Staffing Considerations

There are many variables in determining how to staff your allergy practice and the decisions are specific to the type of practice. The allergy staff is very important to the success of the allergy practice. The allergy assistant, in particular will likely have more interaction with the allergy patient than the physician. The list below is intended to help you with making the right choices for your practice.

• Review state regulations to determine if there are licensure requirements for staff who will perform skin testing, mix treatment vials, and/or give injections
• If your practice is a part of a hospital system, review specific requirements

Qualifications for an Allergy Assistant

• Well suited for frequent patient interaction
•  Inquisitive by nature and able to collect information about progress from patients on an ongoing basis 
• Able to work independently, yet understand when to seek the guidance of the physician
• Committed to learning the technical skills required for allergy testing and treatment 
• Comfortable with observing patients for adverse reactions and following an established protocol for treating adverse reactions 
• Detail-oriented, as needed to set up testing boards, employ aseptic technique, mix treatment vials, maintain records for expiration dates and vial contents, etc.
• Interested in developing procedures that allow the practice to run efficiently and plan ahead for growth 
• Hired in advance of beginning the allergy practice to allow for sufficient time to train as well as being a part of setting up the procedures and space

Number of Allergy Staff Members

• Consider anticipated patient load, hours of operation, and whether the practice will perform testing only or testing and treatment
•  In general, starting with 1 assistant is sufficient
•  The AAOA recommends cross-training at least 1 other staff member to perform essential functions to account for the absence of the primary assistant, rapid growth, and staff turnover

Recruiting Options

• Existing staff (personality type and fit within office is already known) 
• Professional organizations and publications (eg, AAAAI Allied Health Assembly, nursing publications, allergy nurse associations) 
• Staff member recruitment among acquaintances 
• Employment agencies 
• Employment classified advertisements