What Your Education Didn't Teach You

Evaluate the patient. Identify areas of concern. Develop a treatment plan. Follow up. Your ability to care for your patients is what comes naturally to you and is what you have been trained for. But how does your training translate into operating a successful business?

Did your education prepare you for owning a private practice or even for determining whether life in private practice is right for you? Do you know how to create a business plan, or how to structure your business so that your personal assets won't be seized if you are sued? Do you ever wonder if there are laws that control how you advertise and if you're violating them? What are the realities of having your own office space, and how do you find your identity as a health care provider?

If you are asking yourself these questions, don't worry – you aren't alone. Across the wellness industry, health and wellness practitioners are trained to excel in their respective professions, but aren't always given the tools they need to succeed in business. Acupuncturists, dietitians, therapists, movement instructors and others who have committed to healing as their profession already know how to give to others. What formal education often lacks is the information on how to succeed in private practice and, for acupuncturists, information on running a business that is specific to acupuncture.

Because of its relative newness as a regulated profession in the West, acupuncture is a field that is unique within the health and wellness industry and learning to succeed as an acupuncturist, business owner comes with its own unique challenges. According to Krystle Martinez, a licensed acupuncturist in the San Francisco Bay Area, "When I opened my private practice, it took me months to learn the in's and out's of structuring my business legally, establishing with insurance companies and health plans, hiring the right people to help me with the aspects of my business that I couldn't handle myself, and learning the best ways to let potential patients know that I was there for them."

Acupuncturists, like others in the health and wellness industry, aren't trained to be business owners, but there are options for learning how to run a profitable private practice.

"Where Do I Start?"

As an attorney who counsels wellness professionals every day, I can assure you there are professionals out there to answer your questions. I work with wellness professionals to choose, establish and maintain business entities that are right for them; to get effective contracts and forms in place so healthy boundaries are set right from the beginning; to review and negotiate contracts with insurance companies and health plans; to consult on the laws that regulate hiring; marketing; referrals; and any other legal issue that comes up in private practice. But what I hear most often when I meet new clients is that they don't know where to start.

They don't know if their business is structured correctly or if their contracts and forms are drafted to protect them. But, most importantly, they don't know the questions to ask to make sure their business is operating on a solid foundation.

This applies even if your business concerns aren't legal. There are marketing specialists, business coaches and other professionals ready to help you make your business better, stronger and more profitable. But how do you know which professional to approach? How do you know where to start and where to invest your money?

Learn From Practice-Focused E-Courses and Webinars

Often you will find that other acupuncturists are running into the same issues you are and are creating informational e-courses and webinars that offer guidance in specific areas. Another option is to look for e-courses and webinars that touch on many aspects of owning and operating a private practice.

Seeing a need for this type of information, some acupuncturists have created programs that offer a comprehensive approach to starting and maintaining a private acupuncture practice. Other acupuncturists, dedicated to elevating their profession, have created courses that collaborate with other professionals to educate acupuncturists on subjects such as the laws that regulate the acupuncture profession and the best ways acupuncturists can run their practices so they are professional and legal.

These courses are for the newly licensed acupuncturist, acupuncturists who are changing direction and going out on their own, and acupuncturists who just want to be more informed. These courses cover topics that will help you decide whether private practice is for you; how to create a solid business plan; your options for business entities, and what you need to do to create and maintain those entities; strategies of marketing and advertising legally; and much more.

When choosing an e-course or webinar, it is also important to consider whether the course offers the opportunity for continuing-education credits. Because you are required to comply with these educational requirements for your license, you can use these courses and webinars as an opportunity to better your practice and maintain your license.

Podcasts: Not just for Murder Mysteries & Ted Talks

There are well-informed acupuncturists putting their lived, practical experiences out there for your benefit. Listen and learn from their experiences. For free. Because starting with a blank slate can feel overwhelming.

Just like e-courses and webinars, you will find podcasts on almost any topic, whether you are looking for something specific or a general overview on what it looks like to open a private practice. Consider podcasts from acupuncturists who operate within your state, as they will likely be talking about issues that will affect your own business.

Hearing what others in your field have done to achieve success will not only offer ideas for developing your own business strategy, bu also prepare you for what's ahead so you aren't blindsided when you're told that acupuncturists can't operate as a limited liability company in California; or when you get a notice saying you need a privacy policy for your website.

With the endless amounts of podcasts, it is unlikely that you will run out of resources, but if you do or if you're looking from another perspective, you should also consider looking to others in the health and wellness industry.

Learn from dietitians, chiropractors, physical therapists and others who may have been running their business for a while and are more established. See what marketing techniques worked for their practices and learn how they modeled their own business plans. Then take what you have learned and apply it to your own practice.

Watching and Listening Not Your Style? Try Blog Posts & Educational Articles

Health and wellness practitioners aren't just talking about the business of acupuncture; they are writing about it. Acupuncturists are listing their reasons for opening a private practice, offering suggestions for negotiating your first lease for office space, and letting you know which forms they have included in their intake packet and why those forms were embraced.

Whether it is meant to improve how the wellness industry operates or simply a therapeutic undertaking, take advantage of the plethora of blogs and articles that have been written for your field and see how you might work some of these ideas into your own business model.

These days, most business owners have a website that is used as a marketing tool, a space to schedule appointments, as a gateway to a patient portal, and often to host a blog. Creativity and the desire to help others is second nature to those in the health and wellness industry, and those practitioners who are kind enough to include blogs on their websites usually deliver information that is fun to read and is also full of relevant, important material meant to help others in their field.

While blog posts offer a more personalized approach and opinions delivered in a voice specific to that practitioner's personal experiences, educational articles will guide you in more focused areas of your practice. Use these articles to better understand how important the role of documentation is, to develop strategies for overcoming patient objections, and to educate yourself on your responsibility to operate a practice that makes ethical, caring decisions to protect patients.

Which Direction Will Your Education Take You?

Your education was an investment in your future, but it's up to you to decide which direction your education will take you. E-courses, webinars, podcasts, blogs, and educational articles offer nearly limitless resources for developing your professional practice. Use these resources to learn more about evolving as a practitioner and let your community know that you are there to support them in their healing journey.

But remember, this list is not exhaustive. Your profession is filled with innovative and inspiring individuals who are constantly working to find ways to improve all aspects of acupuncture, including running a successful business. Connect with them and gain the tools to build your business the right way.