Patient come and patient go, while you are fresh into business you ponder every patient and what you did wrong. Did you say something or do something. Probably not, as the years go by you start to learn that each patient is unique and every story is slightly different.  Different needs for different people. Every office is slightly different and every treatment varies from time to time. We actually have patients that go to different offices for different complaints.

As the years go, you almost become numb to the coming and going. We are an office that offers simple, effective care. Treatment plans are not the norm, while they are necessary for some people, the majority of patients don’t have one.

Integrated offices are becoming more and more popular, you can see a nurse practitioner, chiropractor and physical therapist all in one visit. This is not who we are. We feel that each profession has it’s time and place, while we work well with other professionals we are just not in the same office. I have my own space issues, I don’t need to share it with other people at this time.

In order to get to this point in practice, it takes a lot of getting comfortable with yourself.  Being able to treat the conditions and symptoms that you are comfortable with and being consistent with them is the first step. You need to know when to fold your cards and sent the patient on to the next professional, as it may not be a good fit.

We have been performing much more acupuncture recently than we have in years, which is awesome to see. The DOT & Drug Testing continues to grow and expand. Chiropractic care ranges for kids to the elderly and continues to get busier. This is the basis to our business, no more and no less.

If you need injections, we will send you somewhere else.  If you need expansive physical therapy, there are offices that are better equipped than us. A condition walks through the door periodically and we just are at a loss, don’t try to be something that you are not.  Guide people and talk to people, you can get a pretty good feel as to if the patient is going to get results after a treatment or two.

Being comfortable is the ability to say “I can’t help” or “I don’t have an answer for you” is a very powerful tool.  Trust me, I can BS with the best of them but your practice will build a reputation if you are comfortable with the patients that walk through the door and know what you are.

Part of being comfortable, is knowing in the back of your mind that you cannot be the end all be all to everyone that walks in the door. Having the ability to fold your cards is beneficial in most walks.

In ending, you can’t be everything to everyone and as soon as you get to that conclusion you will lead a much more sane and happy practice and life. You can try to draw as many people as you want into your practice but just know that people will leave and they may come back but be who you are and always tell the truth.