Working in a solo practice

Working in a solo practice: Going it alone 

Naomi Satijn had just completed the programme when she started her own solo practice. "It just felt good. I do everything myself, which means I sometimes have work 70 hours a week, but this is really my thing!"

Naomi Satijn has a flourishing solo practice in South Limburg's Eijsden. And according to her, this means she is available 24/7. "Of course I take a day off now and then and go on holiday with my family like other people. Then I leave my practice in the hands of a fixed stand-in. But in principle I do everything on my own, so I need to be ready for action at all times. Some weeks are quiet, others I work 70 hours." And ‘everything' means not only the consultation hours, births and house calls, but also keeping the business running, including the administration, purchase of materials and negotiations with insurers. Alongside this, Naomi also spends due time on further training, committee meetings, internet research and keeping up with the professional literature.

Was hers a deliberate choice to start a solo practice? "Yes, I really wanted to have my own business. After the programme I wanted to know what I'd be like as a midwife, find out what really suited me, and this works better if you do everything yourself rather than share it with colleagues." She first wanted to work as a stand-in in a solo practice for a while, to experience everything firsthand, but then things took a fast turn: "The owner asked me immediately whether I was interested in buying her practice. I swallowed, shadowed her for a month and then took over. I was 21 and had my own practice! And it felt good - it really is my thing!"