I don't have an mba.
Matter of fact, I don't have an actual degree. I'm certified master welding technician. I didn't need an MBA to get where I am today. It just took teaching myself, being interested in things, finding good mentors, and exploring areas that others were really uncomfortable. And through that, you realize what you need is just a belief in yourself, a strong purpose behind it, and a discipline to make it happen. But, you know, you being an outlier, you know, stepping out and going off script and finding a different path here. I'm curious your thoughts on why so many healthcare professionals feel stuck even when they have the valuable expertise?
[00:08:09] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's a great question because I also feel like a lot of the colleagues I talk to, they are very skilled. I admire them as a person and as a healthcare professional, and they're looking for me for advice. And I feel, you know, a part of me, when I first started this, I'm like, you already have everything there what is holding you up? Right. But then I think that's how I got into consulting, is to make them realize that they are qualified enough, because that is their biggest barrier, is that they feel like they're not qualified enough. They feel like they don't have enough power to negotiate for what they want, to make the role different, or to go to another setting and negotiate in that setting for what they want to convince and persuade and market themselves as qualified that their skills are transferable. Even if they haven't worked in this particular setting before, all the skill set is already there. And it can be. It's relevant, it's transferable. And as long as they have a mindset to learn, I think that's what they really need to convince themselves before they convince others is that if you are willing to learn, like you said, willing to have that discipline, willing to question things, willing to become better, you can absorb massive amounts of information and execute new skill sets.
So they just need to stop having limiting beliefs is I think what it really comes down to.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: And on that, that limiting belief, I'm actually kind of interested to dive into that a little bit more.
What is the first mindset shift a professional, any professional needs before they can create new opportunities from their expertise?
Yeah.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: Is stop. I think they're their biggest doubter. Right. So if they stop doubting themselves, then they stop. I think the thing though is that in pharmacy, a lot of us didn't start off with a business background. Right. It wasn't taught in school. And then we weren't taught to have a marketing background either. So we don't know how to stand up for ourselves in some way. We don't know how to market ourselves and persuade others how amazing we are. And so those skill sets definitely need to be developed. But I think initially they just.
How can I say this? They initially always think that they need to ask for permission because that's for some reason that was almost like drilled into us, that we need something, something to defend what we're about to do, either if that's a guideline or if that is a study or if that is a prescriber or someone else in the healthcare team in order to do something. But I think in the end, what they need to realize is kind of change that mindset. When it comes to your own professional career, you don't need permission.
Once you notice that you're the only one who gets to decide your life, you're the one, you need to ask your own permission. You don't need to ask anyone else. Once you realize that, all is well in the world and you can pursue what you want.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: One of the things I try to tell my mentees early on is you decide your limitations. No one gets to define that for you. And as soon as you realize that, the opportunities seem almost limitless. But what this reminds us is that expertise does not have to stay inside one. Job description when professionals learn how to see the value of what they know, they can build new paths, new services, and new ways to create impact.
We'll take a short break and when we come back, we'll talk about how Ross built Off script consults and what healthcare professionals need to understand about turning knowledge into a business.
Welcome back to Biz Talk. Stay connected to this show and every NOW Media TV favorite live or on demand, anytime you like, Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual programming in English and Spanish on the move. Catch the podcast version at www.nowmedia.tv. from business and news to lifestyle culture and so many other things, now Media TV is streaming around the clock. Ready whenever you are.
Now. I am still here with Ross Phan, founder of Off Script Consults. And now I want to talk about the business side of expertise. A lot of professionals have knowledge, credentials and experience, but they do not always know how to package that into service, communicate value and find the right clients or build a business model that is sustainable. So in this segment, it really should explore how Ross created Off script consults, how she helps pharmacy professionals through career coaching, business consulting, and what it really takes to move from being an expert to becoming a trusted advisor. So the focus here is the entrepreneurial transition. Really this is a big thing. Going from any level of expertise to doing it on your own, your own entity is not easy. You know, clinical credibility is powerful, but business requires structure, positioning, service design, client clarity, communication, pricing, and most of all, trust.
So Ross can help our viewers today understand how professionals can build consulting businesses without losing the credibility that made their expertise valuable in the first place. So Ross, thank you again for being here with us today. It's such a pleasure to have you on, of course.
So diving right back into this so we can get into that beautiful brain of yours and dig out a bunch of value.
What problem did you want off Script consoles to solve when you first created it?
[00:14:05] Speaker B: So, I mean, it was actually, to me at least I thought it was very simple and I focused on my why, what's important to me. Right. I think if you know what your why is, there's a higher Chance of success.
So for me, I wanted to be able to dictate what services I can focus more time on.
And I also wanted some flexibility, I wanted to be able to determine my schedule and I wanted to achieve work life balance. So those were actually the three main things that made me, geared me, you know, pushed me towards creating off script consults.
[00:14:43] Speaker A: And with that in mind, what is the biggest difference between being a highly skilled clinician and building a consulting business around that skill?
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah, so I think for, so for this, I think both are highly skilled. Of course they both take time to develop and there are some overlaps between both of them, but there are definitely some differences. As well. As I've noticed as I've worked with clinicians and of course as I'm also having a little bit of more of a business background and developing that further too, is that I noticed that clinicians already have a superpower that they don't know of. I think you've noticed so far I've named one superpower after another. Right. But they underestimate themselves. So one superpower that they already have is a proven ability to absorb massive amounts of information and successfully execute. I think I mentioned this earlier, novel skills, right? I mean for you to go through med school, go through residency, right. Or for you to go through pharmacy and then go through residency also I think any healthcare professional can relate with that. It's a lot of time, resources and a lot of skills to get to where you're at.
So they already have the ability to learn very difficult things and then adapt it anywhere. But like I said, they doubt themselves.
Once they learn that they can adapt, I think that will help them be able to notice that they can create a business with the skill sets they already have. The other thing that I think also that they would need to change their mindset a little bit as well is that some clinicians, or actually a lot of them are probably start off like this, is that the data and information is already present in front of them. Right. They already know what studies to look at, they already know what guidelines to look at.
And then they have a lab to gather all the lab values that they need for a patient. Right. The patient's already there with all of the symptoms. Right.
And then, But I think what's amazing about clinicians is that they know what is pertinent from all this data that's in front of them. They know what's pertinent, they know what questions to ask and then determine next steps.
Now in order to, I think kind of Shift that mindset a little bit is for them to, you know, change it to where they have to gather their own data. I think that's the only thing that for them to take it a step further to make a business successful is to gather their own data and then analyze their own data and then make interpretations from it from there.
[00:17:21] Speaker A: I love how you broke that down so simply, but very, very clear.
It's, you know, I like to say all the time, it's not one size fits all. It's not, you know, a cookie cutter thing when it comes to evolving, growing, and really taking a skill and turning into something else. And building a business in general is always complicated, no matter what you look at, no matter how you do it. But, you know, diving into this a little bit differently, and I'm curious, because of your expertise and your background, how do you help people think through career coaching, you know, business consulting, and the practical next steps of building something new as you just address some of the kind of, you know, there's barriers in between things. But how do you help people do that?
[00:18:04] Speaker B: Sure. So what I usually do is when colleagues come to me, they're usually, they know that they want something different, but they're unsure. Right. And so I usually, I'm open to a discovery meeting so that we can just discuss, figure this out together so that I can ask questions and start to, you know, it's almost as if, like getting them to have their aha moment, their why that light bulb go off? And they're like, okay, they I know what I want now. I know why I want it. And then after that, once we figure that out, help them notice.
They list out the barriers. For me, that's preventing them from being able to achieve what they want to achieve. And then we go from there. Because once we know the barriers, we start knowing what next steps to take. Right. And then we can have, if we mutually agree to move on, then we can address each of those barriers and have a step to move forward over time to help them reach their goals.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: You know, it's one of the things I like to highlight when it comes to people's personal journeys or business journeys. It's find the next bottleneck and then you know what to do from there. It's as soon as you find a bottleneck, you typically have the next steps that you need just by taking a moment to look at it. But, you know, something that I definitely want to ask is what makes someone more than just an expert? What makes them a trusted advisor? Clients are willing to really Follow.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: Sure. I think what makes someone an expert, it's for. At least for me, I think it requires showing them that you're willing to listen.
Don't be dismissive. I think that is a complete turn off right away. Right when you start dismissing someone and their truth at the moment, what they're going through, really try to understand what they're going through. And, and then asking questions so that you. If you don't understand, if you can't, if you can't be, you know, empathetic about what they're going to, that means you need to ask more questions. At least for me, that's how I feel. So that you can understand. And on top of that, it really shows that you genuinely care because you're taking the time to ask these questions. And then after that, I think you start noticing with expertise, you start having more stories, like you said. Right. You have all of these stories from you, but then also from everyone that you have talked to throughout your life, throughout your professional career. And when you can start sharing relatable stories and examples, it helps build their confidence so that they realize that it is possible someone has achieved something. It's not exactly like them, but it's similar enough that they can be like, oh, wow, this is definitely possible. I can do this. Right. And then you start seeing fire in their eyes again, which is great.
[00:20:44] Speaker A: Yeah. I find it really interesting that a lot of people don't know things are possible until they see somebody else do it.
Like every record that was ever broke, broken is because they saw somebody was capable of doing it. So then they believe they could go just a little bit further. Right. And I find that to be extremely important is that storytelling, sharing stories and talking to people, but getting to know people's background and their history there, because it does make all the difference. Hearing a story such as yours and mine can really open the eyes to a lot of people that realize where they're at is just not it. But now with a conversation this powerful, where can our audience find you? How can they get in contact with you and follow your work?
[00:21:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Thank you for asking. So I do have a website they can go to. Www.off like the word on and off and then script, like talking off a script and then consults with an S at the end. So C O N S u l t s.com on this website. They can also find my calendar link as well. You can also find my calendar link separ on Cal.com Ross Offscript and that's actually where they can also find all my social media handles all my social media handles is Ross and then underscore offscript or Ross dash offscript and you can book a discovery appointment with me or go ahead and just dive right in and book an actual appointment with me. If you'd like, you can send me an email. There's also my email and contact information on the website as well. Well, and all my social media handles also have links to my either my website or my my calendar link too.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: Now, as as someone who has spent a lot of time guiding and mentoring others, I'm going to put on my mentor hat really quick and speak to our audience and say, look, if you're in healthcare, or really any kind of profession for that matter, and you feel like there's something different, something more, something just doesn't feel right. There's you're capable of more, the possibilities are out there. Find somebody such as Ross, such as myself, somebody that can help you navigate what those possibilities really are. Because they are out there. Now, what becomes clear is that expertise is only the beginning. To build a business, professionals need clarity, structure, positioning, and the courage to communicate the value they bring.
We'll take a short break, but when we return, we'll move into personalized health consultations and why pharmacists can play such a powerful role in helping people make sense of complex health decisions.
Welcome back to Biz Talk. I'm here with Ross Phan, founder of Off Script Consults. And now I want to shift into the client and patient side of her work. We live in a world where health information is, let's face it, everywhere online, on social media, in apps and podcasts, and articles, in advertisements. But more information does not always mean more clarity. For many people, the challenge is not finding health content. The challenge is understanding what applies to them, what is safe, what is credible, and how to take action in a realistic way.
So if you have ever searched for health answers online and walked away more confused than when you started, this part of the conversation should be for you. So grab a pen and paper, tune into this, stretch out, grab popcorn, coffee, whatever it is you need so you can focus on this. Because I'm continuing this conversation with Ross and we're looking at personalized health consultations, medication, understanding health literacy, and the role pharmacists can play in helping people make informed decisions.
This segment should really connect clinical expertise with everyday life.
Ross can speak to how pharmacists can help people understand medications, health risks, lifestyle factors, and the questions they should bring, you know, to their healthcare team.
So Ross it is such a pleasure to have you here today.
[00:24:59] Speaker B: Well, thank you. It's been a pleasure talking with you.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: You know, something that I see here is personalized health support can help people reduce confusion, ask better questions, and become more active patients right in their health decisions. And I think that's extremely important. Now, as I mentioned, my wife is a nurse, and my goodness, the stories that she could tell, I'm sure are vast. But there's a lot of confusion out there and there's a lot of people that don't even know what questions to ask. But to really kick things off, when people come to you for personalized health consultations, what kind of confusion or concerns are they usually carrying?
[00:25:40] Speaker B: So I noticed with a lot of them, they usually come with me with a goal and they share it right away, which is great. I love that they feel comfortable enough to just right away tell me what they need or what their concerns concern is about.
Since I'm a pharmacist, I like to provide examples. So for example, someone would come to me and ask, hey, I wanted my doctor to do this right. Why didn't they do it?
So that that's an example. Or I also interpret genetics test results as well. So someone would come to me and say, hey, I. Someone's already tried to explain these genetics test results for me. I didn't really understand it. Can you explain it for me in a way that I can understand it? So I've done that before as well. Others would say, hey, I have this medical condition. I've tried so many medications. Why, why is it, why are none of the medications working for me?
And of course there's always natural medications. There's definitely an increased interest in people wanting to include natural medications in their treatment plan, but there's always worries about replacing it and using it instead of prescription medications, using it with prescription medications, interactions there. And then of course, what doses to use and if there's any effects on other medical conditions too.
[00:27:02] Speaker A: You know, there's so many complications out there when it comes to interpreting and understanding health information and even myself, I've been in the midst of, I don't know what any of this jargon means. I could use somebody that would explain this better to me or whatnot. And now, you know, like I said, a wife that's in the medical field, she also is a good person to tell me, hey, it's time to go to the hospital. Hey, maybe she get that checked out, whatever it is. But you know, I am kind of curious your perspective on why is it so easy for consumers to become overwhelmed by health information today.
[00:27:38] Speaker B: Sure. I think it's because there's just so much out there. Right. So back then we already have Google, and then now we also have all the different social media platforms. And then you add on AI, right? So it makes it. It's just overwhelming because there's just so much out there. And I think when you're not feeling well and you feel like your body's failing you, more information sometimes just makes things even more overwhelming and it just makes things worse.
And I think what makes things even more. More overwhelming is that there's misinformation out there as well. So there's the different sources you're using, and then one conflicts the other and you don't know who to trust or what to trust.
So that doesn't help the situation either.
[00:28:29] Speaker A: I can definitely see that there is a plethora of misinformation out there. There's no shortage of it, that's for sure. Plus, not to mention people come up with all these products and all these guarantees and promises and things that just seem so really too good to be true. Something I like to live by is if it sounds too good to be true. More than likely it is. But you know, as someone myself, who I didn't really realize that my pharmacist could be a major resource for me. You know, a lot of people, I feel like they just listen to their doctor get whatever prescription or medication or what have you, and that's just it, because their doctor said so. But how can a pharmacist help people understand their medications, the risks, and the other options out there a little more clearly?
[00:29:09] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's a great question.
I think sometimes the thing is that people have a mindset when they come to the pharmacy that it's very transactional there. You know, fill my medication, I give you money, and then that's it. If you switch that mindset to knowing that your pharmacist can actually be your advocate, or your pharmacist can be a liaison to the rest of your healthcare team, including your insurance company.
Once you start treating them like having a mindset of that, you can start using them effectively as a resource like you mentioned.
So like a pharmacist can help break all that information down that we just talked about. That can be overwhelming. Turn it into smaller bite size. Right. Smaller sound bites that is easier to digest.
Focus on the things that are more pertinent or they feel in their professional judgment is more applicable to you as a patient. Based on what they know about you and then giving you next steps. Because all this information is there and then maybe that's part of the overwhelming process there is that all this information is out there, but what do you do with it? What are the next steps? And I think the pharmacist is really great at giving you next steps. So you know what to do. If you know, A, if this occurs, this is what you do. B, if this occurs, this is what you should do next. Things like that.
[00:30:32] Speaker A: Okay, so you're kind of reframing the way that I think about my pharmacist, if I'm being honest. And with that in mind, you know, as we mentioned, there is a plethora of different digital content out there, social media stuff, you know, all on medical information and medications.
Are you telling me, you know, pharmacists could be a great way to kind of cut through that noise and help really get to the bottom of what is real and what kind of really can apply? Because we see all sorts of products, information out there and you know, if you do XYZ or take this thing, it's going to fix all these problems. Could a pharmacist be a really good person to kind of help run that by?
[00:31:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I think so. And if you think about a pharmacist is probably one of the most accessible healthcare professionals out there, right? You don't always need an appointment to ask a, you know what, it's just a question, right?
Depending of course, on the pharmacy setup they do have, you know, you can talk to the technician there and set up a more thorough appointment, like a one on one, 30 minute, one hour session with the pharmacist. But if it's just one question, and if you only go to one pharmacy, they already know you pretty well. They have your whole medication list.
They know your medical conditions and then you can tell them, hey, I heard this, you know, on Insta, I call it Insta News, right?
[00:31:49] Speaker A: Yep, yep.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: How is this applicable to me? Right? And then you can, you know, they can tell you, they're like, well, it's not exactly wrong, but there's these factors or this context that they didn't know about you. Right? But I do. And because of that, what they claim can't be applicable to you, right. So they can break things down and explain things better.
I think the other thing a lot of people don't realize is pharmacists can also save you money.
You know that people don't think that, you know, they, they, they go to a pharmacy and then they pay all this money for their medications. But if they just tell, I think just talk to your pharmacist, say, this is my goal. How can you help me get there?
Right. So if your goal is to save money, the pharmacist can find ways to help you save money. You just need to talk with them. So.
[00:32:35] Speaker A: Yeah, well, like I said, even for me, you're kind of changing the way that I'm thinking about utilizing my pharmacist. I've never really thought about this avenue before, but something I really do like to ask, especially on this show and for people such as yourself that's in this field, you've done things off script, you've gone a different direction. I'm curious, what about this path is fulfilling for you? What is your deeper reason why for doing this?
[00:33:02] Speaker B: So my deeper reason why for doing this is I have, I think you've noticed, multiple passions. I have education, definitely as a passion.
I have pharmacy, and I also have writing.
So as, as far as how I got into digital health content, it's my love for writing. I love to write, but I also love the research part that goes into it as well. I like looking up different sources and then interpreting it, turning it into tables that can make things easier for someone else to understand.
And then they can, you know, just arm them with good information so that they can decide the next best steps for them.
So I think that that is definitely my, my, my biggest thing that pushes me forward is providing good information. So arming people with. Giving them the confidence to, to go forward and achieve their goals.
[00:33:59] Speaker A: I think it's been very, very clear in this conversation so far. And, you know, one thing I always like to highlight is, is your reason why for this is rooted deeply in service to others and creating a better experience and opportunity for others. And that's so important in a world that is so filled with chaos and all these get rich quick schemes and get healthy quick schemes. I mean, goodness, it is nice to have people that are available that genuinely care about service to others, taking care of people, making sure they feel armed with the right information and confident not only to navigate that information, but to seek help, to seek guidance, and to really move forward in something that might be a little outside of the norm, so to say. I mean, such as yourself. I know a lot of medical professionals and very few of them are brave enough to step outside of what they think is the predestined path. But to our audience, I will say this conversation really does highlight something. And it's that you know, health information has to be more than available. It has to be understandable, credible and connected to the person's real life.
We're going to take another short break and when we come back, we're going to be closing with medical writing, digital health, and how professionals like Ross are helping raise the standard for health communication. So grab some coffee, stretch out popcorn, whatever it is you need. We'll be right back on Biz Talk.
Stay connected to Biz Talk and every NOW Media TV favorite live or on demand, anytime you like. Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual programming in English and Spanish on the move. Catch the podcast version at www.nowmedia.tv. from business and news to lifestyle culture and far beyond, NOW Media TV is streaming around the clock. Ready whenever you are.
Now I am closing this conversation with Ross, founder of Off Script Consults, and I want to focus on another important part of her work, medical writing and digital health communication. In today's marketplace, health companies, wellness brands, digital platforms, and content creators all need to communicate clearly.
But when the topic is health, clarity is not enough. Accuracy matters, context matters. Credibility certainly matters. This final segment should explore how Ross uses her skills as a medical writer and reviewer. Well, why credibility, health communication is essential and how pharmacists can create impact in the growing digital health space.
So the focus here is really trust Businesses in healthcare and wellness have a responsibility to communicate information in a way that is both accessible and accurate.
Ross can help viewers understand why professional review, strong writing, and clinical judgment are essential in a digital environment where misinformation spreads all too quickly.
So, diving back in, Ross, it's such a pleasure to have you here today.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: Thank you. I've been enjoying talking with you too.
[00:37:15] Speaker A: Now I do want to dive right back in and just keep rolling this value out to our audience. And to start, I'm curious, why does medical writing and review matter so much in today's digital health environment?
[00:37:31] Speaker B: Sure, I think we kind of hinted it a little earlier in one of the in the past, but misinformation is just so prevalent today and I feel like it's definitely a problem when a lot of people are going online or using AI to find health content to again, they're trying to arm themselves with good information to determine next steps. But if you don't have good information in front of you, your next steps actually might hurt you, right? If it's not accurate, if it's not understandable to you, you might be harming yourself.
So that's why it's really good to determine if the information in front of you is accurate first and that you understand it the way it's supposed to be understood and make sure it's applicable to you.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: So you're saying there is definitely risks when health content is simplified so much that it could lose accuracy. It could lose. Or the context there. Like something you mentioned in a previous segment. Just because something works for other people doesn't mean it's going to work for you because, well, you might have other medications, other health situations, and a pharmacist can really be a good bridge for that.
So really chewing on it.
Everyone needs to do their investigation, but also bring experts into the mix. So I'm curious, how do you approach translating complex medical information into language people can actually use?
[00:38:58] Speaker B: Yes, I think that's actually part of the fun is finding words to replace complex words. For me, like, instead of using neurotransmitters. Right. I would say brain chemicals. I don't know. I just think it's fun to find things like that. And then, of course, I love creating tables and flow diagrams because it's a lot of information out there and it's really hard to inhale all that data in just word format. And so to supplement it with a diagram to help them, like, see, okay, this is like almost like a decision flowchart or, you know, in an information flowchart. It helps them be able to retain that information easier as well.
I think another thing I also try to do is I try to break things down at the beginning of a consultation with someone. I'm like, okay, depending on, of course, how much time I have.
Let's say that's just a very short conversation. Someone's like dropping off a prescription. Then I would say, okay, what is your main goal today?
Right.
I try to help him with that goal. And then I'm like, okay, come up with another goal next time when you meet me or a question, and we'll address that next time. But if I have more time with them during, like, a personal consultation visit, then I'm like, okay, what are your three main goals today? And then we can try to focus on those more and then write down three main goals for next time, you know, and we will focus on that next time.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: You know, a few things I can highlight with that is I had the privilege of interviewing many, many people. But one thing that stood out to me when meeting with other health professionals is business owners especially are really great about putting all their priorities in their family, their business and future. Yet we make our health such a small priority.
And it's so easy for us to throw it to the wayside.
And something you mentioned is what goals, health goals, medications, whatever that looks like for somebody is major, is important.
Why is it that we can spend so much focus on these things that ultimately I think of it like this. I help a lot of businesses with exit strategies and planning for the future and what the next steps look like, what does retirement look like, how do we get there? But something I try to tell business owners all the time is if you don't prioritize your health even a little bit, there's not going to be a retirement because you can't do anything, complications arise. And having professionals that are there to look for that and to help you be better off is so valuable. It's easily overlooked but extremely necessary. Now being able to translate things, I also use charts and things. I'm a very visual person, so if I can make a flow chart or a web, whatever it is for people to understand and for it to hit home, oh, it's so worth it. But you know, what should health brands, digital platforms or wellness companies understand before publishing medical content?
[00:41:57] Speaker B: I think they should know that they hold a very, very big responsibility.
Sometimes I think we take the Internet for granted. It's been there for quite a while, but because it's been there for quite a while, that's how the information gets so overwhelming. I think people just think, oh, you could just publish information online and that's it. But you hold a huge responsibility. People who are reading it are trying to determine what they can do with that.
So having disclaimers, for example, are important.
If you make certain assumptions, like if you had to make any extrapolations, definitely put that in there.
Also making sure that they, if it's, especially if it's health content related, making sure that they know they need to involve their healthcare team before making any changes.
Based on this article or this post or this content that was created, you
[00:42:53] Speaker A: know you're addressing something that is extremely vital. You know, it's influence.
This content influences people. Influence is all around us. But social media, media exposure, things like that, it is powerful influence. And influence dictates your thoughts, your thoughts dictate your actions. So if you see something that seems really powerful, you think on it, you chew on it and you want to pursue it, or you want to talk to your doctor about it, or you think, oh, I can stop taking XYZ or I can start doing xyz and then it causes a problem that's Major, you also brought disclaimers.
Disclaimers. That's so important.
Yes, it's great to put content out there that could potentially help people, but in the medical field, not everything's going to be cookie cutter or it's not one size fits all, like we mentioned before. But you know, there's a lot of risks that come with it. And looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for pharmacists who want to work in consulting, digital health, writing or entrepreneurship?
[00:43:53] Speaker B: Sure, I think the opportunities are out there. You just need to be willing to take a chance. And look, I actually use LinkedIn, believe it or not, even if I'm not looking for any jobs at all, because I like to keep up with what is available out there. And then I actually look at a job and I'm like, it doesn't say they want a pharmacist. But then I look at the job description, I'm like, can a pharmacist do this?
Right? And so, and then I'm like, holy cow, pharmacists can do this. And so I think just having an open mind, you'll notice all the opportunities are out there. And consulting, as I think we all notice at this point, it doesn't have to be only healthcare health consultations. And even within health consultations, it can be more like I mentioned genetics testing, for example, that can be. You can break these down to all these different branches. And then for me, consulting became career coaching. And maybe when people are able to start noticing they are able to shift from one setting to another or different environments, they themselves will gain the confidence to provide their own career coaching to other people as well. And then there's also the business part. Right. As you can see, that's another branch right there. Because I've created my own business, other people have asked me, how have you done it? And so I was. I'm able to help them gain more confidence and being able to, to set up appropriately for their business as well.
As far as writing, you know, writing, you can start something with something small, like maybe just start even having writing something on your own website if you would like, and then move from different digital digital publications on different websites. And if you really want to go into the pharmaceutical part of it, definitely jumping right in is a little harder. But if you notice that if you're able to start having your own, how can I say this? You can show them all these examples that you've already done and then start creating a good relationship. It's all about networking. If you network with people in the pharmaceutical industry, you might be able to shift to there as well. But writing also doesn't have to be just one place. People always think only pharmaceutical company.
But you can, you can write for different wellness websites and there's plenty of wellness websites out there as well.
[00:46:16] Speaker A: Now, to our audience, I really hope you took that in because she pretty much just gave you the blueprint and layout for exactly how to do it. I mean, it was pretty clear and concise. And, you know, where can our audience find you? You know, if they're looking into you, they want to follow up with this. They want to dive in and learn from you. Where can they find you?
[00:46:33] Speaker B: I'm sure so they can find me on my website. My website is www.off like the word on and off script, like a script pad and then consults with an S at the end. C-O-N S U-L-T S.com on there. You can find a way to email me. You can also use my calendar link to book an appointment or a discovery meeting with me as well.
If you want to follow me on my social platforms, you can also just use just look for ross dash offscript or ross underscore offscript and you'll be able to find me.
[00:47:10] Speaker A: Well, first, I want to thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your insights on pharmacy consulting, personalized health, medical writing, and what it means to build a career beyond, you know, the traditional script. This is what we believe on BizTalk, the future belongs to professionals who know how to combine expertise with clarity, credibility, and courage. And to everyone watching, we invite you to keep asking better questions, keep building smarter careers, and keep looking for the opportunity beyond the obvious path. Stay connected for more on NOW Media tv. We will see you next time on Biz Talk.
