Author: Chris Baxter

Starting an insurance agency can be a great business, as it provides a necessary service that people need and helps them feel secure. Like any new business, though, starting your own is a challenge that requires tons of foresight. To learn more, read our guide on the six things to know before opening your own insurance agency to explore the obstacles you may face in starting your new business.

The Start-Up Costs

The initial start-up costs of any business will be heavy and require a significant amount of capital, and an insurance agency is no different. Every person and company will be different, but a new agency is generally going to require at least tens of thousands of dollars.

Most people don’t have that kind of money lying around, so the vast majority will take out a business loan. But, before you can acquire a business loan, there’s a thorough application and vetting process you’ll have to go through. To receive a loan, you’ll need a good credit history, likely some reliable work experience you can offer, and a well-researched and written business plan.

Do you have all of those qualifications for securing a business loan? Be sure to think long and hard before you begin to plan for a new insurance agency. There are other ways to secure funding like grants and crowdfunding, but those aren’t as reliable and secure as a business loan.

The Needed Training and Licenses

Before you even think about starting your agency, you’ll need to have all the necessary training and licenses. Depending on where you’ll be operating, you may need to take different courses to acquire the required education and licenses. In general, most states require about 40 hours of insurance education and about 12 hours of ethics training.

Keep in mind that these courses are not free and will take time. Once you’ve completed the required courses, you must take the license certification examination. Once you’ve passed, you’re then able to operate and sell insurance legally.

What Is a Business Plan?

An essential step in creating your new insurance agency is researching and formulating your business plan. A well-made business plan helps you secure a business loan and acts as a roadmap for an initial couple of months and years of your agency.

A business plan should be a map for your business, documenting key aspects such as who will be involved in the agency, your strategy for attracting customers, your target market, your competitors, your initial budget, and much more. But there are plenty of other vital questions a business plan should answer, such as:

What Will Be the Legal Structure of My Agency?

The legal structure of your new business is the foundation of everything else. You can structure your agency to make yourself the sole proprietor, which is the simplest structure but will make you personally liable for business debts. You can also choose to structure as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), limiting your liability.

Research and weigh the pros and cons of each potential legal structure before you make such a weighty decision, especially when it comes to taxes.

Will I Buy a Book of Business or Start Fresh?

There are two ways to begin a new agency: You can buy an existing book of business from another agency, which gives you a starting list of clients, or you can start fresh and attempt to build your book of business.

An existing book will help you hit the ground running but be wary of why the agency is selling it and compare it with other available lists for a fair market value. Starting fresh will force you to build your clientele and network from nothing, which will take longer and require more investment in departments such as marketing. But your clients are likely to be more reliable and loyal to your agency.

What Insurance Will I Specialize In and Sell?

Another critical question to ask yourself is what kind of insurance your agency will sell. Will you be a commercial auto insurance agency or a medical malpractice agency? If you’re buying an existing book of business, you’ll want to know your specialty beforehand.

In your business plan, you’ll want to explain why you’re choosing to sell the insurance you picked, who your competitors are, and what the market is currently for the local area. Once you’ve got your foundation, you can continually expand your business to other places.

You Can Join a Cluster or Go Solo

Before you begin your agency, consider whether you want to be out on your own as a solo agent or to join with an association of several independent insurance agents, known as a cluster. Both ways have their advantages: There’s strength in numbers and can open doors to more prominent insurance companies, but you likely will have to pay an initiation fee which could limit future opportunities.

The Many Permits for Operating a Business

It would help to familiarize yourself with the many permits and licenses required to operate a business before you do anything. You’ll need to apply for local, state, and federal permits, so be sure you know which ones your agency needs, how to get them, and how long it will take.

To register and obtain the proper permits, you’ll need a company name and tax ID number. Your company name should be simple but unique and easy to find. Your tax ID number is the employer ID number you will use for your taxes and is required for opening a business bank account.

It Could Take Years Before Your Agency Is Profitable

It’s crucial to remember that an insurance agency, like any new small business, will take time and investment before it returns a profit. Every person and company is different, but the general benchmark is two years before owners see a return on their investment. Do you have the resources to go two years without a reliable monthly profit?

Insurance for Your Business Is Crucial

Because new businesses are so volatile, you must protect yourself and your business. That’s why insuring your agency is critical. You’ll want a Business Owner Policy, which combines business property and business liability, and Errors & Omissions insurance, further protecting against losses not covered in the Business Owner.

Starting a new insurance agency is a significant endeavor that requires mountains of research, education, and paperwork. What’s most important, though, is your commitment and investment in your agency. Now that you’ve got the gist of what to know before opening your own insurance agency, what will your agency look like?

Starting a chiropractic practice can be a daunting and intimidating task, like starting any business. Becoming an entrepreneur is exciting but can lead to disaster if you’re not prepared. We want to make sure you’re ready to start your new practice. Before you make any decision, read about these four factors to consider when starting a chiropractic practice.

What To Practice & Where To Do It

First, what do you want to practice, and where do you want to do it? If you’ve decided what scope of the chiropractic profession you want to practice, do some research on the laws for that scope in the state you want to practice in. Different states have different regulations and requirements for the chiropractic profession, so consider that before you choose where you want your practice located. Conduct some demographic research on the city or town you want to open in. What’s the average income of your expected patients? What care do they have access to? There’s no such thing as too much research!

Start New or Buy an Existing Practice?

What makes more sense for you: starting from scratch or purchasing an existing practice? If you want to begin from the ground up and be involved in every decision of your business, you probably will prefer a brand-new practice. But you could save on start-up costs by purchasing an existing chiropractic practice. If you know the practice is successful, there’s less mystery about if the business can succeed, and you likely have a built-in client base. You can make it uniquely your own through changes, but you can still purchase crucial business momentum and skip the initial steps of starting from nothing.

What Do You Know About Running a Business?

You could be the best chiropractor ever to live, but that’s only part of why your practice will succeed or fail as a business. Do you know how to bill patients properly or how to market yourself and a business? Do you know where to get proper insurance like chiropractic malpractice insurance? Many students start as associates for existing practices to learn the profession and save money before starting their practice. If you’re unfamiliar with the particulars of running a business, perhaps that path would work better for you.

The Initial Financial Burden

As with any business, starting a chiropractic practice demands a sizeable financial commitment. The start-up costs especially are high, so before you begin planning your new practice, make sure you’re aware of the sacrifices you’ll have to make initially. A brand-new practice means a hefty investment up-front. Even if you choose to buy an existing practice, you’ll likely have zero net income for months, if not years. Are you prepared for that financial burden? Be sure you can accurately answer that question before committing to anything.

Starting a chiropractic practice takes a lot of time and involves a certain amount of risk, like starting any new small business. These are just four factors to consider when starting a chiropractic practice, but there are many, many more. Keep reading Baxter & Associates blog for more advice and information about health care, business, and the law.

The American healthcare industry and its workforce have faced extraordinary challenges in the past couple of years. The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed many hospitals and workers to the breaking point since 2020, and, unfortunately, 2022 is forecasted to be another challenging year for many. There will be many obstacles for healthcare workers, many of them without clear solutions or answers. If you’re looking to learn more about the industry and its immediate feature, we’ll be breaking down the biggest challenges for healthcare workers in 2022 in this article, including staff shortages, burnout, staff turnover, and more.

Staff Shortages

The most significant problem healthcare workers and the industry are experiencing and will continue to struggle with is staff shortages. Lack of a good staff was a problem for many hospitals pre-pandemic, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated the situation to crises levels. A study showed that full-time equivalent hospital staff had shrunk 3% from pre-pandemic levels. Couple this shortage with hospitals operating at, near, and sometimes even overcapacity, and the problem is only intensified. A worker shortage is a significant problem for both hospitals and workers, and many of the challenges facing the industry currently and in the future stem from inadequate staffing. New issues arise, and other problems exacerbate the shortages that many hospitals already struggle with.

The increased workload that COVID-19 has brought to hospitals and staff has been especially detrimental to workers. Without proper support from other resources, the remaining staff are asked to work longer hours and in different capacities, sometimes outside their training, leading to staff worker burnout and low morale. It also directly affects patients and the ability of healthcare workers to do their jobs adequately. The U.S. News & World Report reported that four out of every five healthcare workers say staff shortages have negatively affected their ability to work safely and satisfy the needs of their patients. Workers see the problem and struggle under their conditions, but how do things look for the future?

Unfortunately for workers, the trend is that things will get worse in the coming years. The U.S. healthcare industry is trending toward a shortage of 3.2 million workers by 2026. That’s a staggering number that shows how serious the problem is. Without practical solutions or resources, the need for healthcare workers could be hazardous to healthcare workers and patients soon.

Burnout Among Workers

One can’t understand the staffing shortage without learning about the rate of burnout many healthcare workers feel and have felt for years. Like the previous pandemic years, healthcare workers in 2022 face alarming challenges, and chief among them is burnout from working longer and harder hours. The pandemic has taken a toll on workers—not only physically, but also mentally. A 2021 survey of healthcare workers showed that nearly 30% are considering leaving the profession entirely. As we mentioned, burnout and staff shortages are permanently linked. The shrinking hospital staff leads to higher burnout, leading to more workers leaving and greater stress on remaining staff. It can be a devastating cycle for facilities if it’s allowed to continue with any applied solutions.

The same study found that working during the pandemic has affected the mental health of 60% of healthcare workers. With some hospitals at, or in some cases over-capacity, healthcare workers are bearing the brunt of long hours with more challenges as they work to fill the gaps of diminishing personnel. Many within the industry hoped that 2021 and 2022 would see a return to normalcy for hospitals and staff with the introduction of vaccines and booster shots. However, hospitals operating at their limits with limited resources have evaporated many hopes for a more normal year in healthcare. COVID-19 variants have pushed healthcare facilities to capacities seen at the pandemic’s peak, pre-vaccine. Whether or not COVID-19 cases go down in 2022, it’s a safe assumption that burnout among staff will continue to be one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare workers in 2022.

Not Enough Time With Patients

We’ve talked about the problems facing healthcare workers and the industry so far, but what we haven’t mentioned yet are the patients. How do all these challenges translate to patient care? As you might expect, these circumstances trickle down to more challenges in treating patients. Fewer nurses and physicians working longer hours means saving time in other areas, such as facetime with patients. In April of 2020, the Cleveland Clinic saw the consequence of this as its complaint rate of patients toward healthcare workers more than doubled, as threatening and violent behavior also increased. These complaints came at the height of the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s easy to see how this trend could become more prevalent in hospitals as variants of the pandemic push hospitals across the country to their capacity like in the first year of COVID-19.

The deterioration of relationships between patients and hospital staff is a natural result of shortages and reports of burnout among the remaining team. In 2022, these same problems will likely persist, leading to greater stress on patient-staff relationships. Liability insurance for healthcare facilities is likely to become even more critical. As relationships between patients and healthcare workers falter due to the decreased time doctors and nurses have with their patients, it’s only logical that complaints will arise. Possible lawsuits will increase against facilities as well. Legal protection in 2022 and beyond will be a crucial resource for many facilities in 2022.

High Turnover Rate

As one might expect from the increased work hours and the difficulty of the job, turnover among healthcare workers has increased under the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing and other essential positions were already susceptible to high turnover rates pre-pandemic, and COVID-19 has only aggravated that trend. In a survey of healthcare workers, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) and Registered Nurses (RN) accounted for two of the three highest turnover positions within hospitals, exceeded only by Patient Care Techs. In healthcare facilities, one in four CNA positions is turned over in a year, essentially replacing the entire staff within four years on average. The turnover rate for RNs was slightly lower, at one in six, but still much higher than most professions in other industries.

What leads to this high turnover rate amongst critical positions for facilities? The simple explanation is that it’s an extraordinarily tough job that has only been made more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also points to low morale among the workforce, even for those who remain on the staff for years. RNs and CNAs work together daily under challenging circumstances, which makes close relationships between coworkers natural. Losing not only a relied-upon coworker but a close friend at regular rates can be devastating for the confidence of staff.

There are many questions and obstacles ahead for healthcare workers and facilities in 2022 and beyond. The most prevalent of them is a lack of adequate staff to fill facilities, and from this shortage, more problems branch out, such as staff burnout, a decrease in patient-worker relations, and an increase in staff turnover. Like 2021 and 2020, healthcare workers will face many challenges, and only time will tell how facilities and the industry will react to these obstacles soon. Keep reading the Baxter & Associates blog to learn more about the inner workings of the healthcare industry and the latest news.

 

Hospital employees see how certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) impact the lives of their patients every day. CRNAs provide vital services under regular circumstances, adapt under crises with impeccable capability, and help some of the most underserved parts of the United States. In this article, we will explore the importance of CRNAs in the healthcare industry so that readers can appreciate all they do for the people they serve.

They Provide Vital Anesthesia Services

CRNAs prove their worth every day by providing vital anesthesia services. Through the help of CRNAs, patients receive safe, appropriate doses of anesthesia for their surgery. They also help administer medications that keep patients free from pain during their surgery, as well as monitor the patients to ensure their bodies function correctly.

CRNAs are leaders in fighting pain with practical, intelligent methods. In that way, they tremendously increase the quality of life for their patients. Like all professionals, CRNAs must protect themselves from unfair lawsuits. CRNA malpractice insurance is a worthwhile purchase for anyone in this field.

They Spend Time With Patients

Since CRNAs must evaluate patients before surgery, work with the patients during surgery, and then evaluate them post-surgery, they spend more time with patients than the typical medical professional. As a result, patients rely on CRNAs for important emotional support. Perhaps the importance of CRNAs in the healthcare industry is best exemplified by how their bedside manner can improve patient experiences all over the country.

Their Role Adapts To Benefit Medical Emergencies

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the United States, the roles of CRNAs in many hospitals adapted to new realities. They gained skills in ventilation management, advanced patient assessment, advanced airway management, and in many other related areas. In the face of medication, equipment, and staffing shortages, CRNAs were indispensable leaders.

They Help in Underserved Parts of the United States

In many cases, CRNAs are the only providers of anesthesia services in rural hospitals. In the parts of our country that need the most support, CRNAs are available to help and lead the way. In Kansas, for instance, the majority of anesthesia providers are CRNAs.

When a chiropractor makes a life-altering mistake, patients have the right to sue them for damages. Sometimes chiropractors manipulate a patient’s body until they have severe pain. Sometimes their major mistakes can even cause strokes. Chiropractic patients understandably expect to be cured by the hands of a medical professional, not further injured. People who suspect their chiropractor has caused them harm and want compensation for their misbehavior should familiarize themselves with the primary causes of chiropractic malpractice cases. By reviewing the most common chiropractic negligence cases, you’ll have a better understanding of what behaviors constitute malpractice.

Failure To Diagnose a Medical Condition That Requires Immediate Care

Just like any other medical professional, chiropractors are required by law to put the patient’s health above everything else. To that end, chiropractors must analyze the symptoms causing a patient’s ailment and refer them to other professionals for immediate medical care when necessary. Even if chiropractors were to lose money by making referrals, that is exactly what they must do. If they fail to do so, they may be liable for an injury.

For instance, if a chiropractor treats a patient for a compression in the spine when their symptoms indicate a potential heart attack, the chiropractor may be liable for that patient’s death if they die from the overlooked heart attack.

Lack of Informed Consent

Chiropractors must inform their patients of the potential risks associated with their treatment before they begin. If they fail to do so, they could be liable for their injuries.

For instance, some people may go to chiropractors for issues with upper back and neck pain. The chiropractor may offer some initial relief, but they then might go to a doctor for pain in their thumb and index finger. If they are surprised to learn that the newfound pain in their hand is a possible complication of their chiropractic treatment, then that chiropractor may be liable for malpractice. These kinds of errors make up some of the most common chiropractic negligence cases.

Negligent Manipulation of the Body

Negligent manipulation of the body happens when a chiropractic treatment creates new injuries or worsens old ones. Some of these injuries may include:

• Broken ribs
• Herniated discs
• Nerve damage
• Fractured vertebrae
• Pinched nerves
• Neck pain
• Sciatic nerve pain
• Lower back pain

Also, pregnant patients may go into labor earlier than expected as a result of negligent chiropractic manipulation.

Unnecessary Medical Treatment

This applies to every person working in the medical field. If a patient receives substandard care from unnecessary treatments, the chiropractor may be liable for any resulting injuries. Arguably, if the medical treatment was not necessary, then the patient did not grant their consent for the procedure. In order for a chiropractor to receive full consent, the patient must understand the procedure, its risks, and other important information. When a doctor misinforms a patient about the necessity of a procedure, that conduct might constitute medical malpractice because the patient was not given all the necessary information.

Chiropractic Induced Stroke

When a chiropractor manipulates the neck, they occasionally damage an artery that brings blood to the brain. When this happens, the patient may experience a stroke. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of instances when aggressive chiropractic practices have led to strokes. Experts say the known number of victims is an underestimate because most doctors do not ask stroke victims if they have been under the care of a chiropractor.

Damages for Chiropractic Malpractice

People who have fallen victim to chiropractic malpractice need to understand the damages they can collect for their injuries. Damages are the compensation for which people base their lawsuits. When a person sues for a chiropractor’s mistakes, they are requesting the court to compel the chiropractor to pay back whatever they lost as a result of that mistake. That dollar amount is considered the case’s “damages.” A few ways a person can accrue damages in a chiropractic malpractice case include:

• Medical expenses to fix whatever problems the chiropractor caused or exacerbated
• Lost wages due to all the time away from work the plaintiff lost while mending their problem
• The household services they paid for to keep them functional during their recovery
• Pain and suffering

Working with an attorney, people who have suffered at the hands of a chiropractor can reach a dollar amount for their lawsuit.

Filing a Lawsuit

In most states, if a plaintiff wants to sue a chiropractor, they must understand and follow the rules of medical malpractice lawsuits. They may be a little complicated, but patients must follow these rules nonetheless. Failure to follow the rules of a medical malpractice lawsuit may cause the case to be thrown out immediately.

Different states have different rules. For instance, in some states, before they can file a lawsuit, the plaintiff must give the defendant chiropractor notice that they plan to sue and on what basis. They must give an expert opinion explaining how the defendant did not meet their standard of care. Other states demand that the plaintiff send their case to a panel for review before they can file a lawsuit.

To put it simply, filing a lawsuit for malpractice is difficult, painstaking work. It should not be treated as a “do-it-yourself” operation. The complexity of the lawsuit and the lengthy litigation process cannot be accomplished easily without a lawyer. For that reason, patients who believe they have a malpractice case against a chiropractor should speak to a lawyer as their first course of action. Working alongside a trained, educated professional can avoid a great deal of trouble and lost time.

Conclusion

Although chiropractors often do wonderful work for people in need, they also have the potential to do tremendous damage. People on the receiving end of poor chiropractic work may have a malpractice case on their hands. Whether it is a failure to diagnose a medical problem or a lack of informed consent, unnecessary treatments or a chiropractic induced stroke, people every day are injured by their chiropractors. If you think you may be one of these people, you should work alongside an attorney to see if you have a case.

Also, chiropractors need chiropractic malpractice insurance to protect themselves from these lawsuits.

Nurses who are about to begin their clinicals have a lot to look forward to. This is the culmination of a great deal of work. But, in order to avoid getting overwhelmed, they should know exactly what to expect going in. These four things you should know before you start nursing clinicals will hopefully prepare you for the difficult yet rewarding road ahead.

1. How Nursing Clinicals Work

You will shadow nurses and assist them as often as you can. At the beginning of most programs, you will be assigned one patient at first; then, a second will be added once you get more comfortable. You may be tasked with studying their cases, completing a summary of any abnormal lab values, and writing a nursing care plan. A clinical professor will visit you throughout the day while they make their rounds. They will want to be present if you are trying a task for the first time.

2. Your Potential Rotations

One of the most important things you should know before you start nursing clinicals is what rotations are available. A good nursing program should offer a range of clinical specialties, including:

• Acute care
• Emergency room
• Long-term care
• Mental health
• Obstetrics
• Oncology
• Public and community health

Depending on your school’s program, you may be able to request a specialty.

3. What You Will Learn

You will learn a lot during your clinicals. All the material you have learned in your studies will transfer over into real-life practice. You will walk away with a far better understanding of the concepts you learned in school. You will eventually learn how to give medications, assess patients, change dressings, give families care, fill medical charts, and juggle several patients during one shift.

You will become familiar with the pace of working in different units. Through this experience, you will grow a better understanding of where you want to take your nursing career.

4. The Length of Your Clinicals

The length of your clinicals will vary based on your school. However, you can typically expect them to be between 120 and 140 hours per semester. You will usually be at the hospital twice a week for up to six hours at a time. Students often say that between lectures and clinicals, they dedicate way more than 40 hours per week to their education.

This is a truly exciting time for nurses, but they also must know how to protect themselves in case they run into legal trouble. Contact Baxter & Associates to learn more about malpractice insurance plans for nurse practitioners.

It takes the work of an experienced lawyer to parcel out the differences between malpractice and negligence in nursing. In this article, we’ll go over the basic differentiators. Using this information, the victims of poor medical care can better understand their options.

Duty of Care

Just because a patient suffers a bad outcome doesn’t necessarily mean that medical malpractice or negligence in nursing occurred. Nurses can only do so much. Despite their best efforts, patients die or never recover from life-altering injuries. However, nurses do owe a duty of care to their patients. If they breach that duty, patients or their families can sue.

You can base a duty of care on what a rational person would do under the same circumstances. In both malpractice and negligence cases, the plaintiff must prove that the nurse did not live up to the standards of a rational nurse. Proving what a rational nurse would do and how the nurse in the case failed to do that can be difficult. These cases require the knowledge of experienced attorneys.

Intent To Harm

One of the major differences between malpractice and negligence in nursing is the matter of intent. Although a duty of care is a vital component of malpractice and negligence cases in nursing, an attorney only needs to prove “intent” in malpractice cases. This means that attorneys, or the plaintiff in malpractice cases, must prove that the nurse knew they should have done something to treat the patient but failed to do so. They also must have known that their failure could cause harm but did it regardless.

In negligence cases, attorneys do not prove intent. In negligence cases for nurses, the attorneys must prove that they made a “mistake” when treating the patient and that the mistake resulted in harm. For example, if a nurse leaves a surgical sponge inside a surgical wound, that would be a negligent action.

Luckily for many nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetics (CRNAs) can protect themselves with CRNA malpractice insurance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the interest in telemedicine increased significantly. With patients feeling it was difficult or downright dangerous to leave their homes, doctors began to roll out more initiatives to speak with patients through a digital connection. If you are thinking of following in their footsteps, you should be prepared for the potential hurdles that may follow. Read these four things to consider before offering telemedicine so you can be ready for the change.

Know the Laws

Every doctor who practices telemedicine must be well-versed in the laws that govern telemedicine in the state where that service is delivered. You may want to go over the specific laws with a lawyer before you commit to any course of action. Furthermore, you can review the documents released by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) for information on telemedicine coverage in your state.

Consider the Patient’s Experience

Most doctors are tech-savvy enough to see how telemedicine can instantly make their work more convenient. But you cannot assume the same for your patients. Some of your patients may struggle with computer literacy or reside in places where they cannot be guaranteed privacy during an over-the-phone doctor’s visit. Among the four things to consider before offering telemedicine, one of the most important is your patient’s experience.

Ensuring a Profitable Telemedicine ROI

At the end of the day, the healthcare business is a business. You need to turn a profit. Telemedicine is not inherently cheaper than other methods of communicating with your patients. If you want it to be a successful venture, you still need to be intelligent about how you increase or decrease your staffing requirements, how you handle your server loads, and how you manage other peripheral adjustments that still require your attention.

Partnering With the Right Billing Partner

Telemedicine is an exciting new world. But like with any fresh space, there is room for masters and quacks. Be careful as you choose a partner to assist you with the complex, stressful business of telehealth-related billing. If you thought reimbursement policies were difficult before, just wait until you see the complications that arise when everything is managed online. You need a billing partner that can help you scale purposefully and carefully.

Take a look at Baxter & Associates LLC if you want malpractice insurance for healthcare professionals.

Congratulations! After years and years of work and study, you are now a physician assistant. Although this accomplishment already puts your life on a great trajectory, you should still strive to do the very best in your field. To that end, this article will explore seven ways to advance your career as a physician assistant.

1. Network

Many physician assistants know they want to advance their careers but are not certain where or how they want to move up. They might be dissatisfied with where they work but have no other places to consider. Their primary goal is just to keep options open.

If you are in this place, interested in career advancement but without any clear goal, the best way to get ahead would be to network. By networking within your field, you meet a wide variety of people. Some may present career opportunities. But even if they do not instantly give you a job, networking will still allow you to hear stories about overcoming career obstacles. Other people’s success will motivate you to make decisions about your future.

2. Conduct and Share Research

Whereas PAs in the past were not seen as sources for research, recent trends in the industry are changing that perception. PAs across the world are discovering how to develop their careers with thought leadership. PAs can now stand out among the crowd by conducting their own studies and sharing their reports at medical conferences.

This is one of the more creative ways to advance your career as a physician assistant. PAs who dip their toes into research are pioneers in their field. They are changing the common misconception of PAs as second-tier doctors and showing their abilities to contribute to the ongoing, important discussions within the medical community.

3. Get Certified

Physician assistants can receive certifications from a variety of agencies, such as the American Association of Medical Assistants. For some positions, additional training is a requirement. It is now rarely enough just to have the basic credentials. To become a well-respected, capable PA in the field, you must have additional qualifications, often gathered through certifications.

Some PAs begin studying for certifications immediately after they complete their training. It may be wise to collect certifications and build your professional resume shortly after you begin work. If you let too much time pass, you become complacent and lose sight of your goals for career advancement. To be a successful PA, you must always look for opportunities to build your credibility.

4. Supervise a Team of PAs

Management skills are sought after and appreciated in all fields, medical or otherwise. PAs who can step up as team leaders shine brightly in the eyes of their managers and supervisors. If you want to move forward in your career, look for leadership opportunities among your peers. If you have the organizational skills to keep everyone’s schedule in order, you have greater value than you might realize.

After all, it can be extremely difficult to remember who is unavailable to work because of a holiday, a sickness, or a family member’s illness. Juggling all these balls requires extreme focus and organization skills.

5. Stick To a Position

Although some PAs may feel the pull to constantly seek out the next best career opportunity, they can often add more value to themselves by sticking to one medical office for several years. Working for one employer will allow you to gain helpful experience, which will prove useful when you do decide to go out and look for the next opportunity.

Furthermore, employers appreciate people who can prove their loyalty. If your resume shows someone who jumps around from job to job, position to position, it may look like you would be a dangerous person to bring on. After all, what is the point in training you if you leave the work as soon as the training is complete?

If you want to go the distance as a PA, have patience. Do not be in a rush to leave every job, but instead focus on what you can learn from each opportunity. You may find that your current position has more to teach you than you even realized.

6. Delve Into a Specialization

Once you have more experience, you should consider a specialization for you career. A specialization can make you a more attractive job candidate because it shows you are invested in learning more about your trade and work. Employers love people who seek out chances to increase their value and capabilities.

The process of gaining a specialization, which may include certifications and training programs, will bulk up your resume. Imagine how future employers will review your work if you can show an aptitude for a vital area of medicine. If it is the same area as the one practiced by the employer, then you have an excellent shot of getting the job. If the employer does not practice your specialization, it at least shows how much you care about improving your work as a PA.

7. Attend Training Programs

If there is one point you should take away from this article, it is that more experience and training will yield a more successful career as a PA. One of the simplest ways to continue your education is to attend training programs. Going to these events will make you more proactive in your career. Even if you do not have a clear direction, it’s helpful to check out what’s new in the world of medicine and PAs.

Conclusion

With its high earning potential, fulfilling work, and excitement, the PA career path is one of the most sought after in the medical field. Every year, people work immensely hard to get the chance to be a PA. However, once they have attained that position, they can still go so much further.

If you are a PA looking to advance your career, hopefully this article gave you some ideas for how you could make a real impact. Maybe you are looking for new responsibilities, or maybe you just want to network with your peers. However you choose to advance, just make sure you remember how valuable you are.

And make sure you fully understand why physician assistants need malpractice insurance. If you’re interested in a quote for PA malpractice insurance, contact Baxter & Associates today at 800-641-8865.

This review of the four elements of malpractice and what they mean will be extremely helpful for patients who want to know if they experienced negligence while under the care of medical professionals. All people should know the opportunities afforded to them by civil law. If you or a loved one have lost money as a result of a doctor’s mistakes, you can take legal action.

Duty

The first element to understand of the four elements of malpractice and what they mean is duty. For a medical malpractice case to be underway, the plaintiff must establish that the physician owed a duty of care to the patient. They must show they had a doctor-patient relationship, one where the plaintiff could expect the same level of treatment as any person being served by a physician with their doctor’s education and background.

Dereliction

The second element of medical malpractice is dereliction, or “break of duty.” For this element, the plaintiff must show that the physician did not live up to their professional duty. They could prove this with evidence that:

• The doctor left surgical equipment inside the body
• The doctor incorrectly diagnosed the patient
• The doctor failed to recognize symptoms or signs of a condition

Direct Cause

For the third element, the plaintiff must demonstrate that there was a plausible connection between the medical negligence and the injuries sustained by the patient. It is not enough just to show that the physician failed to live up to their duty; you must also show how that mistake had a measurable impact on the patient’s life.

Damages

Every personal injury case, including medical malpractice, must show that the patient sustained damages because of the injury. They may have accrued these damages through the cost of the surgery, the lost pay, the diminished quality of life, loss of consortium, and other ways.

Summation

Hopefully, this overview of the elements of medical malpractice will assist you should you ever need to sue a medical professional for their negligence. If you need a malpractice insurance plan for nurse practitioners, be sure to check out Baxter & Associates.