Speak Out June 2017

In practice

FORMER SPEECH PATHOLOGY AUSTRALIA DIRECTOR ROBYN STEPHEN (PICTURED) RECENTLY CELEBRATED A CAREER MILESTONE AND SHARES HER EXPERIENCES OF 20 YEARS IN PRACTICE. The more you give, the more you get “Recently my fantastic staff surprised me with balloons, a plaque and morning tea as unbeknown to me, it was the 20- year anniversary of Robyn Stephen and Associates Speech Pathology. This did stop me in my tracks and indeed was cause for reflection. More than 50 speech pathologists and 30 administration staff have worked with me in this time. Our goal has always been to provide the highest standard of evidence- based speech pathology service for children and their families. This has involved painstaking attention to our business processes especially our financial records to support the complexity of the work of speech pathologists. “In 1997 it was a terrifying leap to give up my reliably paid employment to start working as a private practitioner. I didn’t even contemplate that by default I was actually starting a business. I had worked with professional and committed heath practitioner teams and teachers in publicly funded services for 15–years; however, I felt that at times the organisational priorities often lacked a client-centred approach. Could I do better without the bureaucratic restrictions? I have a partner who drip fed his belief that I could create a business to serve families who wanted to choose a high quality speech pathology service. I am grateful and indebted to his ongoing support and to several pioneers in private practice; Rhonda Elms and Alison Lee who were very generous in sharing their experiences and advice in my early days. “These were the first of many mentors and consultants I have sourced over the past 20 years. Others included colleagues, business courses, business coaches, employment specialists, lawyers, accountants and recently a futures specialist to stimulate our next three-year strategic plan. I have learnt so much about running a business because I have made so many mistakes but fortunately have mostly learnt from those mistakes. The professional and government obligations of running a health

practice can be overwhelming; however, we are all very fortunate in 2017 that Speech Pathology Australia now has a wealth of resources for private practitioners thanks to the hard work of Christine Lyons and her forerunner Tristan Nickless. I highly recommend their resources but also encourage people to seek resources within their communities such as training in business management. “The practice grew from a suite in my home to various dedicated commercial properties and finally to our own purpose-renovated accessible building. During this time we have worked hard to build our personal brand to associate with the business brand while we developed an extensive network of referral agents. Recently, with a view to the future, and taking on board client feedback, we have rebranded the business to Melbourne Child Development extending into a multidiscipline practice. “Private practice requires consistent energetic attention to maintain quality standards. This attention to detail results in client confidence, clear client expectations, positive client relationships and a sustainable business. Our professional development has to be linked to market needs and preferences – for example, our clinicians are highly trained in autism assessment and intervention and we are now seeking to upskill in the areas required by NDIS participants. “The old adage of ‘The more you give the more you get’ has certainly been true in terms of gaining invaluable insights of benefit to the business. I was president of the fledgling Speech Pathologists in Private Practice Victoria for six years early in my private practice and served on many SPA reference and task groups and I am just completing my final term as Director on the board of Speech Pathology Australia after six years. There are many opportunities to contribute and much learning to be gained

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June 2017 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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