September 2004

The 11 building blocks to an A+ CA

by Dr. Dennis Nikitow

Chiropractic Assistants are not born ‑‑ they're "made." CAs ‑‑ like your patients and your life ‑‑ are a reflection of you and what you teach them. If they're going to assist you they have to be an extension of you. Although they're individuals with unique personalities and traits, all CAs can be trained if they have the right building blocks to work with.

These are the ones I look for:

1. Humility and willingness. It's nice to know what your CAs' past accomplishments are, but if they're too caught up in them, you may find yourself struggling with their pride and arrogance.

The most important thing I look for in CAs is willingness ‑‑ to change, grow, explore, to do what's right regardless of ego. If a CA is willing, the person is trainable without hassles. S/he can still be assertive, but with a prevailing desire to change for the overall good of the group and its mission. Without the building block of willingness, you're destined to spend your time and energy with hassles and confrontation.

2. Faithful and trustworthy. When a CA has these traits you can turn your back and walk away to focus on what

DCs do best. A faithful and trustworthy CA gives the doctor more security in practice. When CAs are honest in everything they do and never "cover up," it builds faith and trust and the doctor worries less. Faithfulness comes from a trusting relationship with the doctor. The CA must see right purpose, moral virtues, upright character, and integrity in the doctor. Certainty will bring out faithfulness and trustworthiness and that comes from a conviction to a mission and purpose.

3. Congruent purpose and mission. CAs must be congruent in the purpose and mission of the doctor and clinic. They have to understand chiropractic philosophy and the damaging effects of subluxations. In addition, they have to be congruent with the mission of getting chiropractic on the health care teams of families to improve their health potentials. Therefore, they must be in logical agreement with lifetime spinal maintenance.

4. Servants. CAs need to be servants. They need to want to help people. This means sacrificing to a degree. Staying late, coming in early and going to the office when not expected to and never complaining are signs of servanthood. Servant CAs aren't "nickel and dimers" because they serve from their heart and give from the goodness of their soul. They know inherently they'll "reap what they sow," yet they don't look for anything directly in return for their service that goes the extra mile. Their motives are pure, and they're not selfish. They are the ultimate team player.

5. Team player. When a CA is selfish, like any team member, it destroys the team. CAs need to understand that the clinic team grows together, as well as falls together. When the clinic grows financially, the CA should proportionately. The staff must be educated as a team so everyone is on the same page.

Weekly clinic meetings are essential, and mandatory. There should be open communication for clearing any problem, receiving help and support, having fun and sharing wins. Strategies for improvement should be discussed as a team and each person should take responsibility freely.

Team members must remember they influence every situation in some way and should look at how that influence applies. If they think they have no influence, they can't be an effective part of the solution. All team members must acknowledge their influence and what they could do to improve any situation. There's no room for "I don't know," "I didn't do it," or "It's not my job."

6. Enthusiastic. CAs have to be excited and passionate about chiropractic. If they're "9‑to‑5" CAs, they're not enthusiastic. Enthusiasm comes from belief in the team's mission and purpose. Each patient getting better through chiropractic care is the fuel for more enthusiasm. Testimonials and successes should be shared in the office from doctor to CA and also CA to doctor. If you have to keep "pumping up" your CAs, they're not enthusiastic about chiropractic. All a CA should need is the core philosophy of chiropractic to get enthusiastic about the possibilities it brings to humanity.

7. Common sense. CAs need to be perceptive and have common sense in dealing with people and their problems. Take "street‑smart," common sense CAs over the "educated," intellectual types, as they will deal with life situations realistically and be of comfort to your patients.

8. Good communicator. Good communicators listen, duplicate, and facilitate. CAs must know chiropractic philosophy, the two types of chiropractors, technique principles for scheduling, refocusing strategies, and problem handling. They must know how the mind works and how people make decisions. We teach these strategies and more in our CERTAINTY Seminar, which is a communication seminar. With good communication skills your practice will flourish, but it must be a team approach.

9. Self‑starter. All of the aforementioned attributes should promote your CA to be a self‑starter. Some people are just not self‑starters and always have to be told what to do. Look for laziness, selfishness, greed, and procrastination, as causes of not self‑starting.

10. Multitasker. Multitaskers basically think about and can foresee outcomes before actions are taken. Therefore, they learn to juggle. Wayne Dyer called them "ten baggers." In a grocery store one employee can bag ten bags to another's one. Ten baggers will always be ten baggers and one baggers ‑‑ well enough said.

11. Health‑minded. Do your CAs take care of their health, and the health of their families? Do your CAs try to eat right, exercise and get adjusted (please, at least say "yes" to this)? Do their family and friends get adjusted?

Look for these 11 building blocks in your CAs. Then, strengthen them with your education and influence. If you happen to come to a CERTAINTY Seminar, bring your CAs ‑‑ free ‑‑ and see how they'll develop into A+ CAs.

(To learn about Certainty Practice Products and Dr. Dennis Nikitow's upcoming seminar schedule, call 800‑544‑3884. Outside the U.S., 303‑721‑6202.)

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