I wrote this article for The American Chiropractor in March of 2013.  If you are a Chiropractor (not a CA) reading this article, use the article to teach you what qualities to look for when you hire. Next when I describe to the CA how to improve her skill-sets you can use the information as a training guide. Enjoy the article!

After practicing for thirty-one years, I can honestly say that a well-trained Chiropractic Assistant is one of the most valuable assets that a practice can have.  Understand though, it is a two-way street. A poorly trained CA can be the largest liability to a practice.

In this economy it is vital that you, the CA, create ongoing value for your doctor. This will not only ensure the profitability of the practice but it will ensure job security for you.

Before I get into some of the specifics of the job, let’s investigate some of the general qualities that a top-notched CA will have. If you find some of the listed skill-sets or qualities are lacking, now is the time to start improving upon them.

To be a top-notched Chiropractic Assistant you, will want to start with these important qualities:

1. Be a phenomenal people person. If you do not LOVE people this is the wrong job for you.
2. You must have a great phone voice and a great phone presence.
3. You must possess fantastic organization skills.
4. You must be able to multi-task efficiently.
5. You must be a team player and be able to get along with others.
6. You must have confrontation skills. For example, you must be able to ask patients for payment.
7. You must be likeable.
8. You must portray empathy and a caring attitude.
9. You must be genuinely interested in helping others.
10. You must be a self-starter.
11. You must be loyal to your doctor, practice, and team mates.
12. You must be willing to smile until your face hurts.
13. You must be able to detect and anticipate problems with patients.
14. You must be willing to come early and stay late.
15. You must be willing to do outside events, outside normal business hours.

Let’s go over how to improve your skill-sets so you can deliver better service to the patients.

1. You should not have to be told how to be a great people person. That trait, you typically either have, or you don’t. To better facilitate those skills, genuinely put other people’s needs before your own. For example if you are just to take a bite out of your sandwich and the phone rings, a people person, will happily put their sandwich down to attend to the person on the phone.
2. A great phone voice and presence is essential to being a great CA. Always answer the phone with a big smile on your face. Believe it or not the person on the other end can see that great big smile. Next, listen carefully to what the person needs and repeat back for confirmation. Then be a great people person and take care of their needs as you would like someone to take care of yours.
3. Organization is the hallmark of success. To get better organized, have your desk 100% cleaned off every evening before you leave. That means that all of the day’s work must be completed that day. Don’t leave filing or insurance claims for tomorrow. Do everything the same day and watch how easy and effortless your job will become.
4. If you can’t multi-task you should not work in a Chiropractic office. Working as a CA means that you should be able to answer the phone, while making copies and asking a patient to go into an adjusting room. If you are not good at multi-tasking, practice by doing several things at once. Start with having a phone conversation and filing. Or, have a phone conversation and make copies. Then move on to other tasks and practice doing them simultaneously. Here is the good news, anyone can learn to multi task with continued practice.
5. Chiropractic practices are team player environments. If you can’t get along with others, a Chiropractic office is not the place to work. Remember, if you are a people person, working with other team mates becomes an easy task.
6. Confrontation does not mean having a “knockem-dragem” out bloody fight. Confrontation by definition means the clashing of forces or ideas. To collect fee from patients, you sometimes must be able to clash your idea of “You need to pay for your services now”, vs. the patient’s idea of “I’ll pay you next week”. This is a very important skill to have, not only in the office but in life. A good way to develop this skill is to role play with your teammates.
7. Being likable is easy. Smile and care about the other person while being selfless in your acts. Be kind and do the things that you say you will do, will make everyone like you.
8. At all times a CA must portray a caring and empathetic attitude. Remember when people come to the office they are often in pain and not feeling their very best. This can cause people to become nasty. You must not take it personally but help your doctor with the healing process. A truly caring attitude complete with empathy (putting yourself in their shoes), will go a long way to helping that patient heal and having the patient feel good about you and the office.

9. Chiropractic is a helping business. If you do not like to help people then you need to find another job. To get good at being a helping type of person all you need to do is put the other person’s needs first.

10. A self-starter is someone who shows initiative. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes that is how we learn. Show your doctor that you are not afraid to lead and think outside the box and on raise day, you will be very happy.

11. No matter what happens you must be loyal to your doctor and teammates. That is what makes a successful team. One for all and all for one. Live by that rule and your office will become a great source of security and joy.

12. Healing begins with attitude. Nothing exudes a great attitude of caring than a genuine warm smile. Smiling can even help to heal yourself and others. Smile often and watch others smile back at you.

13. You must be the eyes and ears for your doctor. Patients will tell you things that they are afraid to share with the doctor. You never want to break a patient’s confidence but you do need to alert your doctor if a patient is doing things, or might do things to harm their recovery.

14. You will find that working in a Chiropractic office is not just a job. It becomes a way of life. You should be willing and able to come early and stay late.

15. Outside events and lectures are one of the major methods used to grow the practice. You must be willing to participate to help your office to grow.

A Chiropractic Assistant can be one of the most fulfilling and exciting careers on the planet. How great do you think your day would be knowing that you are helping sick people get well? How great do you think your day would be if it was spent putting a smile on other people’s faces? By being great at your job and following these simple suggestions, you will have greater job security and career fulfillment.

For over ten years I have had the privilege of training some of the best Chiropractors and chiropractic assistants in the country.  We teach our clients how to get and keep quality new patients; how to choose the best chiropractic consultant and coach; and how to hire, train and keep an “A” staff. Our clients practices have grown on average over 150% since 2008. To learn more about our strategic methods please click here to set up a free, no-obligation consultation. You will learn specifically how I can help you with a custom-created coaching plan that will be created within your budget.

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