Jun 4, 2026 · 13 min · 10 segments
Can you build a healthcare consulting business while still working at the bedside? The answer is yes—and in this episode of RTs Share Tea, I’m sharing how I’ve done exactly that. As a practicing…
Linda FryHost
Today's episode is about the healthcare professional that says to themselves, "Well, what else can I do with this knowledge and experience besides being at the bedside? And how can I make an impact based off this?" So this is about making an impact beyond your current role.
Many people hear the word consultant, and they start to think about people in suits or large, large comp- corporations.
And even someone like me that gets tongue-twisted can be a healthcare consultant, right? So what is a healthcare consultant? A healthcare...
What is a healthcare consultant? Simply, it is someone that helps solve problems using their expertise.
So for me, for example, as The Asthma Lady with the two Es, right? I'm a healthcare consultant, and I have used my experience as an asthma educator specialist and as a registered respiratory therapist to use as a healthcare consultant, leading others, solving problems, and creating innovative solutions for those that need help in these departments.
And what I want you to know as far as respiratory therapists, we are already subject matter experts, right? So don't let the word expert, um, you know, make you nervous.
All it means is that you know more than the person you are trying to help, okay? So you don't know everything.
You just know more than that individual that needs your help, right? So you can do everything from public speaking, creating digital content, to being a pa- a patient advocate.
Um, if you're somebody that's good with quality improvement projects, if you're good at executing a plan, doing events for, let's say, um, your institution, for your hospital, um, if you're the person that gets volunteered a lot to do something because you're good at it.
So these are things you could start to think about when it comes to building your healthcare consultant business.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they start out as a consultant, as a healthcare consultant, is they try to make themselves available to everybody, and this is not a great place to start, right? You want people to know you for a specific thing, okay? So, like, a niche, right? So respiratory therapists, we are already a niche, right? And I already said we are subject matter experts, right? So for me, on top of that, I am an asthma educator specialist, so that's another niche.
Today's episode is about the healthcare professional that says to themselves, "Well, what else can I do with this knowledge and experience besides being at the bedside? And how can I make an impact based off this?" So this is about making an impact beyond your current role.
Many people hear the word consultant, and they start to think about people in suits or large, large comp- corporations.
And even someone like me that gets tongue-twisted can be a healthcare consultant, right? So what is a healthcare consultant? A healthcare...
What is a healthcare consultant? Simply, it is someone that helps solve problems using their expertise.
So for me, for example, as The Asthma Lady with the two Es, right? I'm a healthcare consultant, and I have used my experience as an asthma educator specialist and as a registered respiratory therapist to use as a healthcare consultant, leading others, solving problems, and creating innovative solutions for those that need help in these departments.
And what I want you to know as far as respiratory therapists, we are already subject matter experts, right? So don't let the word expert, um, you know, make you nervous.
All it means is that you know more than the person you are trying to help, okay? So you don't know everything.
You just know more than that individual that needs your help, right? So you can do everything from public speaking, creating digital content, to being a pa- a patient advocate.
Um, if you're somebody that's good with quality improvement projects, if you're good at executing a plan, doing events for, let's say, um, your institution, for your hospital, um, if you're the person that gets volunteered a lot to do something because you're good at it.
So these are things you could start to think about when it comes to building your healthcare consultant business.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they start out as a consultant, as a healthcare consultant, is they try to make themselves available to everybody, and this is not a great place to start, right? You want people to know you for a specific thing, okay? So, like, a niche, right? So respiratory therapists, we are already a niche, right? And I already said we are subject matter experts, right? So for me, on top of that, I am an asthma educator specialist, so that's another niche.
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