Practice Management

When it comes to advice for veterinary clients, I discourage feeding pets table scraps and human food. The pet obesity epidemic and the danger of toxicities mean I lean away from encouraging sharing of food to maintain the human-animal bond.

While the veterinary profession mulls over how telemedicine will change practice, some doctors are going ahead and changing. Instead of looking at what the future holds for veterinary telehealth, were diving into whats happening now in this new arena of client satisfaction, relationship-building and innovative pet care.

In light of the dearth of quality veterinarian and technician job candidates today, its the wise practice that makes a new hire feel like part of the team from the get-go.

Hitting a brick wall with your dermatology patients? If your recommendations for topical therapies are going nowhere, make sure youre not inadvertently doing anything on this list.

We wondered, are there some significant pros and cons in showing pet owners more of what you do in your veterinary hospitals treatment and surgery space?

Help your future self! If the clinics not crazed right now, take care of a few less urgent tasks that help you learn more, impress clients and benefit your veterinary team.

Your veterinary practice has a toxic employee you need to deal with, and youre fearing for the worst. Not to worry! Follow these simple steps and youll be amazed at how little there is to worry about.

Theyre the same, and theyre different, and theyre getting ready to invade your veterinary hospital. Get to know them as employees and clients.

Yes. Youre helping the veterinary hospital by getting rid of the toxic team member who brings down the whole veterinary team and sucks the air out of the room.

Educate veterinary clients on what signs to watch for and some dangers to avoid as they try to prevent or get in to see you faster for possible ulcers, conjunctivitis, glaucoma and more in pets.

These telemedicine, client marketing and loyalty program apps help veterinary practices touch base with pet owners with more than postcards.

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.

You get what patients are saying to you in their blood work and their body language, but are you always paying enough attention to what your veterinary team members and clients are telling you? Here are a few things to work on.

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.