Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. Thanks, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 There are considerations. Do you have an outside entrance to the area you will be using so that patients will not have to pass through your home? Do you really want patients to know where you live and how you live? You could certainly run your practice out of your home but do home visits to your patients. That would put you on the road, traveling to them. How do you feel about that? It is often a trade off and only you can know what you are willing to take on and give up. P.T. - Liz Chinese Medicine Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:06 PM practice location Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. Thanks, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Liz, I have had a home office for almost the entire time I have been in practice (6 years). The tornado hit our town, and my office, a few months after I started practicing, so I was forced to move things to home. In recent years I have also had a night office where I use 2 rooms and see the work crowd. Advantages: My kids were still young so I could be home more when they were. They were very respectful of the practice space. I get to be at my house and 1/2 before a patient is due, I take a shower and get ready for the day. Go to the kitchen, get my water and glasses and move over to a separate part of my house with treatment room, wating room, bathroom and study (which I will soon turn into the second room). I get to keep my dogs company during breaks in the day. I can handle admin things very easily - everything for work and home admin is here. I can deal with the plumber - discretely even if people are here. Diadvantages: I like going into an office and knowing this is work time. When it is over, I leave. All paper work is done at my house at a different time. I book people close together and that works for them and me. I may spend more time with a patient than I should because I know it is more laid back. All those other things that have to get done, will still be waiting. My dogs have bit 2 patients (the patients went into their space and they acted out of fear. The patients were understanding) but really! I once had a mother and daughter (20 yrs old) that were not very nice to me when I had to call the daughter on something - crossing boundaries. That was all conducted in the waiting room of my home. I also once had a patient that I saw for a short while, ask me how many guns my husband had. (There were other sketchy things about him.) Okay, okay, I live in a redneck county, but that was creeping me out. Most of my patients are wonderful. I have come to know them and trust them all. But when that one or two comes in that just doesn't feel right, it is your home. I am looking to move out of my home. It is beautiful and I hate to leave, but I really feel I have been holding myself back from expanding because I am here. There are some weird county ordinances too. So a neighbor could gripe and that would be it. I have places to go now. If you feel you can really screen you patients, this may work for you at this time in your life. Good luck, Anne -------------- Original message ---------------------- Liz <lizzzrd > Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that > working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in > town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to > live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any > guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. > Thanks, Liz > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hi Liz, I really love working from out of my home. Nothing beats the comfort that comes with it. I have been doing it for two years and I don't think I have met any downsides. In fact, I think most medical or paramedical practitioners, including most of the MD's, practice from their home in Belgium. Sure, someone may ring the bell or the phone when you're not working, but I don't mind that. When it is really urgent I might treat them on the spot (after all, we did choose to become a (para)medical practitioner). If it not really urgent I will schedule them later. I get the feeling that people respect my privacy. Things may be different in other areas of the world, but I would surely recommend working from your home. Good luck, Tom. Acupunctuurpraktijk Tom Verhaeghe Stationsplein 59 B-8770 Ingelmunster 051 699 005 tom.verhaeghe www.chinese-geneeskunde.be ---- Liz 8/11/2007 20:10:06 Chinese Medicine practice location Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. Thanks, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Hi Liz, I have worked from home for 5 years, and generally find that it is very convenient and more relaxed than working in a clinic. The positives for me are that I feel more relaxed and have everything I need to hand. I have the clinic room (which was the front room previously) decorated and laid out exactly as I wish and I can create the ambiance that I wish. My clients often comment on the beauty of the atmosphere in the room, and they feel comfortable there. My clients are very respectful of my privacy; occasionally I will get a call at the weekend and it is nice to be able to offer immediate treatment if necessary - in a rented clinic room this would not always be possible. In between clients I can easily catch up on paper-work, wander around the garden etc. I tried doing home visits and they didn't work for me - too much lugging of equipment! The negatives for me are that I have to be very aware of keeping the areas of the house other than the clinic room that clients may see/use (front hall, stairs, bathroom), spotless. Not always easy with 2 cats and a husband!! Also, we only have the one bathroom, so in that sense, our personal space is utilised. I have no disabled access which is limiting. My husband sometimes feels as though he is a guest in his own house as he doesn't feel as though he can make a noise when I have clients in. For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. All the best, Ann Brownbill. : lizzzrd: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 14:06:59 -0500practice location Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated.Thanks, Liz[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _______________ 100’s of Music vouchers to be won with MSN Music https://www.musicmashup.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I practiced for about 7 years in a business condo complex and then about 1 ½ years ago we bought a house with a barn attached that had a cat vet clinic in it. So technically it is at home, but the clinic space is separate from the house. It has been really great thus far. Some of the impetus was to be more available for our 6 year old daughter and her schedule with school. It hasn’t been an issue yet with having people know where we live (e.g. no late night pounding on the door). It has turned out to be very helpful in regards to our daughter, as well as being able to do bits of office work with more flexibility. Best, Sean _____ Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Liz Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:07 PM Chinese Medicine practice location Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. Thanks, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I have both a house designated as a clinic and have a treatment room in my home. I prefer the home because I can make tea, sit in the sun porch in the Spring and Fall, and have the green house plants around. Very cozy, relaxed, just right for a bear foot acupunturist. Warm Regards Malcolm --- Tom Verhaeghe <tom.verhaeghe wrote: > Hi Liz, > > I really love working from out of my home. Nothing > beats the comfort that > comes with it. > > I have been doing it for two years and I don't think > I have met any > downsides. In fact, I think most medical or > paramedical practitioners, > including most of the MD's, practice from their home > in Belgium. > > Sure, someone may ring the bell or the phone when > you're not working, but I > don't mind that. When it is really urgent I might > treat them on the spot > (after all, we did choose to become a (para)medical > practitioner). If it not > really urgent I will schedule them later. I get the > feeling that people > respect my privacy. > > Things may be different in other areas of the world, > but I would surely > recommend working from your home. > > Good luck, > > Tom. > > Acupunctuurpraktijk Tom Verhaeghe > Stationsplein 59 > B-8770 Ingelmunster > 051 699 005 > tom.verhaeghe > www.chinese-geneeskunde.be > > > > ---- > > Liz > 8/11/2007 20:10:06 > Chinese Medicine > practice location > > Is anyone conducting their practice out of their > home? If so, how is that > working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years > of renting an office in > town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room > than one person needs to > live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the > practice here. Any > guidance, cautions, or other info would be most > appreciated. > Thanks, Liz > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 We bought a house in an area of town zoned commercial, and I remodelled it into our Clinic. The stucture retains its essential comfortable home-iness yet provides facilities capable of 130 treatments 4 days per week. The clinic is about three miles from our house, and walking distance from our three kids' two schools. Many new clients comment on how comfortable the facility is (good energy, good feel) for them. Seems most get a good first impression. The entry stairs and handicap ramp lead into a sun porch with plants and literature and a few seats. The former living room is our front office (we do not call it a waiting room as we run a " NO-WAIT " clinic). I cut the dining room in half to provide a reports room (consultations, etc) and a 4th treatment room to go with the three mainfloor converted bedrooms. A bathroom and the kitchen (which includes the clinic director's desk/office space, also where we make tea) complete the main floor. The garden level (basement with windows) is finished into three large treatment rooms (each with window), a common area for education and hanging-out out of the way, additional desk space for acupuncturist and acupuncture assistants, a bathroom, and laundry facilities (we wash lots of sheets each week!). The top floor is our massage loft with the third bathroom. We were lucky in that the side yard was big enough to become our off- street parking lot capable of holding 11 vehicles (perfect for our rolling schedule and 8 treatment rooms-inc massage) while the driveway can hold the staff's vehicles. We do keep track of who should not be forced to use stairs and schedule rooms accordingly. Additionally there are days when there is excessive stairs use by practitioners and assistants because we did not fill the rooms correctly for optimal flow. While we are unlikely to attempt reproducing our facility as we expand to additional clinics, we will consider convertng the right property like we did this one. However, some days one-level/no- stairs seems attractive. Mark Z East Wind Acupuncture, Inc. Chesterton, Indiana www.ewacupuncture.com Chinese Medicine , " Sean Doherty " <sean wrote: > > I practiced for about 7 years in a business condo complex and then about 1 ½ > years ago we bought a house with a barn attached that had a cat vet clinic > in it. So technically it is at home, but the clinic space is separate from > the house. It has been really great thus far. Some of the impetus was to > be more available for our 6 year old daughter and her schedule with school. > It hasn't been an issue yet with having people know where we live (e.g. no > late night pounding on the door). It has turned out to be very helpful in > regards to our daughter, as well as being able to do bits of office work > with more flexibility. > > > > Best, > > Sean > > > > _____ > > Chinese Medicine > Chinese Medicine On Behalf Of Liz > Thursday, November 08, 2007 2:07 PM > Chinese Medicine > practice location > > > > Is anyone conducting their practice out of their home? If so, how is that > working for you? Any downsides to it? After 8 years of renting an office in > town, I've got an empty nest at home with more room than one person needs to > live in. I'm tossing around the idea of moving the practice here. Any > guidance, cautions, or other info would be most appreciated. > Thanks, Liz > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Many thanks to everyone who wrote in with your experiences in practicing out of your home. After reading your thoughts, I've decided to seriously explore the possibilities. The deciding factor will be how much it would cost to make the changes needed to the house and the entrance. Again, many thanks! Peace, Liz Casey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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