I Hired The Worst Chiropractic Assistant Ever
A cautionary tale and Three Golden Rules for Hiring Rock-star Chiropractic Assistants.
Four months ago, I hired the worst chiropractic assistant ever. Actually, she was the second-worst. The worst assistant I ever hired was addicted to pain pills and stole a few hundred bucks from me. But at least she was a decent worker.
My last hire, Jane (not her real name), cost me time, mental space, and the clinic thousands by not doing her job. Worst of all, she let new patients slip through the cracks. These were patients that hired us to help with their health and we failed.
Jane didn’t start out horrible. Like most new hires, she was a rock-star assistant at first - friendly, outgoing, and eager to learn. But after a couple of weeks, her behavior changed.
Jane started coming to work later, looking exhausted. She was constantly texting during office hours and spending extended time in the washroom. She was clearly dealing with personal turmoil at home.
Over the next few weeks, her work slipped further, and patients complained. Insurance receipts went missing, payments not processed, and appointments missed. She was given additional training and warnings, but nothing worked and we eventually had to let her go.
What went wrong?
I’ve been hiring chiropractic assistants since the early 2000s. Through trial and error, I’ve crafted a hiring system that I thought was bulletproof. We pay well, have fun in the office, and our average assistant stays for 2.5 years. Historically, we’ve hired only amazing staff.
How did I mess up this time? Jane was hired too quickly. She was my second choice (our first choice fell through with a health issue the week before starting), and while her personality was outgoing and friendly, my gut was telling me Jane was chaotic inside. Since I was desperate, I ignored the signs.
I get that two bad hires in 20+ years isn't the end of the world, but I'm still kicking myself. In this case, I didn’t follow my hiring system and rushed the process. At the very least, I should have listened to my gut.
How can you find a great chiropractic assistant and avoid my mistakes? Chiropractors need a time-tested hiring system that works across multiple service industries. I've borrowed from HR departments and hiring managers to create mine, which I’ll share below.
First step, ignore conventional chiropractic hiring wisdom:
Do NOT put up a “cattle call” ad and having everyone show up at the same time.
Do NOT give an abbreviated doctor’s report and try to sell them on chiropractic.
Do NOT give a “Jerry Maguire speech.”
Do NOT give everyone a 5-minute interview and keep them waiting for hours.
Do NOT ask them to “tell me about yourself” in the interview.
Do this instead:
Post your job description online and collect resumes.
Read cover letters and screen for service experience (reception, food and beverage, etc.)
Schedule a 5-minute phone interview. First impressions matter!
Confirm duties, salary, and inquire about vacation time.
Invite only the superstars for an in-person interview.
Ask about values, dreams, and opinions.
Give real-life practice scenarios and ask how they'd handle them.
Ensure your staff is present. Listen to their feedback.
Hire the person you want to spend the next 2.5 years with.
Next, make sure you follow the three golden rules:
Hire slowly, fire quickly.
Hire for personality, train for the rest.
Trust your gut.
Hiring in any service industry comes down to three principles: Give yourself time to find someone good, trust your gut. If you need to fire them, act quickly. Don't wait for them to change, they will disappoint you.
Every bad hire I've made can be attributed to ignoring some or all of these rules. Once you find your rock-star assistant, treat them like gold and they'll be your biggest asset.