Practice Management

Meaningful personal and professional growth may come at a level that seems easy as pie. Like so basic that surely the veterinary profession succeeds at it already. But no.

Hiring is hard enough without having to worry about being sued by a prospective candidate. Heres a rundown of the questions you need to refrain from asking during the interview process.

A veterinary client returns a bag of therapeutic food that their pet refused to eat. Turn it into samples so future clients can test the food out before buying it.

Heres how to use the famed acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to help your team members pursue professional development at individual and group levels.

When it comes to benefit plan compliance, its often the case that you dont know what you dont know.

If you dread these difficult client conversations, veterinary palliative care expert Dr. Katherine Goldberg has straightforward advice for how to use them as opportunities to discuss goals and ultimately achieve better outcomes for the client and the pet.

When I took a new job as hospital administrator after 26 years at a new veterinary practice, the differences in associate pay, standards of care and geography just didnt work for me.

Even if you dont run a payback period or breakeven analysis before you buy a new piece of equipment for your veterinary practice, you still need to (honestly) answer a few questions with your management team.

Youre smart. Youre opinionated. You have the best interests of animals and their people at heart. You work in a veterinary hospital. Here's a tip from Dr. Dave Nicol tips to take video, write blogs and get onto social media.

In a change this large, communication and feedback are key to keep everyone on the veterinary team feeling comfortable, says Katie Adams, CVPM.

Steve Jobs said, A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players. Heres how to build your own veterinary A team.

Hey, practice managers. When your veterinary team is throwing too many questions and problems your way in the moment, Fetch dvm360 speaker Angelina Morgan, CVPM, says youre not doing your hospital team any favors by telling them youll circle back.

When it comes to communicating with your veterinary clients, make sure youre speaking their languagethe language of texting.

A dvm360 commentary asked veterinarians to set firmer guidelines for abusive pet owners, but one letter writer said state boards could penalize you for firing clients the wrong way. Two regular contributors weigh in on whether managers and team members can fire clients and ways to do it. Read it all here.

With the high cost of hiring and retaining veterinary practice employees, it's time to consider the mental health benefits of employee assistance programs (EAPS) to keep your team on track for success.

Ask these questions to find out whether a veterinary practice applicant prepared for the interview, knows how to manage tough situations and has a passionate plan for the future.

Hes a great team member at the veterinary hospital, but occasional body odor could become a problem. I say dont be afraid to talk about it directly, privately and kindly.

A few of the big pet microchip companies provided us details about their current products. Curious if there's any reason to switch your choice? Check 'em out ...

There are lots of ways to know a dog is frightened, anxious or stressed, but theyre all useless if your veterinary client doesnt act as voice for their dog and say 'no' to the stressful person or situation. Share this handout with dog owners to help them trust their instinct for the right kind of dog training and the wrong kind of social encounters.

Print this PDF handout to give pet owners with stopped-up feline patients a starting salvo to set expectations and offer some basic advice.

In veterinary practices, success leads to happiness, right? Not so fast. Its happiness that breeds business success, say psychology experts. And theres research to prove it.

Preventing disease is a primary goal for general-practice veterinarians. It's time to better explain why they're important to pet owners, to make it easy as possible on pets and to help clients understand that vaccination is not as bad as they thinksay, with low-volume vaccines?

Ah, the hospital workplace romance. So achingly cute! So wildly entertaining! So Greys Anatomy! Now add puppies, kittens and a veterinary team. Impossibly adorable, right?

How veterinarians can discuss options with clients for pets who need long-term pain medication.

Extensive research links workplace incivility to lost productivity, lower profits, increased callouts, and an uptick in adverse and sentinel events. Its time we address incivility for the role it plays in ruining veterinary businessesand our lives.

Beyond the bottom line benefits, respondents to dvm360s Retail Revolution survey say selling retail items at their veterinary hospitals allows them to recommend products they feel good about.

What you charge and why are questions crucial to your businesss future. They signal the quality of your veterinary medicine and client service. And youre (probably) not thinking about them enough. Dont worry: The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association has a free white paper (this ones well-written) to help you.

Vets are the medical experts, but pet service providers sometimes feel that their experience, products and services can help veterinary clients avoid "unnecessary" medical procedures and visits to the hospital. Both these groups want healthier pets, so why can't are they talking more?