"Hey, Where’s My Thanks???"

We often hear the importance of the doctor appreciating the hard work and productivity of their assistants.  Studies continue to show that one of the most important factors in job satisfaction for assistants is the feeling of being appreciated.  This message is delivered in many ways, but none as powerful as a simple “THANK YOU.”

Now let’s turn the table and look at the feelings of your doctor.  They work hard to provide quality patient care as well as to manage a business to be sure to pay all the bills.  They are responsible not just for themselves and their families, but also have fiscal responsibility for their assistant(s) and their families.  They labor to be sure there is enough money in the practice to be able to write your paycheck each week, provide benefits and when deserved give a raise, even though no insurance company has given them a raise for many years.  So they focus to work harder and smarter to keep the pie large enough to feed all in the practice.

Your doctor defends you when a patient abuses you verbally, builds you up for your shining attributes and is proud to say you’re a part of their winning team.  They deal with occasional personality conflicts in the office to maintain a tranquil environment.  By virtue of spending many of their waking hours with you, in a sense you become their extended family.

So all you assistants out there, let’s not forget to take a moment next week to say “thank you, Doctor” and maybe have a “Thank You Doctor” luncheon to recognize how much they care about their assistants in so many ways.