Developing your professionalism
By Susan Hoy

In today’s world, employees sometimes get confused about the terms of their employment. We begin focusing on our own wants and needs instead of the reasons we were hired.

Each of us has a responsibility to our employer who is paying us to do a job.

The work relationship comes with a two-way responsibility: The employer has the responsibility to explain his or her expectations to you (documented in a written job description), to provide you with a safe work environment, and to give you the proper tools to do your job.

And you have the responsibility to fulfill expectations, work safely, and to do the best you can do.

If you stop focusing on those responsibilities, your employment is no longer needed.

Here are some tips that will help you be effective in your role as a practice specialist:

• Go ‘beyond.’ Your job description should outline the specific duties and tasks of the job. But good employees go beyond the strictures of the job description.

And their guiding light is “always do your best.”

No matter what task you are responsible for, do the best job you can do. It should be a matter of personal pride. Even if the task is as simple as putting a label on a newsletter or filing a travel card, do it correctly, because it has your reputation on it.

• Look professional. If you want to be treated as a professional, look, dress, and act professional. Take time to be well groomed — clean hair, nails, and attire, and no overwhelming colognes.

Dress in clothing appropriate for your office. Some practices use polo shirts; others, uniforms; still others have no “official” attire. Be appropriate for your job.

• Act like the professional you are. Don’t make personal phone calls from the front desk in front of patients, eat in front of them, chew gum, share your personal problems, complain to patients about other staff members, your chiropractor, other patients, or your job. (Complaining about other patients to patients is not only unprofessional, it’s against the law.)

The reputation of the entire chiropractic profession rests on your shoulders! Patients who are treated unprofessionally at a medical doctor’s office may choose another medical doctor.

But if they are treated unprofessionally at a chiropractor’s office, they may never go to any chiropractor again and may generalize that all chiropractors are same.

• Continue to learn. Successful people always want to be better. They realize that there is always room for improvement. Their philosophy is that no matter how good you are, you can always be better. The better you are, the more people you can help.

An anonymous quote is worth remembering: “Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work for it.” Cultivate a philosophy of CANI — continual and never-ending improvement.

Never stop growing and never stop improving!

Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She presents training seminars for teams throughout the country and is the author of two team training manuals. The newest is entitled, Systemize Organize Simplify. Susan can be reached at 215-674-0130, suzzhoy@aol.com or through her Web site at www.beefitup.net.