Have you ever considered jumping into ergonomics to provide your clients another in-demand service and increase your revenue?

Many perceive ergonomics as  "EASY" and "SIMPLE".

Heck, some people mistakenly reduce “ergonomics” to include following a simple checklist from the internet without reference to the extremely thorough training that qualified ergonomic professionals acquired.

In this post, I’m going to share some of the common misconceptions about ergonomics and what you MUST do to get accurate, faster results. As Healthcare Professionals, we need to have income security, and ergonomics WILL help you do that, especially since it's aligned with your background. If you’re planning on adding ergonomics as a revenue-generating activity in your business, you might glean some useful takeaways to improve your process and see what you'll need to consider to start making a healthy income for your ergonomics services.

It takes a significant investment of time and resources in order to build up your career in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Kinesiology, or any other healthcare profession. Ergonomics is something that adds revenue to your business, whether you want to do it on a full-time basis or part-time.

Not only do you positively impact your client's life but also generate a healthy income. For instance, you can be making upwards of $300 for every single ergonomic assessment. Just simply learning how to do a simple one-on-one Office Ergonomic Assessments sets you up to offer 7+ additional types of services that your clients already need and want.

Despite the many advantages of adding ergonomics as a service deliverable, there are still some misconceptions as to how it works—which is why I'm debunking them. Here’s a closer look at some of the misconceptions when getting started with ergonomics.

Misconception: Anyone can do an ergonomic assessment by following a simple checklist.

Ergonomics is complex and requires training and experience.

When people think of ergonomics, many immediately think it’s something to do with proper sitting posture or chairs with proper lumbar support—and it is, but it’s so much more. You may have read articles that show you to sit straight with your hips far back into your chair, keep your arms bent in an L shape, position your monitor relative to your eyes, and ensure that your feet are flat on the floor. The reality is that getting this information online is certainly not enough to be jumping into ergonomics. You need to have vital knowledge and sufficient training to practice ergonomics. 

Let’s say you’re a healthcare professional with years of expertise in physiology and anatomy, but is that enough to effectively handle simple and complex ergonomic assessments?

One of the members of our free Facebook community reached out to me to say that they had to fix someone else’s work because those people made a mistake. In this scenario the CRITICAL mistake was made by experts in safety, but do you know what they did? They found a checklist off of the internet and applied this checklist to the workers’ compensation case. They ended up creating more harm and recommended unnecessary ergonomic equipment to the employee because they were just following a simple checklist.

The same is true for healthcare professionals who think that ergonomics is an "easy" service offering that can generate income for their business. Keep in mind that simply jumping into ergonomics assessments because you have a background in anatomy and physiology will be a detriment to not only yourself but your clients who need a different type of service than just coaching them proper sitting posture. Our clients expect us to have the expertise to solve simple and complex cases and not just rely on a checklist that you can find online.

Misconception: I can easily search the internet when recommending equipment to clients.

Another thing that I want to point out is how important it is to be recommending the right type of equipment. Perhaps you’re able to pinpoint the reasons why someone developed discomfort as a result of using a mouse in a certain way, but how are you going to recommend the best equipment to solve that issue if you haven't invested hours to review the different types of equipment out there?

Heck, there are a lot of similar products available in the market today. Products may vary in many or just slight features, and this makes it difficult to pick the right piece that would really address the root cause of your client’s ergonomic problems.

Let’s take an alternative mouse design for example. You can find different types of vertical and angled mice that would fit the description of an ‘alternative’ mouse design. What many people usually do is spend hours searching the internet to find resources. The good news is that I put together the types of equipment that you should be recommending to your clients, and I've organized it with keyboards, mouse, monitors, etc. You can have access to these resources and a lot more by joining the Accelerate membership.

What You Need To Do

Most healthcare professionals aren’t well-versed with the OSHA guidelines, and that's one thing that's absolutely necessary if you want to add ergonomics as a valuable service. In order to understand the “nitty-gritty” of ergonomics, I highly encourage you to take mentorship from someone who has gone through the proper ergonomic process and is well-versed with the OSHA guidelines, such as a certified professional or ergonomist. Getting the right education can unlock the revenue-generating activity that ergonomics can bring to your business and allow you to leverage all the skills that you’ve invested to be a PT, OT, chiropractor, or Kinesiologist.

Another thing to consider when adding ergonomics is to think of all the various ways that you can help your clients. This could mean providing employee training, one-on-one assessments, or using a combination of services. You want to take the time and create your own client ascension ladder so that you can provide a variety of services based on where your clients are at right now. There are a variety of other services that you can be offering, but the challenge here is communicating that in a way that your client understands. There’s so much opportunity if you know how to ace office ergonomics assessment as well as how to communicate your services to your clients, prospects, and leads. 

Ready to Add a Valuable Service?

Every healthcare professional out there must use ergonomics as a method to generate income in their business. This past year has shown us that if you're relying on just one method to generate income in your business and to be able to provide for your family, then that is a major risk. Ergonomics offers a level of income security that most industries don’t. There are simple ways to get started, and I can show you how to get started.

If you’re ready to take the next step and would like to keep learning about ergonomics at your own pace, the Accelerate program is the place to start. I combine everything you need to know about how to do ergonomics assessments and what to do to get those clients that you need. I'm opening enrollment for the Accelerate membership at the end of September 2021. Just click here to sign up to the waitlist, and you can be first in line when I open the enrollment next month. I'm going to be doing some really neat training coming up to that, and this is something that I believe you should be adding to your skillset and the types of services that you're providing to your clients.

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