 Until a few months ago, I had only a vague understanding of just how perilous that curse could be. With coronavirus restrictions lifting throughout the country, we are all searching for the new normal. Whether you believe the pandemic is the Spanish flu all over again or just a worse-than-normal influenza season, your practice will need to address client concerns if you hope to return to 2019 growth rates.

To one extent or another, veterinary practices have always promoted safety. As medical professionals, you understand infection vectors and the importance of pathogen control, and you are already diligent about masks, gloves and handwashing. The question now is what has changed in the minds of your clients. How will they perceive your practice’s standards not just for their pet’s health but also for their own?

We’ve talked with many of our clients to see how they’ve modified their business practices in the face of COVID-19. Internally, we’ve had many discussions on how it may change future hospital design. Even when an effective vaccine or treatment becomes available, client concerns will likely remain. Here are a few strategies you can implement now and considerations for the future.

Despite the easing of safety restrictions, many practices want to continue to use minimal-contact procedures. The key is keeping client time in the office to a minimum with the least surface contact. Asking clients to check in via phone or text, having them wait in their vehicles rather than in the lobby, and walking clients and patients from your front door directly to an exam room are all ways to keep contact to a minimum.

Of course, following your local health department requirements should be standard. Mask wearing has, unfortunately, become a divisive issue, and some of the most ardent objectors have taken to claiming medical exemptions. You can set your own practices here, but be aware that neither HIPAA nor ADA requires you to allow clients in without a mask. ADA does require that those covered under a legitimate disability be given reasonable accommodation, and curbside check-in absolutely falls under that definition.

Maintaining relationships … from a distance

Client interactions are a form of information exchange: What’s the complaint, the patient’s health history, insurance and payment information? But outside of patient handoff, there is very little that cannot not be accomplished remotely.

Many veterinarians built their practice around the idea of client communication and personal connection. Moving to social distancing can be a tough sell, but it doesn't have to mean giving up on those great relationships. Technology has never been more accessible; Zoom, FaceTime and other free video call apps easily allow face-to-face conversations from virtually any smartphone. Your existing website can also include links for medical history info, lab results and payment transactions.

Paul Gladysz is a principal of BDA Architecture, a firm specializing in the planning, design and construction of animal care facilities, and has over 30 years’ experience in design and managing animal care facility projects.

Articles

As restrictions are lifted on businesses around the country, many veterinary practices are weighing their options for how to proceed with caution while maintaining safety for staff and clients alike.

Considerations for reopening post COVID-19 

The FDA has approved Vetoquinol’s Imoxi Topical Solution for Cats, the first generic version of a topical imidacloprid and moxidectin product, according to the 

Imoxi Topical Solution for Cats, which is available by prescription only, prevents heartworm disease caused by 

) and treats and controls flea infestations and ear mite (

) infestations. It also protects against adult, immature adult, and fourth-stage larvae in hookworms (

) and adult and fourth-stage larvae in roundworms (

According to the FDA, this product contains the same concentration and dose of imidacloprid and moxidectin as the brand name drug product, Advantage Multi for Cats, which was approved in 2007. Imoxi Topical Solution for Dogs was approved in December 2019.

The newly approved drug contains no inactive ingredients that may significantly affect the bioavailability of the active ingredients, says the federal agency.

 for more information about this product.


Imoxi Topical Solution for Cats provides protection against some of the most common internal and external parasites.


FDA approves generic topical parasiticide for cats 

Regardless of its size, nearly every veterinary clinic we have designed in the past 10 years has incorporated some kind of breakroom, which can range from simple coffee alcoves with a counter and some stools to a full-blown lounge/cafe areas with sofas, chairs, tables, TV and a kitchen. Sized appropriately and with an additional IT infrastructure and some furniture rearranging, your breakroom can double as your staff training room.

Located appropriately, the breakroom can become a great place for collaboration by encouraging interdisciplinary discussions among staff. Its location should be near enough to the busy work centers for staff to easily pop in and out yet still be found when duty calls. A glass wall is often included to the practice’s interior to accommodate this need.

Daylight and views to the outdoors are critical to a good breakroom design. Veterinary work requires concentration and attention to detail. Natural light calms, and views of the outdoors allow the mind to decompress and rest. Adding an outside door offers opportunities for an outdoor patio for relaxation or dining that is away from the clinic yet still accessible. It might also serve as the staff entrance, allowing them some privacy when arriving and departing. In these cases, we often locate timecard logs, coat closets, smock closets and lockers in or adjacent to the lounge area.

The space should be designed for flexibility with minimal unnecessary built-ins other than kitchen appliances and countertops. Different types of seating should be considered; table height and bar height chairs and tables, sofas and even recliners can all be mixed and matched. A massage chair could be an invigorating mid-shift amenity.

While typically not the acoustic environment for telephone callbacks, a breakroom can function well for staff to email or text client status reports, treatment options, estimates or other information. Doing this in a relaxing lounge with a cup of coffee or tea makes for a pleasant task environment, and can result in this task getting done sooner rather than later.

The breakroom evolution has been driven further by the generational shift in the workforce and advances in available technology. Wireless connectivity is a must. Staff recruitment and retention can play heavily in favor of these kinds of amenities.

The lounge can be a real culture builder or culture reinforcer for practices. We spend considerable effort building client/practice bonding amenities. A large part of this success hinges on staff being happy and empathic in their client interactions. Keeping that staff happy and enthusiastic about the practice is a key element in that achievement.

Wayne Usiak founded BDA Architecture to specialize in the design of animal care facilities. As an expert in animal care architecture, Wayne writes articles for veterinary publications and speaks at veterinary conferences both in the U.S. and abroad.

The breakroom in your hospital can serve multiple functions, all of which lead to a more productive and enthusiastic veterinary team.

The ever-evolving veterinary practice breakroom

June 1 marked the beginning of Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQ+ community unites to celebrate themselves and to acknowledge the influence they have had on the world. 

, an organization founded to help create a voice for this community within veterinary medicine, is celebrating Pride Month in several ways, from recognizing LGBTQ+ veterinary professionals and sharing fun Pride facts on social media (@PrideVMC), to a number of virtual events that you can participate in:

: Join the organization for a virtual happy hour with the theme of “pets and pride.” PrideVMC Treasurer Kara Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry), and Industry Liaison Ellen Lowery, DVM, PhD, MBA, will cohost the event. There will be toasts, laughter and prizes for the “Best Pride-dressed Person,” “Best Pride Pet” and “Best Pride Décor.”

: PrideVMC Board President Dane Whitaker, DVM, MPVM, and Board Secretary Abby McElroy, DVM, MS, will be featured on the AVMA’s “My Veterinary Life” podcast.

: The president of the group’s student chapter (PrideSVMC), Alexander Dhom, will be featured on AVMA’s “My Veterinary Life” podcast.

Drs. Whitaker and McElroy will host a second virtual happy hour. This event is open to the entire veterinary community. Prizes will be awarded for the “Best Pride-dressed person,” “Best Pride Pet” and “Best Pride Décor.”

: There will be a global Pride Watch party. More information to follow.

To keep abreast of all the events and fun facts this month, search @prideVMC on your favorite social platform. For more details about the events above, visit the 

This veterinary organization, founded by members of the LGBTQ+ community within the profession, is hosting several exciting virtual events in honor of this special month. 



PrideVMC celebrates Pride Month

 magazine asked Emily Shiver, a certified veterinary practice manager and certified compassion fatigue professional, to answer your questions about life in practice for managers, technicians, client service representatives and other team members. Got a question for her? Email us at 

 Paying employees overtime can become a huge financial burden for veterinary practices, so devising an overtime strategy at your practice should be a priority. Managing overtime, however, requires a joint effort between managers and team members. But what does that look like exactly?

 To start, make sure you set realistic, measurable staffing goals. Yes, you want to avoid having to pay overtime rates all the time, but don’t forget that working extra hours is sometimes necessary in veterinary practices to serve your patients and the clients who love them. At my hospital, we were able to decrease overtime pay by almost 60% within just a few months of implementing the following tactics. Not a bad start at all.

Make sure the practice schedule is created and posted at least a month in advance.

Hold team leads accountable for monitoring their teams’ hours throughout each week.

Share overtime statistics during team leader meetings so concerns can be addressed quickly.

Monitor staff arrival and departure times. Arriving 10 to 15 minutes before or after a scheduled shift five or six days a week can quickly equate to an additional hour or more of overtime. If this is the case at your practice, consider shaving off an hour or two from the schedule with the understanding that your team is punctual or tends to stay until work is complete.

Don’t wait until the day before a team member’s last scheduled day of the week (you know, a busy Friday or Saturday) to find out that they are two hours over and hours need to be cut the next day.

Coach your team to monitor their own hours and alert you mid-week if there is potential that they will exceed full-time work hours.

If a team member is abusing overtime, meet with that person right away to discuss the situation.

Reward those who consistently stay within their scheduled hours.

Emily Shiver is practice manager at Cleveland Heights Animal Hospital in Lakeland, Florida.

Here are some tips to help your veterinary team cut back on overtime.



Ask Emily: How to reduce overtime hours

Disaster preparedness and global crises are not things we broach on a daily basis in veterinary medicine. That all changed when COVID-19 arrived. Creating and communicating new safety protocols and cleaning regimens in our practice became priorities. 

Switching to curbside service was daunting and exciting at the same time. We all know how exhausting face-to-face client communication can sometimes be, but it wasn’t long before we realized that phone communication (not to mention the ever-annoying phone tag game) can be equally challenging. Many veterinarians were forced to transition their practices into emergency clinics, which was uncharted territory for some. Those of us who find solace in surgery were left without our happy place so that we could preserve personal protective equipment.

At my practice, each day brought new challenges and demands, including an overwhelming number of emergencies, back-to-back appointments, after-hours calls, financial constraints among pet owners, confusion about new protocols, critical case management and, of course, 

phone calls. We faced these challenges head on while holding back our own worries. Fear of having to close the practice if someone became ill and the entire staff had to be quarantined overwhelmed me, as did financial concerns about the what the future would hold for my business.

One afternoon I spoke on the phone with a long-time client as he described how much he missed his son’s baseball season. I always enjoyed hearing updates about his beloved son, and I could hear the pain and sadness in his voice. Missing a sporting season may sound trivial to some, but sports were what bonded this man and his son. I was saddened to hear such a strong individual express such fear and uncertainty.

I realized that he was reaching out to me for guidance and hope for the future. He was turning to me for answers that I didn’t have about what lies ahead. It was heartbreaking, and it became apparent that the situation veterinary practices are facing is not unlike many others—we are all filled with some level of fear, uncertainty, pain and heartache right now. We are all evolving and coming to terms with what has become a new norm.

Teamwork and dedication can help you get through any scary situation. A little positivity goes a long way. Something as simple as starting out the morning with an inspirational thought or prayer can make all the difference in the world. We all have fears and anxieties; we just have to work together to get past them.

Every person on our veterinary practice team has a place and a purpose. In times like these, take advantage of their strengths. When we learned that one of our teammates was an awesome painter, we took advantage of the lack of clients in the building to give the practice a facelift. Seeing the old building come to life again was inspiring and uplifting. It was also a reminder that we are an example of public health and community leaders. We play a role in educating our clients and illustrating the importance of following the rules and guidelines set by experts.

Dr. Shana Bohac is the owner of Navarro Small Animal Clinic in Victoria, Texas. She has a passion for surgery as well as compassionate wellness care. She has a husband, Brandon, daughter, Aiden, three crazy cats, two dogs and a handful of horses.


COVID-19 has tested our skills and forced veterinary practice owners, associates and teams out of our comfort zones in many ways. It has also taught us some important lessons along the way.
