Deciding exactly how many staff you need and what types of positions you need to be filled for your clinic is going to be your single biggest expense. It is, however, extremely necessary. The staff you employ will determine the efficacy of the clinic and elevate (or lower) its status in relation to similar enterprises. A team of competent and conscientious employees both greatly increases the standard of care provided and contributes directly to patient retention.
In today’s healthcare world, it’s quite common that employees wear many different hats within the same clinic. Therefore when searching for employees it’s always beneficial if they can offer additional skills in relation to their primary healthcare function such as marketing or social media management.
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Staffing Your Clinic
Medical Assistant – $33k/yr.
MAs do much of the administrative work within hospitals, private offices, and clinics.
This includes answering phones, greeting patients, updating patient medical records, handling correspondence, filling
out insurance forms and assisting the physician with a host of other tasks. They handle many of the day-to-day
administrative responsibilities of the clinic, freeing up more time for the physician and allowing them to provide
more thorough care to patients. That being said, MAs generally require some oversight from the physician in
charge.
Licensed Practical Nurse – $45k/yr.
LPNs work with and under the guidance of a registered physician or nurse to ensure that patients are cared for and comfortable.
They have a bit more autonomy than medical assistants and perform a range of medical duties such as monitoring blood
pressure and other vital signs to inserting catheters and helping patients bathe and dress. They’re responsible for
communicating directly with patients and discussing their healthcare requirements, and so a high degree of
interpersonal skills is needed. They also aid the physician or nurse in charge by reporting on the health status of
patients.
Registered Nurse – $60k/yr.
RNs are typically the most valuable members of staff – but also the most expensive.
To become a registered nurse usually requires between three to four years of studying, meaning they’re highly educated
and equipped to meet the daily challenges of DPC work. Their main duties involve administering medication and
providing treatment to patients, performing tests and scrutinizing results, advising patients how to treat illnesses
following treatment and overseeing other staff such as LPNs and MAs. Registered nurses also work very closely with the
physician in charge, often assisting with exams and surgeries. They require the least oversight of all staff and can
function independently if the head physician is out of office. Overall they’re a very valuable addition to the team.
If you’ve never led a team before then you might be interested in picking up books such as Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, or The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton, both of which illustrate how to build a civilized workplace and become a good leader.
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