Today, we’d like to introduce you to Nykol Bailey Rice.
Hi Nykol, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
They had remarkable results, with over 70% of patients experiencing a decrease in suicidal ideation within 24 hours of a single dose of Ketamine. I went to work over the next year researching and saving money and opened a one-room clinic, Boise Ketamine Clinic, in 2015. Since this small start, we have steadily grown from a one-room practice to a 5 room privately owned clinic with about ten practitioners. I am so passionate about this field that I returned to school and completed a second master’s to obtain my psychiatric nurse practitioner degree.
We have enjoyed building this team and offering this life saving option to our community. We now offer cutting edge ketamine assisted therapy guided by any of our varied mental health care providers. We also offer most routes of Ketamine and just added an insurance-based option, Spravato. We have loved seeing the practice grow into a truly valuable service accessible by most of the Treasure Valley populace.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing about owning a business is smooth. We have been incredibly lucky to have not only solid familial support but also our contributions to the business together as a married couple. My husband left his job shortly after we established Boise Ketamine Clinic, and his support has been invaluable. He quickly became everything from HR, IT, payroll, and AR/AP to credit card compliance and building maintenance.
I am clinical and run the marketing, DEA and FDA compliance as well as the insurance piece of the business. I also work to add new service lines and come up with pricing. I work with our team to do the hiring and employee management as well as the development of specific protocols and course options for our patients. I am continually evaluating our structure and clinic offerings in an effort to keep our services accessible to those who need them most. This has been a significant challenge since the cost of doing business has risen exponentially, and to provide this high level of care involves several licensed and trained professionals.
There are several hurdles to owning a business like ours. We had to overcome a lot of stigma when we opened since the research and practice of micro-dose ketamine was a brand new industry. We participated in a lot of community outreach when we first opened. I also joined the Board of Directors for the non-profit the American Society of Ketamine Practitioners and was able to help to draft the only peer-reviewed, widely accepted set of guidelines for the use of therapeutic in-office ketamine. The tasks in a brand-new industry and as a brand-new business were never-ending.
We are constantly adjusting to new market changes, advertising rules and regulations, DEA and FDA guidelines, and advisory opinions while walking the tight line of ensuring we make a profit while still allowing our services to be accessible to patients. It is a tough industry and takes an incredible amount of dedication, perseverance, and flexibility. Ultimately, you have to really enjoy this industry and find a lot of personal satisfaction in the results this treatment option delivers in order to stay engaged to the level required to sustain success. It is unlike any other industry, unlike any other business. This is a very new option, less than ten years and the field is positioned to grow.
There are other medications like MDMA and psilocybin working their way through the FDA approval process that will allow for further growth of this industry if approved. Counseling people while in non-ordinary states is a novel approach that was dabbled a bit within the 50s and 60s before the war on drugs movement shut a lot of that research down. Resuming this work and research will be paramount in addressing the ongoing mental health crisis the US is experiencing.
We hope to continue to be a part of the solution here and plan to grow the practice as new legal medications and therapy options become available.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think the thing that gets missed a lot in this industry is the creative side of this work. There are two important topics that come to mind in non-ordinary states’ work. The first is “set” which refers to a persons mindset, we offer free group preparation through a virtual group as well as paid preparation sessions in order to best prepare and optimize a patient’s mindset, to the extent that it is possible, prior to their first session with us.
The second topic is “setting,” which refers to the place where these non-ordinary states of consciousness work will be held. Many people are remiss in thinking there is not much to be considered with the setting. Our practice highly values the setting. We have invested a considerable amount in fully customized treatment rooms that have lighting, music, zero gravity recliners, couches, and seating for support people or therapists, and all our rooms are private. Our patients comment on how much this extra touch contributes to a safe and calm session experience for them.
We’ve got artwork throughout the practice created by both our clinicians and our patients which brings a nice personal touch to sessions. We are also very creative in our treatment options. We offer ketamine-assisted therapy for individuals and couples. We are really providing a short, safe, contained and legal micro-dose, psychedelic experience with clinic standard safety that feels like home. We even have some lovely snacks to offer while patients are in recovery. We are not a typical clinic, that is for sure.
What does success mean to you?
For me success is having professional and personal satisfaction with the work you are doing. To be able to sleep at night feeling like I am actually having a positive impact on my community, keeping people present, employed, alive, and as healthy as possible for them is a huge contribution. Personally, running a business has offered me higher job satisfaction than I think I would have obtained as an employee.
It is so rewarding to see the clinic grow, to add new services, to hire new practitioners, to expand, to see the benefits of the work we are all doing together is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done with my life. I’ve also appreciated a better work life balance, most weeks at least! It’s nice to have the upward potential of always growing, shifting, and changing rather than being capped at whatever an employer decides my role and compensation will be.
A business is totally different, it is a mindset change, it is a lifestyle change, it is a work ethic change, you live and earn based on your individual efforts. There is not much safety net if you make a wrong move, you have to rely on yourself and your team to succeed. It’s a different level of self reliance, it’s a beautifully difficult challenge with rewards that far are beyond the income, it just does a soul good to be able to truly help another soul.
Pricing:
- Supervised IM series $1700 6 sessions
- Supervised IV series $2600
- Guided (with therapist) IM series $2600
- Guided (with therapist) IV series $3600
- Spravat0: insurance-based nasal ketamine.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boiseketamineclinic.com
- Instagram: @boise_ketamine_clinic
- Facebook: @boise_ketamine_clinic
Image Credits
Jen Alvi & Sunny Skies Media
