David M. Lane, DVM, MS is a regular columnist for DVM Newsmagazine. He owns and manages two veterinary practices in southern Illinois. Dr. Lane is also a practice management consultant, speaker and author.
Jeb White walked to the mailbox. On the side of the box, he noticed a very large black horsefly rubbing its front feet together. As he opened the door, two large brown wasps exited and swayed momentarily in the air like small helicopters. They threatened briefly, then gained speed and moved on. Jeb's hair bristled and his chest hurt a bit.
The dentist had been in the room less than four minutes.
There are two types of communication pathways present in any social/working environment.
Veterinarians are confronted with clients who darken our doors under the most dire of circumstances.
Missy closed the door and smiled at Dr. Fremont. The smile was a long, strained affair as she tried to mimic the Cheshire cat from "Alice in Wonderland". The smile vanished as she rolled her eyes and moved into the next room.
The cost to deliver veterinary medicine is increasing at a faster pace than human medicine.
Backup equipment need not just sit on the shelf waiting to step in when things break down.
Profanity in the workplace is on the rise along with court filings and complaints to EEOC.
Physicians once said nurses would dilute their earning power and endanger patient safety.
Most real issues are unspoken and well recognized at the staff level.
John Fredrick looked at the X-ray for several seconds. He then turned to Jennifer Adams and looked briefly over his glasses at a yellow Lab named Ben lying on the floor. John folded his glasses and laid them on the exam table. He was a robust man in his late 40s, and his normally jolly manner was now noticeably muted.
Aanet Sizemore waits in the back for Carrie to come out of the room. Carrie is writing in all the particulars about Caleb, a forlorn looking Great Dane with chronic vomiting and persistent elevated white counts. Janet has seen Caleb in the past for this and an assortment of other maladies but has been able to totally stop the irregular vomiting.
There are times when the client is right, and you are wrong. This is a hard concept for most proud veterinarians. Occasionally "eating a little crow" can be a diet that is very healthy for your practice and your emotional health.
There are times when the client is right, and you are wrong. This is a hard concept for most proud veterinarians. Occasionally "eating a little crow" can be a diet that is very healthy for your practice and your emotional health.
Sue Swift waited with Charlie. Charlie has been seen at Academy Vet Clinic numerous times, and Sue has had a good relationship with Dr. Swanson in the past.
Veterinarians have a limited ability to control drug costs. Selling drugs to veterinarians is —well, it is a seller's market. Although it is true that there are many vendors to buy supplies from, many of the big-ticket drugs from big-name companies that veterinarians deem to be more profitable are under patent. This means that when buying certain items, veterinarians are "price-takers" much like farmers are price-takers when it comes to selling their crops or livestock.
Drug companies are going to charge whatever the market will bear.
If an indoor cat has a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet and nothing to do, the inevitable will ensue.
Young veterinarians seek and value mentoring in their schooling and in the early years of practice.
If a management vacuum occurs in the practice, then someone will fill it.
I have been made to observe the following video clips in order for Baldy to better understand our approach on planet Earth.
They might even have to turn off their cell phones and occasionally work a little unpaid overtime for the common good.
Ignoring staff friction can leave you low on morale and maybe short of help.
Veterinarians are more often than not in competition for a handful of qualified and registered technicians.
The veterinarians in the area number almost 300, and there are 90 veterinary hospitals listed.
There ought to be a long line waiting to "pony up" for the good of the profession.
Dr. Allen Thomas walked swiftly through the hotel corridor. Above him a sign announced a gala event in Ballroom C for all registered veterinarians.
Dr. Bennett had been called to the phone. Janet Billings, DVM, was now alone in the pharmacy.
Missy answered the phone on the second ring.
Jerry Vandever sat across the table from his accountant. Herbert Johnson, CPA, had been an accountant for many years and was looking over the tops of his reading glasses at the file for Patch-a-Pet Animal Hospital.
