At TNHC we don’t just help you check a box for the CNS. We help you build your private practice. Feed 2 birds with one worm. Build your private practice while getting credentialed in the field. All 6 CNS supervisors have had or have their own private practice. Why? We love clinical practice and all the rewards a private practice brings. Here are a few…
1) You set your own hours
Take me (Rebecca) as an example. I have two businesses while being a dance mom and caring for my aging mom. I could not do that with a 9-5 job. I need flexibility! The parking lot at the dance studio makes a great office when there is work to do!
2) You can work part time or full time
Different stages of life require different work schedules. When I had a young child I worked <30 hours a week and now I work 40+ hours a week. Keep in mind that part time work in our field is like full time work. Why? We go BIG and we go DEEP! We are doing incredible work with our patients. Most folks would burn out if they had 40 billable hours a week. Set your pace. Keep a work-life balance
3) Private practice has the largest earning potential of any nutrition job & you set your own rates
The salary range for nutritionists is broad from 30,000 a year to 200,000+ a year. How do you set your rates? Do your market research. If you live in NYC you are going to charge 3-4 times as much as someone who lives in West Virginia. We have a module on setting rates in our Internship Onboarding Course, exclusive for members of our mentorship program.
4) You get awesome office mates (virtual private practice)
Whether you work with your new puppy, your cat or your partner. A home office is a cozy place to work. But make sure to create social engagement and get out of the house.
5) You get to be a witness to meaningful changes in people’s lives
Meeting with people 1:1 we are witness to their lives, their personal growth. It is an honor AND it is powerful. Most of us are called to the healing arts because we have a heart to help people. While it does take time and energy to build it, I often say to our interns ….Don’t leave before the miracle happens. It will happen.
6) You can become an expert in a niche
You don’t have to niche right away. Some of our CNS candidates niche from Day 1 and others wait to see what emerges in their practice or networking. . Eventually you want to niche to save time and money. Being a generalist is overrated, trust me, I know. Once you niche you can build a name for yourself with doctors, colleagues and clients alike. AND one day you can call yourself an expert.
7) You can do a mix of activities to earn money
Your business and private practice does not need to be all about private consults. To be honest, income is limited with 100% 1:1 practice. A private practice allows for a variety of clinical and business building activities that bring in income. Here are some income generating activities - meal planning, pantry rehabs, groups programs, webinars, memberships, supplement sales, affiliates, blog writing, consulting work and more.
8) Overhead is low with a virtual practice
You can minimize your overhead in early practice by staying virtual. Avoid all the shiny objects offered to practitioners or you can end up with 10 monthly membership fees! Right now I have a lot of memberships - Vimeo, Healthie, That Clean Life, IFM, Probiotic Advisor, Consumer Labs, Quickbooks, Robly, Zoom, Google Workspace & Canva. But in early practice, I had very few! You don’t want to eat up all your profits in early practice. You can do a lot while spending very little. We have a module in our onboarding course on how to do EMR simply on an internship budget. Practicing virtually is a great place to start.
9) You can wear yoga pants every day
Let’s face it ….the pandemic showed us that we can be professional and be comfortable too. I love yoga pants. They are so forgiving and loving to my body. And no one is the wiser when I consult on Zoom.
10) Last but not least you have more autonomy
Running your own business, you call the shots.. You get to prescribe the nutritional interventions for your clients. You get to set your work culture. You get to be your own boss.
The Nutrition & Herbal Collective is a nurturing community offering personalized mentorship and CNS supervision for nutrition graduates. We train nutritionists in evidence-based and functional nutrition practice, building the skills towards successfully starting a nutrition private practice. We help the nutrition student meet their SPE requirements, pass the CNS exam and earn the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential. Read more about all our program has to offer.
For more FREE content, check out our Resource Hub to learn more about how to start a nutrition business, prepare for the CNS exam, clinical nutrition pearls, best practices for meeting SPE requirements, self-care for the clinical nutritionist, and more.
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