For many anaesthetists, the clinical transition into private practice is relatively straightforward.
You can safely anaesthetise a total hip replacement.
You can manage a complex knee revision.
You understand perioperative medicine, communicate well with surgeons and deliver excellent patient care.
But there is another challenge that medical school and specialist training never prepares you for – getting the work in the first place.
Private practice is not simply a marketplace of clinical ability. It’s a marketplace of relationships, trust and reputation. The best clinicians are not always the busiest clinicians, particularly early in their careers.
Being a great anaesthetist is only the starting point
Surgeons are placing enormous trust in the anaesthetists they choose to work with. They want someone who is clinically excellent, reliable, approachable, efficient and easy to work alongside – not to mention someone their patients like too!
From a surgeon’s perspective, every operating list is a team effort. They are not only looking for technical competence—they are looking for someone who contributes positively to the experience for patients, theatre staff and the wider practice.
That trust is built over time.
Reputation is built one list at a time
One excellent day in theatre rarely changes your career. Consistently turning up prepared, communicating well, helping colleagues and making life easier for everyone around you does.
Likewise, poor communication, lateness or being difficult to work with quickly become part of your professional reputation. And patients will feedback directly to their surgeons – not you – on whether they had a positive experience before, during and after their procedure.
Private practice communities are surprisingly small. People talk. Your reputation often arrives before you do.
Practical tips for building your private practice
1. Make it easy for surgeons to contact you
Have professional business cards printed with your contact details, as well as those of your practice manager or billing service.
At the end of an ad hoc list, thank the surgeon for the opportunity to work with them. If you’ve enjoyed working together, hand them your card and let them know you’d be delighted to help again in the future.
This isn’t a sales pitch—it’s simply making it easy for someone to contact you when the next opportunity arises.
You might spend $150 printing 500 business cards and only hand out three of them. But if one of those cards leads to a surgeon using you for a regular operating list for the next 20 years, it will probably be one of the highest-return investments you ever make.
2. Remember the entire team
Surgeons aren’t the only people who influence future work.
Practice managers, theatre staff, booking clerks and fellow anaesthetists all play important roles in recommending colleagues and filling unexpected vacancies. Being courteous, approachable and reliable with everyone matters.
3. Say yes—especially early on
Covering annual leave, accepting short-notice lists or helping colleagues when they’re unavailable may not always be convenient, but these opportunities often become the foundation of long-term working relationships. And it may not be the specialties you like to do. What it can be is an investment in your future practice – an opportunity for everyone to see your exceptional clinical skill in action.
4. Follow up
If you’ve particularly enjoyed working with a surgeon, don’t be afraid to send a brief email afterwards thanking them for the opportunity. Professional courtesy is memorable, and maintaining genuine relationships is far easier than trying to create them from scratch years later. Don’t be afraid to check-in via email to the surgeon or their practice manager.
Building a sustainable private practice
A thriving private practice is never built overnight.
It requires clinical excellence, professionalism, reliability, communication and patience.
Investing time in relationships is not separate from your career—it is your career.
The strongest private practices are built on trust.
How SPM can help
At Solo Practice Management, we believe your time is better spent building relationships with patients and surgeons than chasing paperwork.
By taking care of patient communication, informed financial consent, billing, administration and practice support, we help remove many of the distractions that consume a doctor’s day. And the exceptional service we deliver to your patients – coupled with your clinical skill – ensures patients will have a positive experience they’ll be telling everyone about.
Private practice success isn’t just about what happens in the operating theatre. Sometimes, the most important step is simply earning a seat at the table. Once you’re there, your clinical skills can do the talking.
To get in touch with our friendly team members at Solo Practice Management please contact us here.