A CA's Path to Professional Development
Brandy Brimhall
CPC, CMCO, CCCPC, CPCO, CPMA
Being a chiropractic assistant is a career. As a CA, you are an educated and trained professional, responsible for the many tasks assigned to your job description.
No different than an insurance agent, real estate agent, and multitudes of other professions, it is critical that CAs be diligent and proactive in their efforts to improve their craft and stay up to date with industry standards and guidelines.
As a CA, you are valuable. To continue to maintain and even increase your value, regular professional development is an essential element that must not be overlooked.
CAs contribute to the success of a practice in many ways, often even beyond those duties that are defined in the individual job description. They are also key contributors to establishing the personality of the practice and the development of patient relationships—the welcoming atmosphere, willingness
and desire to serve, general professionalism, and more. All of these things, including the day-to-day tasks, should continue to be evaluated, practiced, and developed.
CAs can use many vehicles to continue their education and the development of their role. Let's discuss avenues for professional development and the benefits of each.
To continue to maintain ana even increase your value, regular professional development is an essential element that must not be
overlooked.33
Live seminars and events:
This type of professional development creates a very motivational and often information-filled environment. This environment allows you to be among and interact with other like-minded professionals. Additionally, seminars and events are excellent at stimulating creative ideas for your business.
Webinars and other on-demand online training:
This type of professional development enables you to more easily time manage, save on travel expenses, and select training and education about topics important to you. Webinars and on-demand training are usually not more than an hour long. This helps with time management and can minimize feeling overwhelmed when trying to implement what you have learned.
Certification through qualified entities:
Organizations like the Practice Management Institute (PMI) and American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) offer fantastic training programs to obtain qualified certifications. Many of these certifications prove valuable to the practice and to the CA who has put forth the time and training to achieve these certifications. Having specialized certifications as a credential also increases your value potential industry-wide.
Books and other printed materials:
Books and printed materials serve as excellent professional training and even personal or professional development resources. Don't underestimate the benefit of this type of professional development. These materials are great for quick reference of need-to-know information, as well as detailed continued education and training.
On-site training with your team:
Building and maintaining a chiropractic practice is a team event. It takes the entire workforce, no matter the size of the practice, to efficiently and effectively manage day-to-day duties. Many of the inefficiencies and misunderstandings in any business orteam event are the direct result of insufficient communication. As with any professional team (because that's what you are), communication, practice, and repetition of responsibilities and tasks are necessary for individual and team development.
The best way to continue your professional development:
If you're wondering aboutthe best way to engage in professional development, the answer is easy—all of the above. Each of the methods previously de-
ííBooks and printed materials serve as excellent professional training and even personal or professional development
resources. 33
scribed provides different benefits and advantages to learning. Not everyone learns in the same manner either, so when identifying which learning methods are best for you and your practice, you should do the following:
1 Identify your personal professional needs and goals, as well as your team's professional needs and goals.
2Reviewthe training methods explained earlier in addition to the list you've just created identifying your professional development needs.
With each item on the list, evaluate to determine what type(s) of training is available and may be most effective in meeting this need. Keep in mind that more than one avenue of training is often necessary and beneficial.
There is no such thing as too much training, and most elements of professional development continue to be retrained. You may also have more than one area of training taking place at the same time. For example, on-site team training should be consistent and ongoing in your practice, though you may be working to obtain a certification from another entity. Just make sure that you evaluate, prioritize, and manage your time appropriately to avoid being overwhelmed and to maximize your benefit from each type of training.
What you'll gain by continued professional development as a chiropractic assistant:
There are many benefits to you when continuing professional development. First, actively seeking and participating in educational opportunities demonstrates that you are a proactive individual. Employers of all types look for this characteristic in their workforce members. Being proactive builds trust and reliability. Opportunities for advancement are more often made available for these proactive employees.
You become a stronger leader. In chiropractic, as with any profession, employers look to strong leaders to spearhead projects, manage departments, and do future planning. Yet again, being a strong leader will allow other areas of your role to advance.
You build your self-confidence and your value. The more you learn, the more comfortable you become in your role and the more confident you feel in contributing to the business. This valuable characteristic is immensely helpful to you as a CA, as well as in every other field.
What your practice and employer will gain by your continued professional development as a chiropractic assistant:
Businesses that grow and thrive make an active effort in continued education. They work hard to ensure that their business practices are up to date with current guidelines, and they pride themselves when implementing new ideas and functioning efficiently. These businesses also feel great comfort in knowing that their risk of investigations, audits, and penalties is evaluated and maintained at a minimum level. This allows these businesses the freedom to provide updated equipment, improved workspace, raises, bonuses, and other benefits that employees love to have available.
Businesses that encourage and invest, as appro-
priate, into the professional development of their workforce tend to have lower turnover.
In closing, the list of advantages to an individual for taking the time and investing in professional development is long and distinguished, as it is for those businesses that provide an environment where continuing education is encouraged and made available.
As a CA, I can say that my first day in the office was a learning experience that has never stopped. Every moment in the office, team training session, workshop, webinar, seminar, and certification class has proven valuable in some form. As I continue on this path of professional development, I invite and encourage you all to do the same!
Brandy Brimhall, CPC, CMCO, CCCPC, CPCO, CPMA, has worked in chiropractic since 1999 and has performed many roles in this field. She currently serves as the director of education
for ChiroCode and director of compliance sendees for Chiropractic Compliance Solutions. You can contact her at 602-944-9877.
