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      Starting up a new medical practice is a very exciting time in a person’s life. There are, however, so many considerations, decisions, and challenges along the way, that the experience can be quite daunting.

      Some readers will be looking for a more holistic evaluation of what it’s like to be in a medical or allied health profession before deciding on this career route. For those of you who are already in the career, it is not a bad idea to reflect on the reasons as to why you chose a medical career in the first place, before getting into the fine details of how you can set up an office. On the one hand, you may need to go back to the basics of your reasoning for pursuing a medical career, and keep reminding yourself of your good intentions. On the other hand, while you might be choosing this career path for all the right reasons, you have no idea what your future actually entails until you finish your training and have started working.

      I have come across people, myself included, who are already way down the career path and realize that there are parts of the profession they had no idea about. The more you find out about things before you jump in at full throttle, the better off you will be.

      Medical-related offices are so much alike no matter what health-care field you are in, or planning to be in. I have included many of the allied health fields at some point in the book, as there is so much similarity in practice dynamics and patterns. It is for this reason that I feel this book will benefit anyone who is interested in setting up an office in any health-care field. (See Chapter 1 for more information about the allied health fields.)

      Some of the information in this book might also be relevant for any staff associated with running the office — having an understanding of the background and basic principles can only benefit the staff and the situation. I have tried not to always use the word “doctor” throughout the book because most of what is said relates to any health-care provider, so you shouldn’t be dissuaded by terminology.

      When you complete your training, or even if you have finished already, being informed beforehand is key to running a successful practice. On the one hand, hopefully, you will be in a supportive environment in which your colleagues located in the same area as your new practice will be there as valuable resources when it comes to any questions, or advice. On the other hand, there are hostile environments in which similar, or competing, professionals do not want a new person in the area. There are many reasons for this — competition and skill set being a couple examples of reasons why someone might want to keep new people out of the “territory” — in which an additional health-care provider can be seen as a threat to their practice and livelihood. I have been in both these situations, and in the latter you can feel quite alone, and certainly unwanted, when trying to get things going. These are some of the reasons that I hope this book will be of value to you as a helpful resource guide.

      As you read through the different chapters, you will come across a diverse overview of what it’s like to get started. Most of this information is derived from personal experience, including observation, as well as active involvement in many start-ups and already-running practice scenarios; I have also relied on the wisdom of others who have provided advice and insight into many of the topics covered. I have used alternate identification throughout the book so that no personal information is divulged in a way that it can be linked to an individual. I have also modified some stories ever so slightly when I feel the description, or circumstances, can potentially allow for some connection by the readers.

      While I hope you will find the entire book interesting and appropriate for your own needs, some of the chapters might be of less interest to you personally. This book is designed in such a way that skipping a portion will not mean you have missed some “plot” and you will thus be lost for the remainder of the book! Each chapter has its own theme, and you will not be disadvantaged if you miss chapters or read the book out of sequence. Use it in your own way, as the intention of this book is to be of benefit to a broad audience — it’s for anyone who is about to set up a medical-type office, is planning to set up an office in the future, or is currently involved in the functions of a medical office.

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      Careers Suited To Owning And Operating A Medical-Type Practice