Hiring Insights and Navigating Recruitment: Clinic Expansion Pt 3
Feb 04, 2025In this third installment of their “Clinic Expansion” discussion, Anna and Kendall tackle the specific challenges of hiring massage therapists for a wellness practice expansion. The conversation provides valuable insights into the nuances of recruiting across different healthcare modalities and maintaining professional standards while being inclusive in hiring practices.
Anna shares her current expansion situation, including hiring a lead massage therapist and preparing for a company retreat. The discussion quickly focuses on the challenges of recruiting massage therapists, with Anna questioning traditional hiring methods: "I'm not convinced that the same process for interviewing and hiring for an acupuncturist is necessarily the right process for massage therapists."
Kendall offers valuable perspective on this challenge, noting: "What you're looking for is a massage therapist who does have that professional skill set and they do exist... we hire more for the person rather than clinically. And we can teach clinical skill." She emphasizes the importance of finding candidates who can work in an environment that blends healthcare and hospitality.
The conversation reveals important cultural differences between modalities, with Kendall observing: "There is a personality thread that can go through with massage therapists and of wanting to travel a lot or have a lot of time off or move jobs often... a lot of that comes from massage therapists being notoriously underpaid, undervalued, and overworked."
This leads to an important discussion about creating stable, supportive work environments. As Anna reflects, "Part of the whole point of this endeavor is to create an environment where we have a reliable set of collaborative massage therapists that we can refer back and forth and work on together."
The episode concludes with practical next steps for the expansion, emphasizing the importance of treating a new clinic location as a developing entity: "This is a baby clinic... I can't go in thinking everything's going to run like clockwork."
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About Anna Rudel
Anna Rudel, L. Ac is the owner and founder of Lokahi Acupuncture Clinic in San Jose California, founded in 2003. Anna is a master organizer and clinician, and as a Coach she specializes in working with Clinic Owners in the state of California, and Acupuncturists and Acupuncture Clinic Owners, or groups wanting to add Acupuncture worldwide, as well as teams that need support with employee retention and satisfaction. Born in the UK, Anna has traveled extensively in Asia and now has a thriving multi-practitioner clinic in the US!
Anna's Website and Links
- Website: https://lokahiacupuncture.com/
- Learn Group Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
- For info about Individual Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/individual-coaching
About Kendall Hagensen
Kendall is a Somatic Mental Health Therapist, Multidisciplinary Clinic Owner and Business Coach. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with healthcare professionals to create the businesses of their dreams. Big goals always have a psychological component beneath the surface, so Kendall uses her background in Somatic Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy mixed with Business Coaching tools to help clients develop a healthy relationship with their business and their strength as a leader.
As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life.
Kendall’s Web/Social Links