Setting up a small professional medical practice is the dream of many young women with the right academic background. The idea of being able to serve patients on your own terms is enticing.
Unfortunately, the reality is often quite different. While it is a nice idea in theory, the actual practice of it often means working 80-hour weeks, at least for the first couple of years until you get your systems sorted out.
But is there another way? Do you have to work yourself to death?
Well, it turns out that there may be shortcuts. These aren’t fool-proof, of course, but they can be highly effective.
Build A Competent Team Early
One piece of advice won through hard experience is the value in building a competent team early. Most solo medical professionals building their practices start with just themselves and then add people later as exhaustion takes over. But you can prevent all of this by having people ready from the start. Putting admin assistants and nurse practitioners in place ahead of time allows you to get the jump on high demand. Strong teams allow you to focus and reduce the risk of burnout from overwork.
Define A Scalable Service Model
Another approach is to borrow an idea from the regular business world of a “scalable service model.” The idea here is to focus on doing one thing well that you can scale up over time.
For example, let’s say a lot of people in your city have earwax problems but there aren’t any specialist earwax clinics. In a situation like this, you could corner the market by providing a cheap and effective solution anyone can use, without having to wait.
Leverage Virtual Assistants
You should also consider hiring a medical virtual assistant. These professionals have all the necessary experience and qualifications, except you hire them as and when you need them, instead of full-time at your offices.
Virtual assistants excel at doing the things that most medics don’t want to do. For example, they can take care of billing or deal with scheduling. They can also save time on insurance claim processing and other paperwork that would otherwise eat up your day. Ultimately, they could save you ten or even twenty hours a week.
Establish Work-Life Boundaries
Another approach to setting up a medical business without getting trapped in nightmare 80-hour weeks is to establish work-life boundaries. This approach means you avoid after-hours work and only see patients you have time for during the day.
If you’re worried about communication, you can use asynchronous communication tools. Secure patient portals give patients somewhere they can go to voice their concerns without disturbing you directly out of office hours.
Block Time
Finally, you can try blocking your time and using efficient patient scheduling systems. These reduce idle periods throughout the day and allow you to focus on one task at a time.
While this idea might seem simple, it is one of the most powerful ways to regain your sense of control. When you block time, you don’t have to switch between tasks, which is one of the most exhausting aspects of the working day.
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