Is your CA a Professional?
PERSPECTIVE
Kelly R. Webb
Raise your hand if you’ve never had a bad boss.
I’m keeping my hand down, and I bet you are too.
We’ve all had the boss—or coworker, or teacher, or relationship—who drains us and makes us feel as if it’s not worth the effort. We go through the motions and get through the day so we can get on with our lives and move on to something we actually care about doing.
I’ve also had really good bosses (for example, the one who approved this article). Those bosses make you feel counted, a part of the team, respected, and able to contribute. They treat you like a professional—as if you and your career really matter.
As a chiropractor, you probably have the responsibility of employing a CA or two. The question is: What kind of boss would your CAs consider you to be?
In some states, chiropractic assistants are registered or certified professionals with minimum practice standards and required continuing education (CE). Other states don’t have provisions for that yet, relying on you to see to your CA’s training and CE.
Regardless of your state’s regulations, the responsibility of managing your CA falls to you. You determine whether your assistant is a professional member of the team, or if he or she is just an extra set of hands.
Would you like your CA to feel passionate about his or her work? To share his or her confidence and education with
patients? To bring fresh ideas and a smiling face to the front office and serve as another compassionate healthcare professional for your patients?
There are a number of fantastic resources for CAs. Helping yours connect with quality continuing education and his or her own professional community can inspire and motivate your C A just as they do for you.
• Check with your local chiropractic association because many of them have branches or forums dedicated to CAs.
• Nationally, the ACA offers CA memberships and the ICA has staff development partners.
• Share The Chiropractic Assistant magazine with your CA and be ready to chat about what’s inside.
• Contact your alma mater. A growing number of chiropractic colleges offer specific training programs for CAs. At Palmer College, your CA can even earn an Associate of Applied Science in Chiropractic Technology.
• Many reputable independent educational programs offer online training that qualifies your CA for national certification (you can find a list of our favorites at www.fclb.org under the “Chiro Assistants” link).
Being a boss isn’t an easy job, and it can often be a thankless one, but the first step to turning your staff into healthcare professionals is treating them that way.
Kelly R. Webb, MA, is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado andformer writing instructor She has worked in chiropractic testing and regulation for nearly 15 years and is currently responsible for coordinating the PACE program, developing and maintaining the FCLB websites, andfor assistingwith writing and correspondence needs of the Federation. (970) 356-3500 kwehhajclb. org
