As a chiropractor, you’re part of a group that treats over 35 million patients each year. Yet, with only 70,000 licensed chiropractors in the country, it’s no wonder so many practices are looking for associate doctors.
An associate doctor of chiropractic can do a lot for your practice. Associate Doctors can help you grow your business and offer new services to patients in need.
When you find the right associate, you may even feel confident handing over your business once you retire.
But finding the right associate is easier said than done. And failing to choose the ideal candidate can be bad news for your patients and, ultimately, your revenues. That’s why we’re bringing you this guide.
Want to know the top mistakes you’re making when hiring associate doctors and how to fix them? Then keep reading this guide for everything you need to know.
1. Not Identifying Your Exit Strategy
Do you need associate doctors to take over your practice? Are you planning to leave your practice in five or ten years? Sooner?
Is the plan to put your associate on track to head up a satellite clinic? How soon do you want to open? How will you measure success to ensure your associate is ready to make the switch?
Are you hiring a chiropractor to add a new specialty to and grow your practice? Is there truly a need for one? Is it clear how the associate chiropractor will contribute to your business?
Will you provide training? Or do you expect to hire an associate with significant chiropractic experience?
Your answers to all of these questions help define your exit strategy. And an exit strategy is essential to have in place before you begin the associate doctor hiring process.
2. Not Thinking About Your Patients
Your patients are your main source of revenue. As such, you want to make sure they’re as happy with your new associate as you are. This will ensure the long-term success of your new associate and your beloved practice.
First, this means ensuring any new hire is a cultural match for your practice. Do you primarily serve lower socioeconomic status or older adult patients? Consider hiring an associate who has experience with these populations.
Also, keep in mind that getting your hire right the first time is critical for patient satisfaction.
High doctor turnover could affect the quality of care at your practice. Patients will also feel reluctant to trust new faces, especially if new faces are constantly coming and going.
Choosing the wrong associate could burn bridges. And that can affect the long-term health and reputation of your practice.
3. Not Setting Expectations
The majority of chiropractic associateships fail to work out in less than one year. Why? Because doctors fail to outline their expectations for their new associates from the start.
Set clear expectations from the very beginning with your associateship job description. Clearly define what type of experience you require from your associate. Do they need chiropractic experience and, if so, how much?
You may enjoy working 50–70 hours per week. Will your associate chiropractor be expected to do the same? Then, you must outline these expectations in the job description.
The job description is also your first line of defense against poor hires and, ultimately, high turnover.
If you’re too busy to do the work of setting expectations, there is good news. You can hire a service like Chiro Match Makers to do the associate chiropractor recruiting for you.
4. Not Offering Good Pay
If you can’t afford to pay a chiropractor, don’t hire one as an associate. After all, when it comes to talent, you get what you pay for.
The average US chiropractor makes over $150k per year, with the highest-paid specialists being paid up to $211k per year.
It’s no secret that pay is one of the top benefits employees look for before taking a new job. And like you other doctors, DCs are paying back the costs of their chiropractic degrees.
Failing to provide appropriate pay can attract the wrong type of associates. It’s not uncommon for doctors to unknowingly hire unlicensed or un-credentialed professionals for reasons like this.
And hiring bad actors can, again, lead to turnover and loss of patients at your practice.
5. Not Training Properly
If you’re hiring an associate to cut down your hours in the office, the last thing you want to do is neglect training. The same goes if you’re hiring a chiropractor to help grow your business.
Putting in the time to fully onboard new doctors around your systems, procedures, and processes is worth it in the long run. The new hire will fit in seamlessly with your other employees and, more importantly, your patients.
The doctors who don’t offer much training to new associates are the ones that are more likely to see their associateships fail.
Set your own expectations from the start, too. You should provide at least a month or more of onboarding for new hires.
That time will be well worth it when your new hire turns out to be the associate chiropractor you’ve been dreaming of.
Let Us Help You Hire Associate Doctors
Associate doctors are essential for transitioning medical practices. Whether you want to grow your business or hand over the keys to a new chiropractor, these tips can help you find the perfect professional for your practice.
Chiro Match Makers has the process of hiring DC’s and CA’s down to a science. Here are 4 ways we can help you today!
1. Download our coveted DC Interview Guide before your next interview
This is the most critical hire you will ever make in your practice. Most of us have only learned how to interview from our own past experiences and our gut. Our template provides you with unique questions and a systematic way to help ensure you find the right person for the job you have available. Download a copy here.
2. Download CA Hiring Success Roadmap
Building your A+ team is the difference between having the ability to scale or not. If done right, it can be a path to freedom and increased profit. If done wrong, it can be one of the most-costly mistakes you ever make. Go here to get your copy of the CA Hiring Success Roadmap.
3. Explore the best way to leverage a Locum in your practice.
Grab a copy of our Benefits to Hiring a Locum Guide that will be the best time you’ve spent in buying back your time freedom.
4. Connect with us!
If you’d like to connect with us for a brainstorming session just click here to access our schedule link and find a time that’s best for you. We’d love to learn more about your practice and help you reach your goals!
