It’s time to go solo! Clinic hours are over, so no more assistance in case taking and formulating treatment protocols. It didn’t matter how competent and capable I might have been, taking that first consultation alone was the most stressful hour of my life.
It’s true that there is no substitute for experience. The more we repeat an action, the more confidence we gain in doing it. However, there are things that I wished I had been told before that 1st time as a solo practitioner.
Here are some gems of wisdom that I think every practitioner should know, and a few things you should do, to help feel in total control of every consultation. I hope some of you find them helpful.
Things to KNOW:
You know much more than your patient/client. Sounds ‘duh’, I know, but we often presume that our clients know basic health care information. They don’t. Many use Dr Google and get it wrong. You are the expert, so go in feeling like it. Don’t be afraid to educate them a little. They are with you because they want to trust you and your expertise.
The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed they are. Allowing enough time for you to be fully prepared is important. It’s easy to break-the-ice by asking casual open questions at the start to build rapport while they settle in. If you are concerned about going over time, place a clock in the room that you can see without being obvious, eg on the wall behind the client. If you don’t cover everything within time, you will be able to put a protocol together with what you already know then go into detail at the followup. Taking payment and giving receipts can be stressful if you are not used to the process. Try to be as organised as possible before the consultation. It will get easier the more you do it.
It’s OK to refer to a manual during the consultation. There are occasions when I want to refer to a manual, for example, to ensure I have covered all aspects of a treatment protocol or check that I have considered all possible causes of a condition. The patients don’t mind. I briefly mention why I am referring to a manual eg. “I just want to be sure we have covered everything before I put your protocol together”. Referring to clinical manuals in a timely way (don’t take too long) can strengthen their confidence in you as a trusted authority. They don’t expect you to remember every fact, number or dose about everything.
Sometimes all they want is to be heard. You will find there are times when the best treatment is to put down your pen and listen. Good health often shifts out of balance around a past stressful event that hasn’t been fully recognized. As you may already know, there are emotional links with illness and getting to the heart of an emotional issue can start the healing process. Give your client permission to explore Echinacea or Purple Cone Flowertheir feelings. Don’t worry about time, you can rebook them to cover what has been missed next time. Offer a basic protocol to support their emotional status and have tissues ready! You will be surprised at the trust and loyalty that will grow from it.
Things to DO:
As you make a booking, ask them to describe briefly why they are coming to see you. Ask a couple of questions without giving away too much.This can help you in many ways. Firstly, It lets them know that you are aware of their plight and you know how to help. You get a ‘heads up’ to be better prepared. It starts to build rapport between you both for a more relaxed first consultation.
Trust your intuition. Being present with your client can help tap into best line of questioning or the start of putting a protocol together. Sometimes, for me, the name of a herb pops into my head that becomes highly indicated for them.
Trust that your knowledge will be there. You’ve done the work and you do know a lot. Trust yourself.
Be professional. Punctuality is always highly regarded. Noone has time to waste so being on time will always be valued. Take nothing personally – it is just business and everything will work out. Sometimes clients may seem disrespectful by arriving late or forgetting appointments or any number of things. Putting policies and procedures in place that minimise these events rather than getting upset means you are setting a professional standard. So, as things occur that are not in keeping with your business, rather than get upset, see it as an opportunity improve your business process. Don’t be afraid to ask for your money – it’s professional to be clear about your fees and charges right up front. It then becomes very easy to ask for the money at the end. I will be writing more about our money mindset soon.
Send SMS reminders the day before. It reduces the chance of no-shows. It is often very appreciated.
Rebook them for the next consultation about 2 weeks later. it is important to review progress and I use the fact that their 200ml bottle of herbal medicine will run out in 14 days as the trigger to review. Saying something like “I expect you will feel much better in two weeks with more to follow, however we will need to have a brief review and see if anything needs changing”. This followup consultation also keeps them accountable on compliance with any diet or lifestyle changes.
Remember to Breathe! and THINK POSITIVELY! You are awesome.
Valuable advice. Thank you