Career Development

Who makes the top brass stop and take notice? You do.

The truth is, veterinary clients can be a little inconsiderate.

To take the pulse of the relationship between private practice veterinarians and sheltersa word were using broadly to include rescue groups, foster organizations, municipal agencies and moredvm360 surveyed both groups. Heres where things stand.

This dvm360 Leadership Challenge helps private practices work with, not against, shelters and rescue groups in the community.

Firstline asked team members to name their biggest frustrations in practice. Heres a sample of their answersin their own wordsand tools to boost morale and efficiency.

What youd ask and what youd never think to ask a leading voice of veterinary medicine. Join us for the first monthly installment of Fingerprints, a series of Q&As with important veterinary luminaries who are leaving their unique imprint on our industry.

This practice owner puts the kibosh on freebies to his veterinary team. Is that fair?

Deck

Plan content for your practice website with this handy tool.

Make sure you know what you're gettingand what you aren'twhen you build a website.

Although associate veterinarians may not manage or own the practice, Denise Tumblin, CPA, says there are several ways they canand should motivate team members.

Q: A new mobile, free-or-almost-free nonprofit on wheels opens up shop once a week in my working-middle-class-to-upper-class neighborhood. As a practice owner, what can I do to deal with this situation and avoid losing business?

Whole team involvement leads to smarter financial decisions.

Here's a hint: It's not the economy, clients' desire for good care, or your level of competition.Depending on what you read, we are either in need of more veterinary schools or dealing with an overcapacity of veterinarians. We're either seeing an increase in pet ownership or a decline in pet ownership, serving a greater number of clients or fewer clients than ever. The failings of our profession are likely to be caused by any or all of these issues; it just depends on the color of your glasses.

Financial success at a veterinary hospital can pay off when it comes to salaries.

Cross-training is one way to beat boredom and more successfully cover lengthy absences in veterinary hospitals.

Do you know what your doctors recommend? Are clients confused? Heres how I guarantee everyone is on the same page.

You left your job to open your own clinic, and now your former employer wants to sue. Don't panic yet-it's time to look at the facts.I recently received the following request from a veterinarian: "I'm planning on leaving my associate position with a large veterinary corporation to open my own clinic. I'd like you to review my employment contract to make sure that I can't be sued."

Dentists and DVMs are tied together by their independent spirit and a willingness to fight for better patient healthcare. Can you learn something from dentists about creating a friendlier, less painful patient experience?

From fantastical diagnoses to strange cures, the Internet can hamper our medical process.

Ready to purchase an ultrasound unit of your own? Check out our comparison guide to help your search.

Gathering input from all members of the team created a cohesive new design for their new building.

In the last year, I've spent a considerable amount of time in doctor visits with my aging mom. We saw the oncologist and oncology surgeon for colon cancer, the orthopedic surgeon for her fractured pelvis, arthritic shoulder and hands, the list goes on. Thankfully, Mom is doing better, the fractured pelvis healed and no other surgeries planned yet. But I spent time in these visits paying special attention to the care she received, and I learned some things along the way.

A weekly newsletter took the place of team meetings and got people talking at this veterinary practice.I work in a small animal practice with two full-time veterinarians on staff and 10 other team members. In the past few years, we've had a lot of turnover, with long-time employees changing careers or moving away. I realized during that time, and with the hiring of new team members, that we had gotten complacent and our communication skills were lacking. No one knew what had or hadn't been done in the practice.