How a Jane user built a financial literacy program for other health and wellness practitioners.
Meet Robin Valadares, a practicing physiotherapist and a financial literacy educator from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the founder of Financially Fulfilled Physio, a platform he built to help healthcare professionals understand and effectively use various financial skills including personal finance management, budgeting, and investing.
Tell us a little about your background.
I originally pursued a path to becoming a medical doctor. I was raised in an immigrant family that valued professions such as law, medicine, and engineering. However, after experiencing the lifestyle and work of medical professionals during my first year at Queen’s University, I realized it was not the right fit for me. The long hours and lack of work-life balance did not align with my values, of retiring early and truly enjoying my life.
As a lover of sports, I switched my major to kinesiology during my second year. From there, I continued my education and received my Master’s in Physiotherapy at McMaster University, where I discovered my passion for the orthopedic aspect of the field. Since graduating in 2012, I have been practicing in this sector and am passionate about helping my clients improve their physical well-being.
What was the inspiration behind founding Financially Fulfilled Physio?
My clinical preceptor, Margaret, sparked my interest in financial empowerment during my last semester at McMaster. She asked me to consider the demographics of our profession and how few physiotherapists over the age of 55 or 65 are still actively practicing. This got me thinking about the finite nature of our earning potential and the toll our work can take on our body, mind, and spirit. I realized that I wanted a better quality of life, and didn’t want to spend my retirement years struggling financially.
At 23, I started self-teaching and learning about financial literacy through podcasts, books, word-of-mouth referrals, and networking groups. I had made mistakes and mismanaged my time and money but learned from those experiences, which inspired me to help others in similar situations. I founded Financially Fulfilled Physio in 2021 (after convincing myself to do it in 2020 during the lockdown) to provide financial education to those who may not have learned it through their degree programs.
What have you done to accommodate different learning styles on your platform?
I find that there are many types of learners out there; some people may be more kinesthetic, while others might be more audio, or visual learners. Personally, I am more of an audio-visual learner. As a result, I have developed various avenues to make the content more accessible and engaging for individuals to explore and enjoy.
I have recorded courses that are professionally filmed, and people can watch them asynchronously at their own pace. That option is for those who prefer a self-paced approach. For those who prefer a more engaging experience, we have live sessions that I run once a month. These sessions can be either in-person or virtual, and we get to talk and go through the material together. This approach is more didactic, where I lecture and cover topics like negotiating salary, differentiating between a TFSA and RRSP, as well the benefits and challenges of becoming incorporated, to list a few examples. Furthermore, for those who prefer a more intimate and tailored setting, I will conduct one-on-one sessions with them.
If someone wants to learn more about specific topics like the difference between a TFSA and RRSP, negotiating salary, or the process and benefits of becoming an AA corporation to list a few examples. For those who prefer a more personal and tailored space, I also provide personalized coaching in one-on-one sessions.
What advice do you give to your clients who come to you for help with their financial goals?
The advice I give most of my clients is that we need to identify where they are starting from in terms of their goals. Do they have a financial house that’s in order, or are they starting with a very weak foundation that we can’t build much upon?
First, ask yourself if you understand what your expenses are. Where are your finances at the end of each month? Are you losing money, breaking even, or making a surplus? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, that’s the first thing I think you need to figure out.
“Start tracking your budget and figuring out what your net bottom line number is between your income and expenses. You can download the spreadsheets that I use to track my own financial goals in my free budget here.”
How did you find those people to connect with?
I got into investing and financial literacy through real estate. So for me, I went to meetups with local real estate groups as well as through Facebook groups. There are so many groups that you can connect with online now. By putting myself out there, I got to know so many new people, from those established in their space to novices. It was in these interactions that we, as a collective, were able to come together and provide knowledge, value, and opportunities. It’s this kind of networking that helps create symbiotic relationships.
With technology these days, you can go on Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or the Jane community forum to find those people with a similar mindset that you can connect with and learn from.
What approach do you take with clients who are hesitant to take action and fear making mistakes in their financial decisions?
In my courses, I try not to overwhelm the registrants. I give them five to seven actual steps they can take at the start of their week, for example, the 7-Step Savvy Saving System.
It’s really about doing things consistently, just like in rehab, to get meaningful and sustainable results. Small changes that are done consistently equal results. You might not see it in the first year but in years 10 or 12, I am confident you will. Don’t let fear hold you back from making changes and possibly making mistakes. Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. That’s the biggest thing I see, consistently, is the Fear of failure.
How did you first hear about Jane?
I heard about Jane prior to using it at the clinic where I work. I had worked with other EMRs for my first seven years in practice that were extremely old school, super clunky software, that offered a very poor user experience and interface.
Then, in 2019, I switched to Jane. Within a month of practicing, I had become proficient in it more so than in any other software I had used in the past. Now, I use Jane every day and cannot practice without it!
As a practitioner, what have you found is the most helpful aspect of using Jane?
One thing that’s very small but makes a big difference is Jane’s keyboard shortcuts. They allow me to save those extra clicks and minutes each day so I can spend more time with my clients and on things that are important. It’s a small thing, but it’s helpful.
The more complex thing that takes some time to set up but is so helpful is Jane’s Phrases. I can do a lot of different types of post-op and sports testing that are standardized, like single-leg balance for certain things or the ACL test. I can create an ACL test using a phrase I created earlier, and in seconds, I can populate a chart entry with all 15 tests. It’s a feature that allows me to create consistent, standardized tests, and assessments. It’s such a time-saver and stops me from having to write the same thing over and over again. I cannot overstate how much I love this feature.
We know that you like numbers, what are some of your favourite reports in Jane?
I’m a math nerd, so I do love Jane’s reports. I always pull the Product Performance Report. That lets me break down the number of assessments, new assessments, and follow-ups that I’ve completed in a certain time frame. That report also gives the total monetary value associated with those appointments. Running this report not only helps me see how I’m performing but helps track those new assessment patients which is the lifeblood of our practice. It’s also a great list for me to use to make sure I follow up with these new patients if I need to.
I also make great use of the Patient Retention Report to make sure I’m giving the best patient experiences. I’ll go back every couple of weeks on a Monday and look through the patients I’ve seen over the last month. If I haven’t touched base with them in a while I’ll make sure to give them a call and see how they’re doing and if they require any additional assistance from me.
The last report that I frequently use is the Referral Report so I can see where my referrals are coming from. It’s a great way to keep in contact with those referrals that are really working for me. I’m a big fan of writing thank-you cards to thank those individuals for entrusting me with their family and friends care. It’s also such a great way to keep track of the community group I’m a part of.
These reports are such a great tool to understand where I’ve started, where I want to go, and how I’m going to get there. Jane makes it so easy for me to find and act on those metrics.
Knowing that most patients have a limit to how much time they’ll spend with a practitioner, about 6.7 visits. But those who come through word-of-mouth or physician referrals stay longer in therapy than those from a Google search. That’s why a report like Jane’s referral report is so important to the decision I make. I make sure to focus on maintaining connections with MDs, and referrers to keep those relationships stay strong.
What would you tell someone considering Jane?
The thing that stands out to me in the four years I’ve used it is that Jane builds the program with the help of its customers. There are so many new and evolving changes and iterations to make our practices more streamlined. So if you want your voice heard, Jane is a company that will actually listen to you. It will make your life easier. I’m not a tech guy and I found it easy to learn and feel proficient. Jane was quick to help businesses out when we could no longer practice in person. Jane implemented virtual calls for us to keep connected with our patients. Not to mention Jane released the Phrases feature, so we could chart faster and more efficiently.
Jane also provides so much more value than just the software itself. There is the Jane community group and monthly free webinars to help teach people new ways to grow their businesses or learn how to be more secure in an all-digital workplace.
Resources
Financially Fulfilled Physio Instagram
Financially Fulfilled Website
If you’re not already part of the Jane community, welcome! We’re so glad you found us. If you’re in search of Practice Management software to help run your clinic, we’d love for you to meet Jane. Book a demo with one of our lovely support staff, or sign up here!