The Allied Health landscape in Australia is constantly shifting and we see Practice Managers as pivotal figures in guiding businesses through the challenges.
Growing Role
There was a time when a Practice Manager ‘s role was constrained to admin tasks and perhaps managing the reception team. Today, they are true business leaders and decision makers with responsibilities that have expanded to include a broad range that reaches from client satisfaction that assists positive client outcomes to strategising business growth. This has come about as a result of broader trends in the complexity of healthcare management, expansion of privatised disability services, greater management pressures due to tighter margins and a more dynamic approach to shared leadership.
Challenges
A skilled Practice Manager can motivate and drive an entire business, while ensuring the business owners/directors are able to make data informed decisions with less stress and wasted time. Time and again I have seen Allied Health Business Owners struggling in the day to day operations of their business, unable to ‘sit above’ and work at the big picture level. This leads them to feel frustrated, stressed, time poor and even depressed. But finding a Practice Manager who is able to deliver strategic thinking, operational efficiency and empathetic leadership ‘out of the box’ can feel like discovering a unicorn (forgive my business jargon use of the word ‘unicorn’). We know however, that it doesn’t need to be that way.
Practice Managers Academy
Leaders aren’t simply born that way.
Managers don’t simply have management knowledge and skills.
Practice Managers aren’t magically incredible Practice Managers.
Nacre Consulting has spearheaded the industry in the development and delivery of the Practice Managers Academy (PMA) that equips those in the role or prepares those to fill the role in the future, with the skills and knowledge to deliver on these new responsibilities. PMA is a 12-week program with weekly training, practical skills development and expert-led discussions that focusses on the crucial skills, like time management, having difficult conversations and decision making within the unique setting of Allied Health businesses.
Skip the read and discover more about PMA here and now.
Community
Many Allied Health Business Owners feel that they are alone, with no-one to bounce ideas off, no-one to talk through things or get ideas and inspiration from. Practice Managers can feel the same sense of isolation. This can be particularly so when training is generic and not aligned with their specific needs. Providing an emphasis on community and peer-learning is a focus of the Practice Managers Academy, allowing those in similar roles to connect, share and learn from each other. This collaborative approach also fosters a sense of mutual support and security in the way a Practice Manager feels about their role.
Continuous Improvement
Change can be challenging and while it’s important not to make change for change’s sake, continuous improvement is embodied in the development of the Practice Managers Academy. We take feedback (that is overwhelmingly positive!!), conduct market research, and have a finger on the pulse of the Allied Health and NDIS world when we set the curriculum and design the learning modules every time we run the program. This ensures training is both relevant and impactful, addressing the evolving needs of both Practice Managers AND what Allied Health Business Owners require FROM their Practice Managers.
Click through now for specific PMA content details.
Expert Hands
It can be frustrating when training is so theoretical that it just isn’t practical to implement. Or when the training is developed and/or delivered by people that haven’t actually done the work themselves, telling you “It’s easy, just do it”. I think you can agree that “Trust me” doesn’t inspire trust anymore. That’s why Practice Managers Academy is designed and facilitated by industry professionals with real world experience as managers and leaders at all levels from line management to executive, with in depth knowledge of the specific challenges faced in Allied Health and the NDIS sector.
The Future
As I mentioned in the beginning, Practice Managers are pivotal to the success of Allied Health Businesses, and this will only become more critical. Investing in their development in the same way clinicians’ professional development is invested in is essential to the success and sustainability of the organisations they help to lead. Just as importantly, its essential to the freedom and satisfaction that an Allied Health Business Owner can enjoy when their Practice Manager is operating at the highest level.
Read more and register for PMA here.
Nacre Consulting has been at the forefront of Allied Health Business Coaching for many years and as the demand for skilled Practice Managers continues to rise, the innovative Practice Managers Academy is vital for nurturing and developing your Practice Manager. We encourage you to discover more about PMA, seriously consider the investment your Practice Manager deserves in order to even better support you, your team, clients and business results.
Contact me at [email protected] with any questions about Practice Managers Academy and I might have the answers for you.
