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IDEXX: Contributing to something bigger

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine recently renamed its renowned equine hospital in Shelbyville, Indiana to the Caesars Entertainment Specialty Hospital. The new name reflects its partnership with Caesars Entertainment and its support of the Indiana equine industry.

Since 2019, Caesars Entertainment has contributed approximately $1.5 million to the hospital to help provide the latest diagnostics and therapeutics for equine medicine.

“We are delighted that Caesars Entertainment will be part of the mission of our hospital,” says Ellen Lowery, DVM, PhD, MBA, director of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital in the 

. “Everything we do there is state of the art and involves the most current diagnostics and therapeutics, so I’m excited to see the continued innovation we are able to provide for our patients and clientele.”

The facility offers an expert level of medical services to performance horses. Some of these specialized services include:

Advanced equine surgery (eg, long-bone fracture repair)

Orthopedic examinations involving advanced diagnostic imaging (eg, nuclear scintigraphy/bone scan)

Digital radiography, ultrasound, and dynamic endoscopy

Treatments that incorporate a range of biologics and stem cell therapy

According to the release, the hospital also plans to add to its innovative services through the installation of a specialized large gantry helical CT scanning machine, which senior equine surgeon Timm Gudehus, DVM, DACVS, DECVS, says will be the "first installation of its kind” within the US.

“The Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital is an integral piece of Indiana’s racing community and continues to prove itself as a vital resource for horse owners, trainers, and breeders,” says Joseph Morris, Caesars Entertainment vice president of racing.

“Providing foundational and experiential learning for Purdue students, this pioneering facility is blazing trails in the advancement of care for the horse,” Morris adds.

To learn more about Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital and its mission, go 

Articles

The clinic's new name, Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital, reflects the university's partnership with Caesars Entertainment and its support of the Indiana equine industry.

Purdue University renames renown equine hospital

After 15 long months, The Banks Animal Hospital finally reopened its doors. The thriving 6-doctor, small animal practice strictly enforced CDC guidelines and took additional precautions to ensure the safety of its 44 team members. Staff continued to wear masks despite it not being required for vaccinated personnel.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought unprecedented growth for veterinary services, causing many staff members to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to being overworked and having to cope with curbside care, the staff was also traumatized by the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. 

While it was true that curbside care did minimize exposure to pet owners, working shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow staff members without practicing social distancing only heightened anxiety. Despite wearing masks, maintaining good hygiene, and being diligent, many staff members contracted the disease.

When the vaccine became available for veterinary professionals, the staff members felt a sigh of relief. However, the staff also experienced similar roadblocks that the general public faced surrounding the vaccines and despite the CDC recommendations, a significant amount of the population chose not to be vaccinated. 

At the Banks Animal hospital, 6 of the 44 staff members were among those that opted against receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. The hospital administration recommended that all staff members be vaccinated and those who expressed hesitancy were advised to consult with respected healthcare professionals. 

Ultimately, 5 staff members decided not to be vaccinated. The Banks Animal Hospital administration agreed that these refusals were not grounds for termination and continued to promote and encourage vaccination participation. Unfortunately, this scenario was seen in many veterinary care facilities throughout the country.

To top it off, the hospital administration started to experience additional fall out. Several of the vaccinated staff members began to display some resentment towards those who chose not to be vaccinated. Some went to the administration to express their disapproval over the situation and felt their health was at risk. Others suggested that these staff members be temporarily laid off or furloughed until the pandemic was over or until herd immunity was reached at the workplace.

To address this growing concern, the practice owner, Dr Banks, held a general staff meeting. He explained that a refusal to be vaccinated did not warrant a highly skilled staff member losing their job. He also addressed the fact that opting against being vaccinated can not only put that individual at risk but endangers the health and well-being of their coworkers. 

 Banks reinforced that all mask requirements, hygiene protocols, and social distancing, (when possible) will stay effective until further notice, regardless of the new, less stringent CDC recommendations. He also advised everyone to be vaccinated and urged coworkers to have conversations amongst themselves to iron out any resentment they might have toward one another.

Although Banks felt his efforts assisted the staff, some were still experiencing resentment and anxiety. The pandemic had wreaked havoc in more ways than one. The division, anxiety, and lingering doubts would continue to be felt for years to come. 

Do you agree with the medical director’s decision? How would you have handled the situation? Let us know your thoughts by emailing dvm360news@mmhgroup.com.

Unfortunately, there are many people that have complex medical issues that do not allow them to receive vaccinations. Nevertheless, there are millions of people that have non-scientifically based reasons for not being vaccinated. May vaccinated individuals can get frustrated, angry, and aggressive. However, these emotions cannot change the reality of the situation. The nonvaxers will not disappear nor will the frustration abate. What can happen is the development of herd immunity and the slow disappearance of the pandemic. The veterinary profession must continue to advocate the importance of getting the vaccines to help protect both people and pets against horrible diseases. You can be sure that in the not-too-distant future, a pandemic of a different nature will unfold and we must hope that our scientifically-based vaccine advocacy made a difference.

Marc Rosenberg, VMD, is director of Voorhees Veterinary Center in Voorhees, New Jersey. Although many of the scenarios Rosenberg describes in his column are based on real-life events, the veterinary practices, doctors, and employees described are fictional.

With the world slowly beginning to reopen, should vaccination refusal be grounds for termination?

The Dilemma: COVID-19 vaccine resentment

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While you remain focused on providing the highest quality of care to your beloved, furry patients, we are kicking off the week by bringing you the latest hot topics and industry news. 

Here's a quick glance at this week's veterinary headlines:

As the world slowly begins to reopen, Marc Rosenberg, VMD, 

 how veterinary clinics should respond to team members who opt-out of getting vaccinated.

 its renown equine hospital to the Caesars Entertainment Equine Specialty Hospital, supporting its recent partnership with Caesars Entertainment and the Indiana equine industry.

Emily Shiver, CVPM, CCFP, offers up 4 tips on efficiently handling and multiplying the number of calls at your veterinary practice without jeopardizing client service.

 8 different lessons to consider when stepping into a new leadership role at your clinic.

Check back in at dvm360.com for our most recent coverage of the veterinary industry.

Here is a sneak peek at this week's headlines.

This week on dvm360: Purdue renames acclaimed equine hospital, plus more veterinary news

Your practice owner comes in one day and tells you that instead of continuing in your current position at the veterinary hospital, you are now the manager—or office manager, practice manager, or technician manager. Maybe after this decision is made, it is never announced to the rest of the staff. Maybe it was assumed you were already in that position because you are the longest-serving employee, who knows how to do it all. You know who you are. You are the person who knows where the keys are to the faucet outside, you know the password to log on to the computer that is rarely used, and you know where to get the best price on that drug, which one of your doctors once used. But starting today, it is official. Although you appreciate the faith they have placed in you, what are you supposed to do now?

Take a deep breath because all will be well. I did not say it would be easy; I said all will be well. The first thing that you have to decide in becoming a manager is whether you even want to. You may feel you deserve this position because you have served the practice the longest. That does not necessarily mean you should be the leader.

But in veterinary medicine, isn’t that how it works? A staff member is thrown into a position of leadership without any skills or resources or, sometimes, even the desire to be the boss. You need to decide whether this is what you want to do. As the new leader in your hospital, you are now responsible for much more than you were 5 minutes ago. It is a different kind of work. If you decide that this is not what you want, that is OK. You should be proud that you know yourself well enough to realize this is not the right direction for you. But you have to say these words to your boss: “I do not want to be a leader or hold a leadership position in this hospital. Thank you for the opportunity, but I respectfully decline.”

I know this is an article about becoming a leader in veterinary medicine, but so many of us are in this position and should not be. If you do not want to be a leader, that is OK.

However, if you have made the decision to become a leader in your hospital, and you have spoken to your boss, what do you do first? This starts with something as simple as a job title and description. You need to know what you are responsible for. How are you supposed to lead if you do not know what you are supposed to lead?

You need to be given or create a list of duties and responsibilities that are now yours. This needs to be something that is agreed upon and supported by your boss or owner. They trust you enough to put you in a leadership position within their hospital, so they should trust you enough to complete the duties assigned to you. But you need to know what those are.

You will need to understand that if you have been promoted to a leadership position and have previously just been another of the staff, your work life will change. I am not saying it is going to be worse. I am not saying it is going to be better. I am saying that it is going to be different. It will take some time, some mistakes, and some growth to maintain those working relationships.

People say that you cannot be friends with people you work with. To an extent, that is true. If you have a best friend who works at the same hospital and you have now become their boss, are you willing and able to set your friendship aside for the best of the business? Are you willing to fire your best friend, if that is what needs to happen at your hospital?

Suppose everyone goes to a bar one night after work and your behavior in the presence of coworkers becomes inappropriate. The next day at work, their opinion of you (and your qualifications to lead them) might differ from those they held the previous day. This is another factor to keep in mind when assuming a leadership position. Your work friendships will change.

You are now in charge of people. You are responsible for teaching them, nurturing them, helping them grow in their positions, and sometimes babysitting them. Because a group of employees working together can occasionally seem like a group of children.

Now comes the coaching and creation of a new team. Depending on the size of your hospital and the number of people for whom you are responsible, it is now your job to provide your staff with the skills to do their jobs. If you have a small team, you might be able to do 1-on-1 training more often than if you have 25 employees or more.

Perhaps you need to train a person and they become responsible for training the rest of the staff in a certain task. Sometimes being a leader also means learning to delegate. Decide who is capable and willing to teach others and let them teach. Training or coaching people to do things the way your hospital agrees they should be done is an important aspect of leadership, especially if they have never had someone in charge before.

There is going to be a lot more work on your shoulders at the start of your new role. You will need to create protocols and standards that everyone uses if such things are not already in place. In the long term it will make your job, and your life, considerably easier.

When you do not know what to do, ask for help. There is no chance that you are going to know how to do everything brilliantly, perfectly, and correctly in the first week, the first month, or sometimes even the first year.

Go to conferences, read articles, find a supportive group of peers who are in the same position as you. Join a hospital managers association or a practice management Facebook page. The options are endless.

Ask other leaders questions. Those who have been leaders longer than you may have different perspectives and different answers, and sometimes that is what you need. You need to see something from the outside and it can completely change your perspective. Or they are going to give you an answer that was right in front of you but you were so busy dealing with a problem that you did not see it. Guess what? That is OK.

You are going to make mistakes. So will your staff and the people who lead you. Be willing to own your mistakes. Be willing to tell a staff member or team member what you did and how you have fixed it or intend to fix it. Be willing to share that. If you are willing to talk about the mistakes you have made, it shows that you are human and humble enough to know you are not perfect.

I have made many mistakes along the way but have also learned much from them. Once upon a time, I was asked to take over the accounting software and accounts payable position at a practice. I had 1 session with the person who had done that task previously. I became overwhelmed. I messed up some numbers in that program and could not seem to ask for help or admit I had a weakness. When that error came to light, I admitted it and did my best to fix it. However, the damage was done. My owner did not feel they could trust me, and I ended up leaving that hospital. I learned from that experience. I learned that it is OK to say I do not know, and it is OK to ask for help, and I am a better manager because of that.

The worst thing that you can do to your staff is play favorites. Everyone in your hospital, regardless of how well a person is liked or how long they have been at the hospital, should be held to the same standard. Rules are in place for a reason. If you create a policy that staff members can be no more than 5 minutes late for their shift each day, then everyone in the hospital needs to be held to that same standard. There should be a repercussion for the employee who comes into work 15 minutes after their shift starts every day. If something like that is not fixed, what kind of example are you setting for the rest of the staff? You are showing them that some rules only apply to some people, and that is not OK.

If you create a standard or rule in your practice, your job as a leader is to uphold that rule. That also means you cannot come in 15 to 20 minutes late for your shift. Lead by example—because, I promise, your staff is watching.

Celebrate victories. Often, a leadership position becomes all about correctives, or handling all the negative aspects of a job. It is a never-ending job coaching staff who need to relearn a task or be shown a different protocol. You need to look for the victories. 

There needs to be a shift in thinking. Be the person who celebrates the accomplishments of others. When your technician draws blood on the first try for the 10th time in a row, celebrate that. When your kennel staff sets up a fecal correctly, celebrate that. When your reception staff handles another angry client without losing their temper, and keeps a smile on their face, celebrate that. Please be sincere. People can see through fake all day long. If you give a compliment, mean it. Do not say thank you to the employee only at the Christmas party.

Get into the habit and the mindset of promoting positivity. There is a saying, “throw kindness like confetti,” and that is a powerful statement. Be the kind of boss you want to have. Treat people how you want to be treated. Be kind. Be humble. Know that in the end, all will be well.

Jenny Matthews, CVT, CVPM, is a veterinary consultant with Matthews Veterinary Solutions in Mustang, Oklahoma.

An experienced practice manager and consultant suggests practical steps to consider on assuming a leadership role.

These 8 lessons are crucial in leadership

 interviewed Editorial Advisory Board member Stephen Cital, RVT, SRA, RLAT, VCC, CVPP, VTS-LAM (Res. Anesthesia), who enlightened us on the latest trends and innovative findings regarding CBD in veterinary medicine, plus the tangible research that is currently or soon-to-be-published confirming the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD.

“There seems to be this path of whatever is explored in human medicine, we start to explore in veterinary medicine," Cital told dvm360. 

"We’ve seen a lot of that with osteoarthritis studies that have been coming out, certainly seizure studies that are coming out, and I think what’s kind of exciting right now is there are a handful of dermatological studies coming out right now in cats and dogs,” he added.

Videos

Experienced veterinary technician, Steve Cital,  RVT, SRA, RLAT, VCC, CVPP, VTS-LAM (Res. Anesthesia), offers his expert insight on a hot topic in the veterinary world—CBD. 

Shedding light on CBD in veterinary medicine 

To kick off the well-deserved weekend, we're bringing the latest industry news right to your fingertips.

In her recent talk at the 2021 virtual Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), Kara Burns, MS, Med, LVT, VTS (Nutrition) shared 

4 different strategies for building resiliency

 in veterinary medicine during challenging times.

Learn the numerous ways you can "show up" and celebrate your LGBTQ+ team members, how to demonstrate appropriate allyship, and much more with these 

Veterinary student Jove Jacob from our Student Ambassador Program breaks down why 

investigators are examining the properties of urine

 to determine the causes and effects of diseases.

 of The Vet Blast Podcast, Christopher Shapley, DVM, talks about the ins and outs of veterinary acupuncture and why owners are beginning to lean toward this treatment approach for their pets. 

Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) recently 

 from the Bank of America to build a new veterinary school. 

The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) 

 of its 2021 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) Pet Pitch Competition. 

Stay tuned on our social media pages and here at dvm360.com for more veterinary news.

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IDEXX: Contributing to something bigger