COLUMN KEYS TO YOUR PRACTICE Five things to focus on this New Year H 1 These practice insights are worth reflecting on we should talk to patients about stop-ping care right at the report of findings. When I was struggling and in a defen-sive mindset, this was something I couldn’t wrap my head around. How could I build a practice and at the same time encourage people to tell me when they have had enough? I finally began to understand what he meant. Not every patient will get chiropractic the first time around. If we want them to return, we need to talk about if and when they decide to stop care and support their decisions in a nurturing manner. I now know how much better I am at this because in our office we have a near perfect record of patients telling us they are taking a break from care. BY ANGELO SANTIN there needed to be a separation between myself and chiropractic. As time went on I realized that this separation is im-possible and detrimental. If you are full of energy and creativity then your prac-tice will follow suit. If you are tired and distracted then you can bet your prac-tice will suffer accordingly. In a nutshell, if you want your practice to grow you need to first start with yourself. Organ-ize the life you want to have and the practice you want will come. 2 Start with why . I read Simon Sinek’s book on this topic a few years ago and ever since then it has changed the way I ap-The patient’s initial complaint proach things in my life. His message is not really the problem. was that every decision you make per-I must admit that it took some time for this concept to sink in. Often, a It’s not what you don’t know sonally and professionally should be patient’s complaint on their initial forms that’s the problem; it’s what guided by your purpose. Whether you are aware of it or not, being off purpose is not the reason why they seek you out. you think you know. They are in your practice not because of Chiropractors often feel they need is energy draining and inefficient in all pain, but because they are concerned new information or techniques to be aspects of your practice. Being on pur-about how their pain will affect their life. excelling in practice. Worse yet, they pose is energizing and allows you to Take for example a person that has low often move on to other things because conquer life’s biggest goals and chal-back pain. They are most likely addressing they believe that they’ve mastered what lenges. Finding your purpose and crys-the problem because it affects them at they already know. I’ve felt this way tallizing it is therefore of utmost impor-work, at play, or they are worried about before many times only to realize that tance. Practice will be full of learning possi-how it affects their future in some way. practice will humble you over and over. The quicker you can get down to this and I finally realized that the key is not al-bilities. Making mistakes is the way we link this with chiropractic, the more likely ways an adding process but a shedding learn the best. If you can apply a few they are going to stay under your care. process. Shedding the things that are things that could help you avoid some not important and mastering the simple of the big potholes that will arise, how-ever, it will lead to more accelerated You need to make it safe for yet important things are invaluable. growth both personally and profession-patients to fail. I heard this from Bill Esteb Your practice is a reflection of ally. My advice to you in this upcoming year is twofold: number 1 is to listen early on in my practice and, honestly, I you. thought he was crazy. He proposed that For many years I thought that more to yourself and others around you; number 2 is to be open to applying this DR. ANGELO SANTIN, DC, operates a busy subluxation-based family practice in Thunder Bay, Ont., and advice and making the necessary is president of the Thunder Bay Chiropractic Society. Santin is also a Carter Universal proficiency-rated changes. After all, growth in life and practice comes from the inside out. chiropractic coach. He can be reached at [email protected] or 807-344-4606. ave you ever been given advice that you either didn’t understand, or worse, chose to ignore? Have you ever taken longer than usual to grasp certain concepts more than others? Our lives and our practices can be full of these situations, and if we listen and take some good advice, it could lead to much more ef-ficiency in delivering our care. I would like to share my top five prac-tice insights, that if mastered would make a powerful impact on your prac-tices for this New Year. 5 3 4 14 Canadian Chiropractor February 2017 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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