A Warm Welcome (Back To KNRH)
I winced internally when Alanna asked me to write a blog post about returning to work as an associate Naturopathic Doctor. Didn't she know that in order to write this authentically I would have to put all my cards on the table- the embarrassment as well as the excitement and happiness?
First of all, to recap the story:
- At the end of 2015, I left my partnership with Alanna, and my practice was folded into hers. I considered this a permanent exit from the profession and told everyone so.
- In the earlier months of 2016, Alanna told me she was pregnant, and we hatched the plan for me to fill in for her maternity leave which was a true win-win situation.
- Mid-way through her maternity leave, Alanna invited me to return as an associate ND, and I accepted.
Now, what happened behind the scenes? As you can imagine, this 180° has been accompanied by a fair amount of turmoil:
At the end of 2015, my baby was about to be born, and the business I run with my husband was really starting to grow. In contrast, my practice was somewhat stagnant. As a person, I was scattered, divided and overwhelmed. I have a naturally high level of enthusiasm, but low level of decisiveness. As a result, I kept cycling through focus on the farm, then the clinic, then the farm, then the clinic. The whole scenario was a set-up for ineffectiveness and frustration. The pain of this confusion was, of course, tempered by the impending arrival of my son.
I dropped my one reign of the clinic and Alanna picked it up. I hope she doesn't mind me telling you that she was scared at first. She handled the transition with courage, determination, and grace. Kingston Natural Route Health has benefitted from the new, more focused leadership. Meanwhile, I had my baby (Forrest), and grew into the role of mother. Yet, my creative drive was not used up! From January to September, I doubled the customer base of mine and my husband's farm and conducted a financial review and plan for moving the farm to the next iteration of its growth.
Heading into my locum at the clinic, I was full of excitement. I was acting not as myself, but as an emissary of Alanna and the whole gig was temporary. And this gave me just enough freedom from my own hang-ups that I just settled in and acted like myself. It was so much fun!
And do you know what I really, really love? This is my honest truth. With every patient who reveals his or her precious story to me, I am given so much more than I receive. I learn about the world, about people, about happiness and sadness, about growth and retraction. I find this so engaging and fascinating, and, I also hope that each story I hear makes me a better practitioner for the next patient to come into my office.
When Alanna invited me to come back, I knew on a deep level it was the right decision. But I admit, I did not trust that intuition immediately. I went through all the arguments for and against. I hashed it out with my husband and my sister. I tossed and turned at night. Eventually I came to this decision.
I feel quite sheepish to have flipped-flopped, wiffle-waffled and been so pompously sure of my decision, even while my family members were gently encouraging me not to give up my license.
I hope my openness in this post conveys the possibility that, sometimes, swallowing your pride and admitting your mistake opens your life up to good things.
My passion for the question, “How can I help people?” is renewed. The search continues, the practice continues. Thank you for welcoming me back.
Dr. Andrea
