Knowing Your Purpose as a Chiropractic Assistant
Anne L. Prinz
Simon Sinek wrote a book titled Start with Why in which he discusses how often people operate their businesses backward. Most people start with WHAT service they are offering, then HOW they offer their service, and lastly WHY do they provide that service. Without a strong "why," the business will never meet its success potential because people who are purchasing your services don't do it because of "what" you are doing. They buy from the emotional component of their decision, which is linked to the "why."
As a chiropractic assistant (CA), you may know that your "what" is to connect the patient with the doctor through time and money. You understand the "how" you do what you do through the training you have received and the office procedures you use in your clinic. But what about the "why"? Why are you doing what you are doing in the chiropractic clinic where you are employed?
The "why" is a purpose, cause, or belief. Each day as I would enter our clinic, I would say my purpose as I unlocked the door. "As a gateway for healing, my purpose is to hold a sacred space for each individual who enters the office this day. The office procedures help me follow my purpose, and my purpose helps me follow office procedures." Your "why" may be different from mine, so take time to breathe into what it is. This is essential because it helps you know why you are serving the people you serve.
The CA has a very powerful role in the clinic as the first and last point of contact in any transaction. The way you treat people while serving from your "why" will impact the overall success of the practice.
Here are some helpful tips for moving from being a good CA to becoming an exceptional CA who knows his or her "why."
• Leave all your personal issues outside of the office door. I remember Dr. Noel Lloyd of Five Star Management talking about his office's potted plant by the door. Every day, he and his staff would drop any personal issues into that potted plant before entering the office. They could only pick them up again after they left the office that night. You are in the clinic to be of service to the doctor and the patients.
• Set the tone for your day before walking into the office. I used my purpose statement to help me become present in the moment. By stepping into my service as I walked into the office, inevitably people would call wanting to come in for care. I was wearing my purpose and knew that I was there to serve the patients by connecting them with the doctor.
• How you answer the phone and greet patients when they come in leaves a lasting impression on how patients feel about the overall experience of being in the clinic. Treat each patient's experience with love and care. Answer the phone, greet people with a smile, and be fully present with the person with whom you are speaking. This is not the time to try to multitask. Each patient deserves your undivided attention. Create whatever tool you need to help with this. I worked in an office that had a sticker on the phone that read "Say Hello with a SMILE," and it worked.
• Genuinely care for the people you are taking care of. Your position prepares them for their visit with the doctor and supports them in following through with the doctor's recommendations. Ask the patient, "Do you have any questions or concerns you would like the doctor to know about today?" Then let the doctor know what the patient has shared and any observations you may have noticed. Taking interest in the patient will assist the doctor and aid the patient in recovery.
• Realize that people who are coming to your office often come in with pain and are subluxated. They may not be the best version of themselves when they speak to you. Don't take it personally and treat them with kindness anyway.
• As you become more confident with your position and get to know the patients well, there will be times when a patient just comes to mind. Call patients to check in because inevitably they will have something going and could benefit from seeing the doctor. Even if patients are doing well, they will be grateful you cared enough to check up on them. I had an instance when one of those nudges to call a patient ended up saving that person's life.
As you start to live from your "why" in your clinic and follow your purpose, you will find all kinds of things start to change. More people will call to schedule; patient retention and satisfaction will go up; and you will find you are having fun and the day seems to fly by. You will find deep fulfillment knowing that the work you do makes a difference in changing people's lives.
Anne Prinz is a consultant and has spent over 20 years as an office manager for a successful chiropractic clinic, honing her skills so she could teach others how to do the same. Anne is also the author of the book, Living Your Exclamation Point Life!, and the owner of Exclamation Point Living, LLC. To learn more or contact Anne visit her website: www.AnneLPrinz.com.
