Boards have been passed, classes have been conquered but one last hurdle remains, OSCE 2. We have yet to get our OSCE 2 scores from the higher ups. This anticipation is no different than waiting for grades to be posted for any other exam. However, the OSCE 2 test has more power than the others.
We must pass this exam in order to go onto preceptorships. Supposedly, this exam proves we have met the bar that UWS has set for clinical practice, which exceeds most schools in the US. It is a high bar to meet, mainly because they make the testing situation so stressful. New documents to learn how to fill out with speed and accuracy, weird testing environments and a time crunch cloud normal judgement are just a few chaotic things we had to manage that day. Oh and being burned out from 11 terms of intense academics didn't help at all.
Failing the OSCE 2 is no big deal. You simply pay a hundred bucks and retake it, hopefully to pass it the second try. Failing the OSCE does prevent you from going to the State you wish to practice in though. That is not fun. I hope to move in July, so here's to positive thoughts!
On another note, I have finalized the floor plan to my clinic and I am currently working out all the details with carpet selection, paint color and decor. There are so many things to think about with all this that it can become overwhelming. When I get overwhelmed, I tend to start worrying about where my patients will come from this fall. That is a very real fear. My hope is to get to Boise next month and begin integrating into the community and establishing a reputation for myself. Thankfully, I have a large family in the area and many friends from living there for over 20 years.
These connections do not guarantee a patient base. Each individual will have to decide whether or not to use my services and choose to refer the clinic to others or not. For the time being, it is a free market in health care. We all can choose which clinic is best for us.
I will have to provide the best care I can and earn the community's trust and respect. It will take time. My guess is I will see about 15 to 20 total visits in October and around 30 in November. Being that we will offer massage and fitness, these services will help cover the overhead and hopefully we will be out of the red by November. You never know, that is why I have budgeted 3 months of expense as well as strategically placed purchases for fitness equipment as the patient base/clientele is formed. No need to buy everything up front if the same job can be done without it. For instance, there is no need to buy a bunch of chiropractic tables when I only need one in the beginning. That is a savings of 4k right there!
There are other things I can do to increase the draw to my clinic. Facebook is a great way to stay connected with your patients. It is a great place to share advice and offer deals from the clinic. The challenge is learning what to say in order to keep people excited about the happenings at the clinic.
My hope is to create a word-of-mouth marketing system. So many DC's in Boise focus entirely on adjusting their patients and offer no soft tissue therapy, fitness training or even rehab exercises. They want their patient's to keep coming back, so they create dependency with getting adjusted. Many people I have spoken to have shared these exact words with me in the past week. I can see having patients come in for maintenance care once their issues have subsided, but the care will be a balance of adjusting and soft tissue work during each and every visit. This is how Dr. Roberts taught us and I do believe it is the best approach.
In the first three months, I will be functioning as a chiropractor, a physiotherapist and a personal trainer/coach. Once the chiropractic care gets busier, I will hire a personal trainer/CA to take over the fitness and physiotherapy role. A massage therapist will be hired in September and hopefully, this person will be an established LMT.
These days are exciting and a little scary, but we only live once and why not take the leap now while the motivation is high.
All for now.
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