One of the most important skills that I strive to develop in order to run an efficient, pleasant practice is to effectively manage my staff.
Throughout residency I was so focused on learning dermatology to the best of my ability that I never considered the other skills that would benefit me in practice.
My behavior sets the model for how everyone else should conduct themselves. I have fun with my staff, but I always try to ensure a level of seriousness for the work that we do. Praise the staff when they do a good job, but I also always let them know when they could do something better. Encourage my staff to offer their opinions regarding office flow and implement their ideas if they are beneficial to the practice. By encouraging individual staff contribution, we can all feel proud of the practice and the services that we are providing for our patients.
The other thing that I have learned is to pause and take a deep breath when things don’t run as smoothly as I would like. The practice can’t run perfectly all the time. As I’ve learned how to manage the daily bumps in the road, I can enjoy performing the job that I love to do-providing dermatology care to my patients.
