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Practice Startup – Essential Reading

When you are starting a practice, there are several books that are required reading. One needs to learn about business, coding, billing, documentation, etc. There is no shortage of the material you are reading before and during startup. I know that I went to bed nightly with something…and often still do – usually something about coding. So, to start you off reading, here are a few suggestions:

NP Business Practice & Legal GuideNurse Practitioner’s Business Practice and Legal Guide, Second Edition

Carolyn Buppert’s book is considered by many to be the gold standard for Nurse Practitioners needing and wanting to learn more about the business of being an NP. It will give you a working foundation of the business and legal issues that NP’s need to be aware of. There is information in to calculate your worth, negotiate a contract and what you need as far as insurance goes. There is also lots of good information on getting yourself set up for business and what you need to pay attention to.

Independent PracticeHow to Start an Independent Practice: The Nurse Practitioner’s Guide to Success

While I’ve not personally read this book, several NP’s have and highly recommend it! Carla Anderson, NP in Portland, OR is opening her own practice, and has this to say about it:

I would highly recommend the book by Carolyn Zaumeyer “How to Start an Independent Practice”. It has 54 pages of marketing ideas, and some anecdotes about her own practice “Women’s Health Watch which she established in Florida in 1994. One of the things she mentioned is that she wished she had a website sooner, as it is a great marketing and informational tool to tell about your practice and your mission.

Let us know what you recommend.

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  1. I own the two books listed above, Zaumeyer and Bupperts, and found them helpful in establishing my first independent practice. I think she is off on the math and found ways to keep my overhead down. I practice in an independent state and have not had to pay a physician a percentage of my income and instead pay rent and trade call and vacation coverage for an equal and supportive relationship that works both ways. I think that most NPs first establishing a practice are unrealistic in how quickly they will bring in adequate income to cover the amount of income they previously made as an employee. Starting your own practice part-time while picking up other work elsewhere is do-able. I enjoyed Zaumeyers conversational/narrative approach. Another book I would recommend is “How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful strategies from entrepreneurial women who made it happen” by Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin. Due to the dearth of NP specific business resources, I combed the discount book stores for books on how be an entrepreneur and this remains one of my favorites. Other books I found useful are; “Fierce Conversations: Achieving success at work & in life one conversation at a time” by Susan Scott, and “What Should I do With My Life: The true story of people who answered the ultimate question” by Po Bronson.

  2. I have been trying to get the “How to start up an independent practice” book by Carolyn Zaumeyers and have been unable to find a new edition for my daughter. Amazon cancelled my order saying it is unavailable. Does anyone know where I could buy a new copy? Thank you

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