Hiring new staff members always presents a challenge, regardless of the size and scope of your practice. Whether you’re a new clinic owner hiring your first staff member, or you manage multiple locations and you’re expanding your roster, finding the right office manager doesn’t get any easier. That’s why we’re taking a moment to reflect on 5 things that will help ensure your clinic is hiring the right office manager.

 

1) Ensure they’re friendly

 

They say that first impressions last a lifetime. Upon meeting someone, a judgement is made within the first seven seconds, and then the rest of then the rest of your time spent knowing them will either reaffirm, or refute this judgment. But the key takeaway here is that their first impression will be fresh in your mind for a long time. This makes it crucial to hire an office manager that radiates positivity and can create an outstanding first impression not only with yourself, but also with your staff, patients, physicians, and everyone else they may come in to contact with through the course of a day.

 

2) Ensure they’re comfortable with technology

 

Technology continues to impact the way that PTs, OTs, and SLPs run their clinics. If a therapist from the 90’s was to wake up in 2017 and walk into a clinic, they’d be taken aback by all of the computers, tablets, and smartphones floating around the office. And as the years progress, technology will continue to evolve and become further integrated with the workflow. Ensure the office manager your hiring is proficient, or at the very least, comfortable with the use of technology.

 

3) Hire someone who demonstrates loyalty

 

Bringing on a new staff member is a big deal, regardless of the size of your practice. Part of the hiring process involves sifting through resumes and reviewing candidates’ past experience. You’ll want to avoid individuals with resumes that fail to demonstrate a consistent track record or a sporadic work history. If the person has held five different jobs with five different companies in the past two years, it’s unlikely that they’ll be willing to spend a meaningful amount of time with your company.

 

Did you know EMR software can automate your workflow? Click here to learn how. 

 

4) Don’t hire based solely on experience

 

Conversely, experience shouldn’t be your only consideration when hoping to hire the right office manager. Recent university graduates lament the fact that most companies are only looking to hire individuals with experience; but the irony is that they aren’t given an opportunity to acquire said experience in the first place. Many former students in this position possesses a wealth of technical knowledge. Their minds are fresh and ready to adapt to a new work environment—so don’t be so quick to write them off.

 

5) Invest in their growth

 

Your new office manager will be occupying an integral role in your PT, OT, or SLP clinic. Ideally, you won’t be hiring then to be the office manager for a few months—you’ll want them there for years to come. So if you see an opportunity to invest in their professional growth, whether it be a webinar, a conference, or a course you can send them to, then don’t hesitate to spend that money and help your office manager ascend to the next level.

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