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I am always inspired by the enthusiasm of practitioners to improve their knowledge and skills. When we recently opened Lilydale Physio and Sports Medicine www.lpsm.com.au we had a mix of experience among out team.
I have been fortunate to be invited to speak several times recently. This has eventuated since the publishing of my book “The Health Practitioners journey”.
The notion of a career journey and how that journey can be built in stages has been what has resonated with those who have invited me to speak.
Building a career as a health practitioner should be a structured process. As I outline in “The Health Practitioners' Journey,” structuring your career in stages of development can lead to a satisfying and financially rewarding path. I outline four stages and see the journey taking a linear approach where you move from one stage to the next. This approach may not suit everyone, but most of us will seek to harvest knowledge on the journey, whichever direction it takes us.
Peter Fuller was one of the partners at Lifecare with me who saw the business he owned with others sold to LifeCare Health shortly after that company listed on the ASX. Peter continued to work at the Lifecare Ashburton Sports Medicine practice from which he only recently retired. The photo was taken at the 40 years reunion of that practices’ commencement.
Establishing partnerships in allied health can be a personal and professional growth strategy for practitioners looking to expand their options, enhance their impact, and advance their careers. I have experienced firsthand the benefits of developing partnerships in many different arenas and can attest to the profound difference it has made in my own journey, particularly in the creation of my book, The Health Practitioners Journey. I will discuss some of the partnerships that I been involved in and detail they have shaped my career.
When your career is up and running and you feel you have developed a strong level of clinical excellence and a vibrant, regular list of patients, you will experience satisfaction knowing that people seek your services and advocate for your practice. If this resonates with you, take pride in your achievements.
If you're someone who seeks new challenges and feels ready to embark on a new journey, establishing your own business may be the path for you. However, this new and exciting path can be daunting.
In my journey within the healthcare industry, I've had the privilege of engaging with practitioners through various communication channels. Whether it's been mentoring sessions, discussions with business partners, delivering lectures, presenting at conferences, or simply sitting down with business owners, each interaction has been invaluable in sharing knowledge and insights.
In my book "The Health Practitioner's Journey," I outline four stages in a health professional's career. The second stage is Commercial Success. This entails maintaining a patient list consistently over 80% full, with referrals coming from various sources, including word of mouth. Through diligent efforts in achieving clinical excellence, this stage yields commercial success as patient lists and referrers grow.
When I was at Lifecare we established three levels of education for our practitioners. The initial stage was for graduates, 1 to 3 years into their careers. They were in the first stage of education which I call Clinical Excellence.
When I was planning the structure for my book, “The Health Practitioners Journey” I thought about how a career in health practice usually unfolds. I thought it would be easier to explain by breaking it down into four stages.