Associate Acupuncturist

Acupuncturist Position in Harmony, PA – Bridges Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine

About Bridges AOM: Located in a quaint historic town in Western PA, within easy driving distance of North Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and the only clinic immediately south of two college towns, we’re well-situated and established as the acupuncture clinic in the area. Our goal is to meet patients where they are and compassionately guide them through their challenges using the wisdom of East Asian medicine. We are committed to the ideal of healthcare as a right, not a privilege, and we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. We run a well-funded community “insurance” program to compensate for discounted services and are in the process of turning that program into a full non-profit organization. We would like to open locations for community acupuncture in the next few years. Bridges is busy and filling up with both new and returning patients, and our staff includes Laura E (the owner and a clinician), Tyler (an associate clinician), Laura L (bodyworker), Emily (our front desk coordinator), and Arden (our part-time front desk receptionist).

Our growth plans: This is an ambitious, yet non-competitive clinic. There are more than enough people in our surrounding areas to treat and we endeavor to call in only patients who are a good match for our skills. We have positive, supportive relationships with other acupuncture clinics in the Pittsburgh and greater Pittsburgh area. We seek to become even more well-known and respected and with your help we would like to increase our weekly patient capacity from about 85 patients per week to about 145 patients per week.

Our values: We believe in transparency, integrity, fair wages, inclusion, social & environmental responsibility, and respect.

We are looking for someone who:

• Believes in our mission and values (see www.bridgesaom.com)
• Lives in or can relocate to the Western PA area within a reasonable commuting distance of the clinic (zip code 16037)
• Is empathetic with a calming, safe, and professional presence
• Has/is getting a current PA license to practice acupuncture and ideally herbal medicine (herbs are important to us but we will consider a candidate with a strong niche and who is otherwise an excellent fit)
• Has excellent communication skills and strong emotional/social intelligence
• Has strong time management skills and can run 3-4 rooms at once (or wants to learn how)
• Can work Saturdays
• Wants to grow in the role: we want to work you up to full-time hours as quickly as possible to where you will be seeing a minimum of 30-40 patients per week, so while Saturdays are where you’ll start, that’s not where you’ll end. Additionally, we practice micro-mindfulness skills for the sake of our team culture and personal growth, so coachability is a must
• Has a strong sense of responsibility and reliability
• Likes to educate patients
• It would be awesome if you love treating infertility, since neither Laura nor Tyler do. Other possible niche specialities that would be great are weight loss, cosmetic, community-style, or pediatric care. If you have another niche speciality let us know; this is not required to have since we get requests for Saturday availability from general practice patients frequently, so your Saturday schedule will fill fast regardless

Compensation:

You would start on a trial period of 90 days and be paid 30% per patient, with an additional 20% commission on all herbs and supplements

After your trial period if we both agree you’re a good fit, you will (still) be paid:

• 30% commission per patient; possibilities for increases in commission percentage with time and good patient retention
• 20% herb/supplement/retail commissions
• Payroll is run every two weeks
• If you like numbers and planning, here are some things to consider:
• We have three treatment rooms and schedule patients every 15 minutes. Returning visits are $95, meaning you can make (30% of 95 x3) up to at least $85.50 per hour plus herb commissions and more for new patients
• We have room to add up to about 25 hours a week in our schedule and will try to make scheduling hours work for you as much as possible. We want you to be able to see as many patients as you wish for your income goals
• At these rates, you’ll start making $50,000 per year at around 35 patients per week; $75,000 at around 55 patients per week; and $100,000 at around 70 patients per week, not including herb commissions
• You’ll get free acupuncture and bodywork treatments and wholesale herbs as desired for your wellbeing
• Training on internal energy management so you can see more patients and earn more money without burning out

After your trial period, benefits include:

• Recertification fees and malpractice insurance covered
• Annual stipends toward CEU courses and related travel starting at $500, increasing by $100 with each year with the company up to $1,000 (minimum; in reality we’d love to fully fund whatever education most excites you if business income allows)
• Paid vacation starting at four weeks per year, increasing every anniversary by one day up to six weeks (pay rate is based on your average weekly patient numbers for the previous 3 months)
• Seven paid sick/personal leave days per year, increasing every anniversary by one day up to fifteen days; additional unpaid sick/personal leave days as needed
• Up to 3% IRA contribution
• Three-month automatic parental leave (not paid yet, but I would love to add it as a benefit when the business is more financially secure)

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing excellent and expert care under the Oriental Medicine scope of practice as defined by PA law
• Maintaining and completing all patient charts by the end of the day; charts need to be clear and comprehensive
• Daily preparation for your shift: you’ll need to examine your day sheet, prepare for any special cases before they arrive, communicate with the front desk about your expectations for patient treatment plans (i.e. scheduling out, herb refills, etc.), and help the front desk staff open/close the clinic as necessary
• Patient retention; extensive training can and will be provided on this, but ultimately it is your responsibility to maintain your patient retention with clear communication, expectations, education, and relationship-building
• Front desk cross-training: you will have front desk support at all times but occasionally things happen and you will need to know how to take payments and schedule patients just in case
• Making sure your malpractice insurance and license are up to date (Bridges will pay for it after your initial 3 months but you’ll need to know when to renew)

You can also expect:

• An awesome work atmosphere: team members are chosen very carefully and our staff love coming to work. We communicate well, laugh, support each other, help each other grow, and celebrate our wins. Staff are aware of and involved in all levels of business (to different degrees) and we are all working towards the same goals. I am personally always seeking ways to lead better, expand sustainably, and serve our patients (and therefore ourselves) in the highest capacity
• Support in future life planning: As our mission at Bridges is to help our patients cross the gap from where they are now to where they want to be, I consider it part of my mission as an employer to support you in doing the same. Let me know about your dreams and goals; I have been in the coaching/business/healthcare world long enough to help you make the connections you want and need to live your ideal life
• Transparency and collaboration. Even though you would not be expected to run the business behind the scenes, you would be trusted with access to all the legal and financial documents of the business so that you can have clarity on our income, expenses, and future planning. You would be made aware of changes well in advance and have input in vision and decision-making for our growth
• Freedom to practice and work how you want. So long as you uphold your professionalism & compassion, stay within the bounds of PA Scope of Practice, and maintain at least 35 patients per week, you can practice any style and pursue any specialty you feel called toward. You can lead workshops, design programs, write a blog or a book, or anything else that excites you. If you have a vision for how to better serve our patients and community, I want to help make it happen
• Regular staff meetings. Communication and team support are important here, and meetings will be run both individually and as a group to keep our pulse on how healthy and balanced our clinic Qi is

If you’re interested in this position, I would love to chat with you further. Start by looking at our website (www.bridgesaom.com) to see if our mission fits yours and if it does, email me (Laura E) at [email protected]. Please include at least a few sentences about your career goals and personal values.