Most of us have the hopes of having our own practice someday. In order to grow a practice, prospective patients have to know about those practices. One key way to do so is to communicate effectively with patients and consistently educate them on their diagnosis, their care plan, and why they need our care. Having a good relationship with patients will encourage them to refer their family and friends to see us as well! We can take advantage of each visit with a patient by educating them on how to improve their wellness, be it musculoskeletal related, or even nutritionally related.

Another great way to improve communication and education in a practice is by having a “topic of the day” in which the doctor can discuss a topic to each patient he/she sees. For example, the office topic could be “Understanding Calcium,” and the patient could get a brief summary with facts about calcium and the doctor could then discuss calcium’s relationship with bone strength and spinal health.

In our Marketing class, we continued to dive into the importance of marketing for your practice. Being an active member of the community if a fantastic opportunity to introduce yourself (as a chiropractor) to many people. Joining local sport teams and local organizations, volunteer at events, or become a part-time lecturer at a college. Another great marketing tool includes supplying promotional items that have your name placed on it… We’ve all seen the quintessential chiropractic bent pen. Everyone loves free stuff, but it’s important to think through the giveaways. Will someone really give you a call for an appointment after using a chip clip with your info on it? Dr. Freeman suggests giving away promotional strong magnets and T-shirts.

A vital aspect of communication includes public speaking. To help us prepare and improve our public speaking, we’ve had several assignments where we had to discuss topics in front of our class, as well as create videos describing contents of our choosing. We’ve spent several trimesters learning about the mechanics of the body, different diagnostic conditions, mechanisms of injury, and treatment modalities…We know the medical terminology; however, it’s important to learn how to convert those scientific terms into a language that anyone can truly understand. How do you explain to a patient with a disc herniation what their condition means? Will they be able to go home after their appointment and explain their condition to their family member? Will they truly understand how their treatment plan will help their ailment? In this class, you begin to learn how to dissect medical terminologies and explain them in layman’s terms effectively and confidently.

“There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you’re the one that will change theirs” – Angel Flonis Harefa

To find out more about National University’s Doctor of Chiropractic program, click here