Definition

Noun: 1. The independent professional work of a qualified individual (e.g., doctor, lawyer, therapist) who is self-employed and not a salaried employee of an institution, firm, or government body. This model involves the professional operating their own business, managing their own clients or patients, and bearing the associated financial risks and rewards.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • After years at the hospital, she left to start her own private practice as a clinical psychologist.
  • His private practice specializes in family law and estate planning.
  • The dentist built a successful private practice in the city center.

Advanced Usage

• "To be/have a practice in private practice": This phrasing emphasizes the state of operating independently.
  • She has been in private practice for over a decade.
• "To go into private practice": This describes the act of transitioning from employed status to being self-employed in one's profession.
  • After completing his residency, he plans to go into private practice.
• "A solo/small/large private practice": These modifiers describe the scale of the business operation.
  • He runs a small private practice with just one assistant.

Variants and Related Words

• Practice (n): The professional business or premises of a doctor, lawyer, etc. Often used interchangeably with "private practice" in certain contexts, though "practice" can also refer to the work of a group or partners.
  • She joined a large legal practice downtown.
• Self-employed (adj): Earning income directly from one's own business or trade rather than as a salary from an employer. This is a broader term that includes private practice.
• Sole proprietorship (n): A specific type of business structure owned and run by one individual, which is common for a private practice.

Synonyms

• Independent practice: Highlights the autonomy from a larger employer.
• Own practice: A more informal way to express the same concept.

Related Phrases

• To hang out one's shingle (idiom): An informal idiom meaning to start one's own independent professional business, especially a private practice.
  • After passing the bar exam, she hung out her shingle as a defense attorney.

Noun

1. the practice of a profession independently and not as an employee
   • he teaches at the medical school but his fortune came from private practice
   • lawyers in private practice are in business and must make a profit to survive