If you are a doctor and you are looking for a real change of pace and lifestyle this year, one thing you may have already considered is opening up your own practice.
Starting a medical practice is a massive challenge and it is something which you will need to take a lot of blood sweat and tears to do.
However, the ability to work in your own personal space, treat patients from your local area and become a trusted figure of the community is something which is second to none.
So, what do you need to do to open a surgery of your own this year?
1. Get funded
The first step to starting up your own surgery is to get funding from your own personal finances or from elsewhere. There is a large cost in running a surgery because you will need to hire staff, pay for medicine, get equipment and licences too. Make sure that you take the time to write down every possible initial cost to set up your surgery and create a word document which summarises the cost as well as the benefits of the surgery in the local area.
If you don’t have the money in your own bank account you will need to find some way to build your money and this will often be through a loan from the bank. When trying to obtain a loan from the bank you need to put a business case together to outline your ideas and how they would benefit the community and this will help to persuade the bank to invest in your idea.
Once you have money you will also need to check with your local authority and see what kind of licensing you need to open and run the practice.
2.Get equipment and staff
Once you have got the approval for your project and you have started to build the office itself, it is time for you to look into hiring a team to help you once the surgery opens.
Hiring medical staff is something which should be taken very seriously and ideally you will want to complete 2 rounds of interviews to make sure you are gaining the best possible people for the job.
As well as hiring staff you will want to look at kitting out your office and these are some of the systems and items you will likely need:
- Waiting room chairs
- Reception desk
- Filing system
- IT Services for Healthcare
- TV screen
- Check in point
- Telephones
- Doctor’s desks
- Computers
- Medical benches
- Machines
- Medicine
- Sterilisation points
Once you have gathered these things, you will be able to start kitting out the office and turning it into a real working surgery.
3. Decorate for comfort
One of the best things you can do for your workers and your patients when opening a surgery is to make the design as comfortable and cosy as you can. It can be daunting for many people to visit the doctor and a lot of people become stressed and worried before their appointments. This is why it is a good idea for you to create a cosy and comfortable environment where people feel safe.
Homely touches can do a lot to ease the stress of a doctor’s visit and you can add many things to the space to make it feel more like a real home. A TV is a great way to share medical videos and it will be a good distraction for your patients as they wait to be seen. You can also think about adding plants throughout the space as plants are proven to reduce stress and calm people down.
Also consider a community collage wall in the waiting room where local artists and children can share their work for a few months at a time so that people can enjoy the work and get to know their fellow neighbours. This can be a fun way to bring the community together and it will also be feat exposure for artists who are hoping to sell their work.
4. Get sharing
Once you open the doors to your medical surgery it might take a little time to get the first load of patients through the door. In the countdown to opening the doors, it is a great idea for you to pay for a postal leaflet drop off of everyone within a certain range of the surgery. This will allow local people to check it out and sign up ahead of the launch and this can be a great way to secure your patients early on. Make sure to also encourage people to share you with their friends and family and even open a social media page or group to try and fit in with the community.
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