Practice Management

Veterinarians are trusting souls - some perhaps too trusting for their own good, according to an expert on practice-safety issues.

Art batch for August 2007

Janet definitely is a busy veterinarian – busy doing everything at once.

Janet Gilmore peeked through the door into the small waiting room. She could see Harold, holding two cats and Harry, his pet Beagle. She saw several other clients she knew quite well and one new client, who looked a bit uneasy as she sat with a small mixed-breed dog.

The time has come for a consultant to come clean.

Dr. X has a 25-year-old practice that is having trouble meeting expenses. Payroll is covered, but what's left over is about $5,000 short of last year.

Denver - The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) wants to know what practice-owning members are paying their employees.

Phoenix, Ariz. - Veterinary medicine is stressful. The workday is filled with responsibilities, decision-making and time constraints. Staff meetings can be extremely stressful, especially when they turn into gripe sessions. Humor will help alleviate stress, and the result is a more productive meeting.

Customize this sample Word document to start engaging your own team of consultants today.

Customize and print this handy checklist of what a new technician or assistant needs to learn and when.

Even if your practice doesn't need to be rescued, wouldn't it be nice to have these three management angels in your corner?

Safety and workplace hazards: Here's what to teach your veterinary team's wide-eyed, innocent new recruits, and how to teach it effectively.

All of our workstations have Internet capability, so we use instant messaging to communicate with each other while in the exam or treatment rooms.

Re-energizing your staff isn't easy, but it can be achieved with a little determination.

Q. Although there are three emergency clinics in the area, the practice I work at always sees its clients' emergencies. This is frustrating, but the owner says that clients love it. Is this reasonable?

Identity theft is an ongoing problem. What should you be watching out for?

You can balance a career with a personal life-but you've got to embrace change. Here's the one thing you need to know about having it all.

Differences in communication styles can mean women's messages don't carry the same weight. Here's how to give statements more oomph.

Does your team manual look like an ancient relic? Get it up to date with the latest labor laws and team policies.

It finally happened.

Each day provides an opportunity to offer some nuggets of education.

Q. Who determines veterinary team members' pay increases-the practice manager or the owner?

The details you need to update your employee manual are just a click away.

How to implement the "four strikes" method of enforcing safety rules in your practice.

If you go on VIN, you will see dozens of posts and links trying to define what production pay is and how to pay it. Unfortunately, it is a constantly moving target. The current thinking is this:

Let's return to our story that began in this column in the May issue.

The devil is in the details. So what are your clients noticing about your practice and team members?

Discussion from the experts on how to retain great staff members