Whether a clinic's funding has run out, or there’s been an all time low patients/ no patients, rock bottom doesn’t have to be as all-that bad as it turns out to be. Failure can be a great turning point.
Firstly, how do you know if you’ve reached rock bottom? Dentists have described it as a feeling of 'hopelessness' and an inability to convince a given patient. There are also tough decisions to be made - is it better to give up or keep pushing?
It is never risk-free to have your own clinic . It might make more sense to simply close the clinic than suffer more hits. If you’re not getting repeat patients then this is good reason to give up - it means you’re unlikely to be better off this time next year.
The reason to move on is often two-fold - clinicians rarely have lots of extra capital to keep funding through a bumpy patch. Spending all your money before your practice really takes off means there’s no safety.So how to 'get back on' and figure out what you need? Successful practitioners say resilience is most important. "The most important life-skill for a clinician is resilience.
I’ve seen too many great people who have suffered significantly in terms of their quality of life because they didn’t have the emotional, psychological and stress-resilience you need to be an clinician. This isn’t something you 'have or don’t have'. You can learn it, and you can practice it, and you can become resilient."
Learning good lessons is a positive outcome of hitting rock bottom. Building on errors that lead you to this position in the first place is worthwhile.
Even if it feels like the thing causing the problem is out of your control, like a financial recession, building up savings, or having a strong network of contacts, can make or break your practice if it hits rock bottom.
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