Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patrick Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Patrick, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Starting your own medical practice is a challenge and we have run in to our fair share of obstacles, however having professional autonomy was something always important to me. They’re surely is a steep learning curve, especially for a surgeon or physician. Most of our adult lives have been spent studying medicine, perfecting our techniques, and maintaining our certifications through life long learning — nowhere along this journey was a formal training in business. However, the good news is running a business is a lot like how I treat my patients — with kindness and always an open ear. The greatest successes in our business seem to stem from listening to the environment around me, wether that be through patient feedback or the general economic environment around me. If a patient isn’t overwhelmingly happy with their experience, I always try to listen and find out why and make needed changes. It is not always easy to balance being medically up-to-date, running a business, and having a family. My best advice would be to find ways to center yourself and act from that place in all you do. Ask your self, “What’s Important Now? or for short, WIN” and almost always you will have a clear answer … then do it!
Patrick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’am a Facial Plastic Surgeon. Many don’t know what this sub-speciality, but basically, we are experts in plastic surgery of the head and neck. There are a relatively few number of these types of surgeons and the path to become one is long — medical school, 5 years of ENT – Head and Neck surgery residency, and then 1 year of a facial plastic surgery fellowship. What sets us apart is our intimate knowledge of facial anatomy and aesthetics.
I originally found my way to medicine when I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. I translated care for Spanish speakers for multiple surgical medical missions. I naturally build things and am a craftsman so it was clear I wanted to be a surgeon in medicine. Plastic Surgery appeals to me because it blends the science of medicine and surgical technique with artistry and aesthetics — one of the few speciality that do this.
I’m proud of receiving the American Medical Association (AMA) leadership award for starting and running a free health clinic in Northen Indiana where I did my medical training. I also enjoy taking care of those who come to my practice that have had less then ideal experiences in the plastic surgery world and improving their self-perceptions through great surgical results.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I’ve always known word of mouth is a best way to build a practice, though this takes time. It’s important to know every interaction with a patient/client is an opportunity to not only serve that person, but if things go well and the experience is great, there is a chance they will tell others. The issue with my field is that privacy and discretion are paramount, which does make this challenging. By consistently striving for the best outcome with each interaction, your reputation, sooner or later will win out.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
It’s important to have clear objectives and job descriptions for your team. If these are clear, then there is ample room for autonomy, which I feel can be the most important aspect of anyone working on a team. More times than not, we want to have agency to do our job without having someone constantly looking over us, and we can only do our job successful is we know what is required of us. Additionally, like we serve our clients, kindness rules the day. We all make mistakes, there are always going to be setbacks. Pointing fingers and someone does no good — always remember kindness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.davisfacialplastics.com
- Instagram: @drpatrickkdavis
- Youtube: @dr.patrickdavis5814