Did you know that employment for chiropractors is expected to grow 11% in the next ten years? As more and more people struggle with chronic neck and back pain brought on by sedentary desk jobs, and the performance benefits of our care are highlighted, the demand for chiropractors continues to grow.
Because of this increasingly high demand, chiropractic practices will notice the need for additional Associate doctors as their schedules fill up and new patients begin getting booked out weeks in advance.
So, what’s the solution? By hiring an associate doctor for your chiropractic practice, you can meet the needs of your patients, grow your business, and ensure the best patient experience. If you’re unsure when it’s time to hire an associate doctor, keep reading to see if these five reasons match your current situation.
5 Reasons You Should Add an Associate Doctor to Your Chiropractic Clinic
When it comes to expanding your chiropractic practice, there are many things you need to consider. The last thing you want to do is hire a doctor prematurely when your clinic doesn’t need one. After all, it’s a big decision affecting revenue and your practices’ structure.
Here are five ways to tell it’s time to add an associate doctor to your practice:
1). Your Patient Demand is Too High
If your practice is overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the number of new patients who wish to see you, it may be time to grow your team.
Constantly booking new patients over a week on your schedule is a telltale sign that it’s time to hire some help.
Care Givers are over 80% of the chiropractic profession. They aren’t excited by high commissions and sales but rather the day-to-day “caregiving” needed to grow a successful chiropractic practice. Hiring a new associate, that is, behaviorally, a Care Giver is a great way to serve as many people as possible in your practice when your new patient flow is high.
2). You Have a Lack of Work-Life Balance
To that same point, if your clinic is so overwhelmed with keeping up with its patients that your home life is seriously suffering, it’s probably time to consider adding some help.
If your work prevents you from enjoying life away from the office, it’s time to grow your team.
The need for better work/life balance is a great reason to begin the process of adding a new Associate Doctor to your practice. As the clinic Owner, you need to protect your energy levels and ensure that you aren’t burning the candle at both ends, which can lead to burnout.
3). You Want to Increase Profit
Going back to the first point, adding an Associate doctor to your team can be a seriously smart business move if your clinic is thriving. Why? The more help you have, the more patients you can serve, thus generating more profit.
Understanding your bottleneck is critical. If your new patient flow is low, you may consider adding a Business builder to your team. However, if your new patient flow is strong and daily care is backlogged, you would be better suited to add a Care Giver. Don’t know the difference? Schedule a time to speak with one of our DC Placement Specialists today.
4). You Want to Increase Your New Patients
Hiring an Associate Doctor to your chiropractic practice to save a struggling practice is not a good idea. However, many practices are interested in having their Associate Doctor contribute to their marketing efforts. In this case, hiring an associate with the behavioral characteristics of a Business builder will ensure you have the right person.
Additionally, many younger Associates have built substantial online followings across Tik Tok and Meta. Hiring a new associate with a large online audience is a great way to expand your reach and leverage your skills and expertise to grow your practice.
5). It’s a Win-Win-Win
You’ll know it’s time to hire an associate doctor for your chiropractic clinic when it’s a win-win-win situation for those involved. What does this mean?
If the doctor you hire trains up well and develops a solid pool of patients, it’s not only a win for that doctor who just got a great new job but a win for your practice overall and the people in your community. On the contrary, if the doctor is poorly trained and feels dissatisfied, one side of the equation starts to crumble.
That’s why we say hiring the right person is a seven-figure benefit, and hiring the wrong person can be a six-figure mistake.
However, remember that you play a key role in new associates’ hiring and training process. To make it a favorable situation, you must ensure you’re dedicating the proper amount of time and resources to this process.
Tips for Hiring an Associate Doctor
Now that you’ve decided it’s time to hire an associate doctor, here are additional tips to ensure the process is as smooth and successful as possible.
Understand the Importance of Digital Marketing
Make sure your digital marketing efforts are strong before hiring an associate doctor. This increases the visibility of your clinic and develops a relationship with your target audience, i.e., whichever kind of patients you’d like to see.
When you hire someone new, it’s even more important to double down on these efforts. Social media posts, encouraging patients to leave reviews of your practice, and writing blog posts for your clinic’s website are great ways to interact with current and prospective patients out of the office.
New associate doctors are more likely to be attracted to your practice if it has a solid online presence and great reviews. Would you feel the same way?
Work Efficiently As Possible
If your chiropractic clinic had issues before hiring someone new, a new doctor would only worsen things. Make sure your clinic has its systems and process in row before you hire someone new so that their training process is as efficient as possible and your clinic runs smoothly. At Chiro Match Makers, we not only source, vet, and interview candidates, but we also guide our Owners in how to best prepare for their new Associates.
Side note: many chiropractic practices mistake looking for more help when their clinic fails. You should avoid this—focus on solving issues within your clinic before recruiting help.
Hire an Associate Chiropractor Today
Hopefully, you now know whether your clinic is time or not to hire someone new. Remember to keep your clinic’s needs in mind by examining your patient demand and other factors like work-life balance, profitability, and more.
If you’re ready to hire an associate doctor ASAP but aren’t sure where to start, contact Chiro Match Makers today. They specialize in the hiring process for chiropractic clinics by connecting doctors looking for jobs with clinics looking for help.
Whether it helps with chiropractic recruiting or staffing, they’ve covered you. Happy hiring!
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!
