nce you have obtained the appropriate licensure to become a professional Ayurvedic practitioner, then you may now be ready to take the necessary steps to open your own Ayurveda practice. However, the question may arise, “What steps do I need to take?” Below is an overview of the steps that must be taken:
Research the Paperwork, Calculate the Cost
Before you dive into running an Ayurveda practice, you must first conduct the necessary research involved in addition to calculating the associated expenses. Will you provide a mobile service that travels to your patient’s homes? Or, will you lease a commercial space to create an office for your patients to visit for their appointments? The costs, permits and licenses needed for each of those scenarios may vary. In most states, though, you will at least need a license from your city/county to conduct business legally within that area.
Determine the Services You Will Offer
After you have cared for the legal and financial side of establishing a business in your area, the next step would be to focus on the list of services that you will offer to your patients. If you want to build a practice that only specializes in Ayurvedic medicine, then your list will be relatively short. However, this also means that the scope of your targeted prospects will be relatively short as well. Most successful private practices offer a wide range of services and are able to include Ayurvedic medicine and therapy within that list.
Plan for Continuous Education
As with any type of healthcare practice or procedure, there are periodic changes and updates to Ayurvedic practices and procedures that you will need to learn to maintain the expertise necessary to treat your patients effectively. Fortunately, there are quite a few Ayurveda schools – such as the Southern California University of Health Sciences – that can assist you in achieving this educational goal. You may even be able to find solid continuous educational programs from the school that provided you with your initial license to practice Ayurvedic medicine at the start of your career.
Focus on Quality Patient Care
Regardless of the size of your private practice or even the location, you must always focus on providing your patients with the best quality care. When you are just starting out, it is important to keep this point in mind – especially when you are considering the costs associated with everything (facilities, equipment, staffing, etc.) The key is to focus on the essential elements that you will need to provide quality patient care and then you can create a strategic action plan to build up your practice from there.
As learned in any Ayurveda school, the quality and effectiveness of the actual treatment should be the cornerstones of any practice. Remember, Ayurvedic medicine has been around for thousands of years – long before advanced technology and many of the fancy “bells and whistles” that are found in the standard health services office or clinic today. Focus on the quality of the care provided to patients and allow everything else to fall in place over time.
