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By a quality problem, I mean a good problem to have. Frank Caruso (located in Avon, Ohio) wrote to me:
My schedule has been full now this entire year. I used to start a week with a 10 patient waiting list for both new and return patients, now I have gotten that list down to maybe 1 patient. I still have not found another acupuncturist just yet. I haven’t really been pursuing it.
This is after adding a third treatment room. He previously tried getting in touch with Acupuncture Today (twice), but they never got back to him!
By the way, Frank doesn’t just have good marketing - he also believes strongly in the law of attraction.
I’ve talked to other acupuncturists who added an associate acupuncturist to their staff. In every case, they wished hired someone sooner. If you’re thinking about hiring someone, you could be giving someone worthy a job, make more money, and help even more patients.
So I have a question - where should someone advertise to hire a new practitioner? I know of PCOM’s job postings, and Acupuncture Today’s e-classifieds and regular classifieds, but where else?
If you hired/are hiring acupuncturists, where would you look? What was your experience?
If you’re looking for an acupuncture job, where do you look?
Thanks!
6 responses so far ↓
1 Andy Rosenfarb // Nov 18, 2008 at 11:10 am
Bringing on the right associate(s) is invaluable and bringing on the wrong associates can literally destoy your practice. I have hired both. Here are a few examples of what could go wrong - and did for me. I have had two associates (at different times) build up their practices just enough so that he could take his /her patients and open up a few short blocks away - not good. Second, situation was when I took a few months off to write my book. I left a 70 patient per week practice and returned to a 20 patient per week practice - not good either! You can’t control other people’s behavior only your own and as far as these other practitioners go - I only wish them the best. My lesson was to more careful about who I bring on board.
So what can you do to find an associate? Post at an OM school or post a listing on a website like TCM Directory (www.tcmdirectory.com).
Screen you potential practitioners CAREFULLY and TAKE YOUR TIME in selecting the right person. I now have two great associates who are doing great, and we’re looking to bring on a third. We see between 250- 300 patients each week.
The way to get them on board is to have them follow you around for at least one month - with no pay. Just begin to feel them out and see how well they integrate, this is the test period for them. If they seem to work out and synchronize with your practice than you can offer them a 3-month trail period and a financial arrangement.
Choose your associates as you would choose your life partner!
2 Juliette Aiyana // Nov 18, 2008 at 11:46 am
Andy is on point about taking time to find the right practitioner to join your practice, choosing them as you would your life partner.
To me, my practice is like, my baby. I have worked very hard bringing it up and had many sleepless nights. I treat those who work for me (front desk, vendors etc) as well as all callers and patients with care and compassion as though they were my child.
My commitment to marketing and follow-up are intense and I expect the same from those who work for me, as I should not be expected to do all the marketing and follow-up work for them.
When I look for a practitioner, I post notices (usually sent via fax) on the boards at local schools, e-boards, and on my website. My posting gives a brief job discription, then a detailed description of the practice and our mission, then a detailed description of the qualties we are looking for in an applicant. Printed this is about 3 pages.
There are rules for the application process including sending a resume AND cover letter via e-mail, no calls allowed. There are other details regarding the process that we look at to see if the applicant followed our rules. If not, it is trashed. This means either they have disregarded them or simple did not take the time to read the whole application. Either way, I am not interested in people who are not interested and detail oriented. Imagine if they read a new patient intake form like that!
If I like the application, I call to ask them a few questions. I listen to their tone of voice, professionalism etc. If I like that, then I will invite them for an interview. If I don’t then I thank them for their time.
During the interview I look for eye contact, examine shen, I basically do some of the four inspection; looking, listening, and the feeling part is paying attention to what I am feeling physically/energetically while dealing with this person. Do I feel energized or drained? Because these are things that patients pickup on. I ask very detailed questions about how they counsel patients. I also ask about what self-care techniques they use, how often etc. I ask about diet, sleep, other lifestyle questions that will effect their practice, their qi. I ask how they protect and maintain their qi when working with qi deficient patients, things like that.
I want to make sure that the applicant wants to work with me out of inspiration to treat patients to his/her best ability, not out of desperation hoping that I will do all the work to fill their schedule and they have nothing else to do but walk in, treat and leave and think that is what maintaining a practice is.
The first time I interviewed people to join my then, solo, practice, I put ads out everywhere, interviewed many people, hired two, fired one within three weeks and then about a year later found out that the one, Jessica Silver, who is still with me, did not find me based on anything I put out there, rather she found my website (at that time I didn’t post the job on my site) and thought she’d give a shot at sending her resume and cover letter, not knowing that I was in the process of looking for someone. How’s that for the Law of Attraction! LOL
I might also suggest that the interviewee give you an acupuncture treatment so you can experience their needling technique, bedside manner and touch.
That is all I can write now as it is my lunch hour and I must nourish myself so I can treat my patients with energy later this afternoon.
Best of luck to those who are hiring, and to thise who are looking for work!
Smiles,
Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Author
http://www.amazinghealing.com
3 angela // Nov 18, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I’ve seen ads posted to craigs list, and schools
4 Christina Wolf // Nov 18, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I agree that hiring the right associate could be invaluable. I made one mistake when I hired someone way, way back: I hired someone who wanted to be fed patients instead of going out to get her patients. She is a great practitioner and I love her dearly, but she did hardly any marketing (I did all that work) and I ended up having to share the patients that my marketing ideas brought in with her. After I struck out on my own again, I found I was much more successful! I can certainly see how an associate can be a boom to a practice rather than a bust and when/if it comes time to hire someone again, it will be a TRUE associate: a junior practitioner who wants mentoring and is hungry to start his or her practice and give it as much energy and enthusiasm as I do!
I would post your listing with all of the acupuncture schools, not just those in your area. The AAAOM also has a job list on their website. Believe it or not, craigslist is where I found my second office & it was a GREAT fit–lots of people look for jobs there, including me, and it’s FREE :-). Best of luck, that’s a WONDERFUL problem to have and I hope you can solve it soon.
C. Wolf
5 Bonnie // Nov 18, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I’m in the other position. I wanted to be an associate after having my practice for years. I had moved to a new area with my husband and didn’t want the hassle of having to restart a business.
I met the people I worked with through various acupuncture related things. In one case, I had met this woman in seminars. In the other some mutual friends who were also healthcare practitioners introduced us.
The first Woman was a poor match. She was really eager to get someone (ANYONE) in her office. I could have told you it wasn’t what I wanted but she was so eager and certain it would work that I couldn’t say no, although I did try! Her style is way more high volume and much higher energy than mine. I lasted two months.
The other woman and I traded treatments. About six months into that she said she was thinking about going to China for a month to study and could I take over her practice for that time. I did. Then when I was looking to leave where I was working (on my own again although I hated it), she said we could share time at her office. In the future when they manage to get a bigger office I can probably have more hours if I want them. But for now I work two half days, but it opens up some time for her to teach yoga and do some non-treatment things that she wanted time to do. We knew each other’s styles and personalities and were well aware that we can’t be much more different. Yet we are both fascinated by the knowledge the other holds. Although I am an associate, I am pretty much equal in this partnership of making the business work–yes she holds the business and does the side I was beginning to hate but I am not junior and she is not a mentor (I have 10 years experience). It’s also great because neither of likes to toot our own horn but boy can we market the other person!
6 Frank Caruso, L.Ac. // Nov 21, 2008 at 9:27 am
Thanks All, for your comments and suggestions. I will take them to heart when finding an associate.
Frank
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