Time Management and Sacrifices
Owning your own practice does come with some major responsibilities. Once you have taken that leap into having employees, you are not only responsible for your own personal income, but your employee's as well!
This was a big debate that I had with myself. I had to ask myself: "If I continue to grow, will I be able to afford to pay an employee and keep them busy?" I also had to pose the question: "If this person hires on to work for me, what sacrifices have they made to make the transition to work here?"
After much debate I decided to hire one employee that had a plethora of jobs. This not only kept the individual busy, but also made the flow of the office much smoother. Now I know what people mean when they make the statement: "Baby steps."
Managing ones time and income is definitely an art. I must caution those who think of opening their own business. Make sure you don't get too big too quick! Be frugal at first, and ask for advice from those business individuals that are closest to you.
A business plan is always a good idea. However, I must be honest, I never had one. As you may know, I owned and operated a construction company for many years while I put myself through college. This was a very big help in management of the business side of this venture. I learned through trial and error with my construction company to take it slow and feel your way through it all.
Vacation and time off are some of the sacrifices one must make if you really want to go full steam ahead; at least when you first start your practice. I do manage to have every other weekend off at this time. I also currently have Wednesdays off.
I just hired an NP the other day and welcome the help. She has been shadowing me now for a few days, to see how the business operates. I have been opened for two and half years now, and things are really coming together.
You will find that even when you get help, your patients come to see you specifically and therefore limit your time away from the office. Owning an urgent care center does have its advantages. Since your patient is primarily coming in for acute problems, you really don't need to be on call. However, when you take on more than just acute care, then you are of course responsible for those chronic patients.
You can be creative and have your calls forwarded to a pager or a cell phone and still go on vacation. If the problem is really severe then a trip to the ER is warranted. Otherwise, have the patient call the office and schedule an appointment for when you come back. You may also negotiate with your collaborative physician to swap call for each others office.
The take home message in this post is simply: "Don't get too big to quick!" Take your time and make wise choices. Advertising is a must, and when you get extra cash always put it back into your business. Put a lot of time in your business when you start, and the rewards will come later. Think of your time as an investment. Spend the extra time when you first open, and reap the rewards later.