Q:

Dr. M
 
I always read your email and find them very interesting but the one on changes has hit me 
hard because that is what I am going thru. I am looking for a new practice to join because I 
feel I have reached a plateu in the practice I am in now in. During my interview experience I 
must say that I was very disappointed in the chiros out there and what they were wiilling to 
pay their fellow doctors. The one thing I understood is you get what you pay for and if you 
offer to pay $600 a week for 90 hours your going to get a $600 dollar a week doctor. 
Making a changes is scary and finding someone to work with is very hard. My only 
problem with our profession is its hard enough to make it with managed care but when 
your fellow doctors want to screw you it is disgusting.

A:

Unfortunately .. your concern is not new. I hear similar stories from new DC¼s .. some 
previous students and others who know me from my weekly e-mails. I always recommend 
during my classes to Life University students to use their associate or IC time as a stepping 
stone toward their future. Place a timeline on the experince and then branch out on your 
own. There may be financial restraints that prohibit opening a new clinic but eventually you 
have to bite the bullet and make the move. 

When you have your own practice and hire an associate .. the decision is made how much 
to pay. If the associate pays for themselves than at least it¼s not a loss to gross income. 
Having an associate work more than 40 hours and not offer some form of extra 
compensation .. such as bonus or commissions .. is not right. Again .. gather the experince 
and chalk it all up to that. But .. if you plan on continuing as an associate .. look for decent 
DC¼s who have goals in mind and plan with them growth of the practice and how after a 
base salary you¼ll work for incentives such as bonuses .. a win win for everyone.

I wish I had some words of wisdom other than plan your future with your own clinic. If 
you have a fellow graduate that you trust and get along with form a partership or something 
like this. But in lieu of this .. jst gather your experinces and move on and out. I will post 
your request for an associate position in south Florida


Have a Great Day

Dr. M