How to Become a Healthcare Entrepreneur

Some people who get into the business of service don’t like to think of themselves as entrepreneurs. Preachers don’t like to be identified as business people. Doctors are the same way. But whether the healing is spiritual or physical, it is still a business and not a charity. 501(C) status notwithstanding, if your efforts don’t produce gainful income for the people doing the work, it doesn’t survive. If you happen to be in that camp, you have to stop seeing yourself as being above all such concerns. The people you serve are counting on you being there in the future. That means you have to survive as a business.

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Doctors are particularly susceptible to this unproductive way of thinking because many of them did their internship in a teaching hospital and signed on as permanent staff after their internship. They didn’t decide they wanted to go into private practice until later. When you work for a hospital, you are an employee. When you open a private practice, you are an entrepreneur with all the same challenges of an entrepreneur. You also need to follow the same good advice for being a successful entrepreneur. In addition to the usual advice, tomorrow’s healthcare entrepreneurs should consider the following:

More Education

If you decide to get into nursing, just know that a lot of nurses later decide that they want to move up into positions that require more education than what they have. If you think you might want your own practice as a medical professional one day, go for the higher educational option while you are in school the first time. If you find that you want to credential up later in life, don’t let the study requirements frighten you off. Mastering those tricky multiple choice questions for all kinds of subjects is easier than ever with modern study tools.

Even if you are already a doctor with hospital experience, starting your own practice means you have to develop patient confidence. The more recent your education credentials, the better. They already know you went to med school. But it is nice to be able to show that you have continuing studies and expertise in specialty fields. Doctors have to be perpetual students because there is always new insight, new medication, and new procedures. If you don’t want to be in a constant state of study, reconsider your commitment to being a healthcare entrepreneur.

You Don’t Have to Be a Doctor

The massage therapy business is booming. Right now, even the people doing well are under stress. During this latest surge, no one can feel completely at ease. There is a strain on both mind and body that everyone can feel. Massage is one of the best entry points into healthcare because you don’t need any special academic credentials to get started. You don’t have to try to come up with the cash to get into medical school and that would include becoming an expert in the field of healthcare regulatory consultants.

You also don’t need a barrel of money to get your massage business off the ground. Once you get your training and certifications, you don’t have a lot of major barriers to entry. Check your state for regional regulations for starting a massage practice. You will set up as an LLC. The most expensive part of the practice will be leasing retail space. You could do a mobile business and bypass the retail space altogether. The other expense is your massage tables. Compare the startup costs to something like a restaurant and you will quickly see there is no comparison at all. 

Medical Support Services

You can be up and running as a freelance medical transcriptionist in less than a year depending on the program. The requirements are different if you want to go into medical billing. These are unsung aspects of the healthcare industry that are key to making it all work. As with massage, you don’t need any particular educational background to enroll into a program. But don’t mistake ease of entry for an easy job. The coursework is challenging. But if you persevere, the career is rewarding both emotionally and financially.

To be a successful healthcare entrepreneur, you have to commit to study. But you don’t have to be a doctor. You have the option of utilizing medical support services as a vehicle to success. There are a lot of avenues to working for yourself while serving others. Get started today.

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