The birth of a baby is one of the most exciting events a human can experience. When one of our associate ODs informed me she was pregnant, I was happy for her. As a CEO of our optometry practice, I also recognize scheduling her maternity leave will bring some challenges. Overcoming these hurdles and coming out stronger post-maternity leave is what all successful optometry practices do. The great management advantage of pregnancy and maternity leave is you most likely will be aware of it seven or eight months in advance, so you will have plenty of time for planning.
Here are a couple of tips for navigating a six-to-eight week span when an associate optometrist is out of the office.
- Staff time off – When you find out an associate OD will need maternity leave, you can encourage non-OD staff to plan vacations and time off. Many times your staff can and will arrange for time off when you will be without a doctor for an extended period of time. Your role is to communicate and encourage them to use that time.
- “Locum tenen” – The definition of locum tenens, roughly translated from Latin, means “to hold a place.” Locum tenens physicians fill in for other physicians on a temporary basis for a range of a few days to up to six months or more. When healthcare employers face temporary staffing shortages due to vacancies, illness, or other causes, they hire locum tenens physicians and other part-time clinicians to fill those vacancies and maintain patient care quality. (reference)
- Extended “to do” list – Plan for the office to do jobs that usually do not get done during the busy week. This may mean going through patient records and calling ones who have not been in for two years to see if they still consider your practice their eye care provider and then schedule an appointment. This may mean doing a deep clean of the office and equipment. Whatever it is, time is maximized by planning ahead.
- Adding appointment slots – This maybe the easiest way to address being short a doctor for an extended period of time. Depending on the size and how busy the practice is, an hour a day added to your schedule may be all that is needed.
The question still remains about how the practice is going to grow minus a doctor. The growth does not occur during the time the optometrist is out of the office. The growth is a product of what was done during the “off-season” With any sport, the success of the season is highly dependent upon what is done during the “off-season” Being intentional about making your “off-season” productive will grow the practice when it is back to running full speed. And whatever you do, don’t lose sight of the big picture. Family growth and prosperity far outweigh practice growth.
