5 Things I Learned in My First Year of Private Practice

I remember the precise moment I decided to follow-through with starting my private practice. I had always dreamed of owning my own business but I doubted myself. Imposter syndrome stared me right in the face. You’re too young, you don’t have enough experience, you’re just a clinician, not a businesswoman, and so on. Pushing all of those doubts aside was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also the best decision I could have possibly made for myself. In June 2020, I will reach the milestone of one year in private practice. Are you just starting out or considering private practice? Read on - I’m here to tell you some things I wish I knew when I was in your shoes!

Have you ever felt the accomplishment of climbing a mountain and thinking, “I can’t believe I just did that!” That’s what my first year in private practice feels like. Arduous, full of adventure, and so much more to explore! (Picture taken at the top of Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains - elev. 6K+ ft)

1. You Don’t Have To Know It All

Wait… hold on. I don’t have to hold a business degree and have 25+ years of experience in my field to start a private practice? Nope! I don’t care if you are 2 years or 20 years into your profession, you will never know everything. Research and practice standards are ever-changing. This means you may not need to know it all, but you need to be humble and hungry. 

• Take numerous continuing education courses to keep learning

• Listen to the advice and expertise of your colleagues and other healthcare professionals

• Go out and learn from people in your community

• Put yourself in your client’s shoes, take their perspective, and be an equal, not an expert 

You can rely on professionals for assistance with legal set-up or financial matters. That’s what lawyers and accountants are for! What you need to do is be the best clinician you can be. That is uniquely you and something you can’t outsource. Don’t use not knowing about business as an excuse to keep you in your comfort zone.

2. There Is No Perfect Private Practice

I recommend throwing out all of your current assumptions about private practice. Your business should match your needs - whatever those may be. Private practices are not one-size-fits-all. The beauty of being your own boss is that you have the freedom and flexibility to do what you want. Do you want a big, beautiful brick-and-mortar, interdisciplinary clinic? Go for it! Do you aspire to keep your caseload small and see clients in their homes? Sounds great! Are you hoping to have your private practice on the side so you can spend more time with your kids? I love that idea! 

Brainstorm what your dream private practice will look like and start there. Here’s what mine was:

• Focus only on the adult neuro population

• In-home speech therapy to truly focus on functional, person-centered care

• Full-time, but flexible scheduling to spend time with my son (I achieved this in ~6 months with a lot of hard work)

• Intensive programs for aphasia, swallowing, and cognition (in progress)

Start picturing what your ideal private practice will be. Your community needs you. Your future clients need you. Stop trying to piece things together because you think it’s what you’re supposed to do. And certainly don’t let any preconceived notions stand in your way.

3. You’re Not Alone

Just because you’re starting an independent private practice does not mean that you are alone. Community is everything in healthcare. Can you imagine a world where interdisciplinary communication and collaboration didn’t exist? It would be an utter mess! Everyone would be drowning without a lifejacket. Here are some things I did to build connections and referrals:

• I found camaraderie by reaching out to other SLPs in my area

• I hosted a local happy hour with clinicians in different settings that I have never met before to connect

• I reached out to other disciplines and found mutually beneficial referral sources with PTs and OTs

• I started volunteering with different organizations including charity walks and spoke at support groups for my niche population

• I found other SLPs online who weren’t in my area but had the same passions as me for accountability calls

The truth is, even though I “work alone” now, I’ve never felt more connected. I know I now have a team behind me and we support each other in our common goal. Exceptional patient care.

4. Find a Mentor

What’s that old saying? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Find others in your field that have already done what you are trying to do! Take their help and expertise and apply it to your ambitions. There are plenty of small business associations in every city. You can likely find another private practitioner that has done something similar to you. If you can’t find one in your area, try to connect with someone online. 

I have had three critical mentors over the past year:

• Jena Castro-Casbon is a speech pathologist and private practice guru with many courses on how to start and grow your private practice (I HIGHLY recommend them). Jena gave me the kick I needed to start my private practice. 

• Theresa Richard is a local SLP who hosts the Swallow Your Pride podcast and started the MedSLP Collective. I was part of Theresa’s Inner Circle Leadership Academy, a closed mastermind group for clinicians desiring to achieve more in their careers.

• Megan Sutton is an SLP based in Canada and co-owner of the aphasia app company, Tactus Therapy. Megan has taken me under her wing and presented me with numerous opportunities to grow as a clinician. 

Do you already have a mentor? Then great! If not, start thinking about who you can reach out to for support and guidance. You won’t be sorry you took the leap!

5. Attitude Is Everything

Remember that imposter syndrome I mentioned in the beginning? I’ve got news for you, it likely won’t be banished to the back of your brain forever. It may creep in from time-to-time and at the most inopportune moments, too! But the more you grow, the more confidence you will gain, the more respect you will earn, and the more you will want to strive for those goals that once seemed out of reach. You can’t do any of this without a positive attitude. If you are starting out already thinking you’re going to fail, you probably will. 

Only you can make your dreams come true. Only you can set the right attitude and stick to it. Only you can achieve your goals. No one else can do this for you. Sure, you can have support from others, but ultimately you need to have intrinsic motivation to persevere when it gets tough. Because you are in charge of your destiny and happiness. 

Find yourself a mantra and post it somewhere you will see every day to remind yourself what you are doing and why. My mantras are: 

• “FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY”

• “I CAN DO HARD THINGS”

• “A-PLAYERS DON’T WORK FOR B-LEADERS” 

I stared at those quotes for the last year and it helped fuel my fire and passion. Persist my friend, it is worth it!

Are you ready to start your private practice journey? Did you find this blog post helpful? Let me know! I love connecting with other private practitioners, so feel free to reach out to me at any time via email at kbrown@neurospeechsolutions.com.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Brown, MA, CCC-SLP,CBIS

Katie is the owner and founder of Neuro Speech Solutions. She is passionate about providing person-centered treatment to her clients in order to meet their life participation goals. Katie is dedicated to helping other SLPs provide functional therapy through affordable materials and education courses.

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