Business

Your mental health at your veterinary practice may mean doing things differently.

There are some qualities an associate must have to be a successful practice owner. Then there are other qualities that aren't absolutely necessary but can be taught.

A recent veterinary graduate shares the important lessons she learned outside the classroom.

It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success,nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things."

Animals serve many roles when it comes to energy and the planet. Their energy fields are far more expansive than ours – a dog's energy field is approximately ten times that of a human's. A horse's field will encompass a large arena, and a cat's will fill an entire property. The energy of wildlife is especially important to the survival of the planet. They create a frequency that maintains the vibrational health of the planet, and all creatures on it.

Employment contracts exist even if they are not in writing. The problem with oral contracts is in trying to enforce them. Contracts require a meeting of the minds of two persons followed by some form of payment for enforceability. Employees, although commonly intimidated, must realize they are on equal footing with the employer.

Transfusion of blood products is an important lifesaving measure performed frequently in veterinary medicine. The decision to transfuse should not be taken lightly: it is costly and can frequently be clouded by complications. Blood transfusion therapy should be limited to the treatment of anemia, hypoproteinemia, coagulation disorders, or hemodynamic instability.

People have a hundred decisions to make every day: from what time to get up, the route to take to work, and what they'll focus on for the day to how and where they'll spend their hard-earned money. Many veterinary practice owners assume that clients' buying decisions for veterinary services are fairly logical.

Veterinary medicine has been owner-centric, not systems-centric.

Veterinary Practice Managers and Technicians are bombarded with financial information. Given this, determining which information to focus on can be an important task.

Exit strategy or practice succession planning can include every aspect from financial planning for retirement to where will I find a buyer. This retirement financial aspect would include planning for the future practice sale value. That is another session not covered in this topic.

High turnover among veterinary associates is caused principally by the failure of practice owners and employees to properly articulate their respective expectations and negotiate and document the employment relationship. Time and effort invested up front will help avoid mismatched expectations, misunderstandings and separation down the road.

Before you schedule the cherry picker to come to your practice, let's see if we can fill your basket with some of the "low hanging" fruit.

The role of the veterinary technician in traumatic emergencies is pivotal to the survival of the incoming patient. The physical exam must be quick, thorough, and concise. Utilization of all technical skills from careful visualization, palpation, and auscultation is of the utmost importance.

Got to have a plan! Management is control of one's emotions and you are PAID to do this better than the doctor in your practice.

Results of Benchmarks 2010: A Study of Well-Managed PracticesSM by Wutchiett Tumblin and Associates and Veterinary Economics reveal that a current partner, or a current or future associate is the most likely buyer in 69 percent of practices. And, one of the most important steps to take to prepare an associate for ownership is teaching them about and involving them in the business side of practice.

Anesthetic arrests and patients with reversible conditions should be resuscitated aggressively. Reasons for such a poor success rate include severity of underlying disease, delay in the recognition of CPA, and delay in delivery of appropriate therapy.

Our moral imperative is to advocate on behalf of a being that cannot advocate for itself, and that means preventing and treating pain. Our patients at the end of their lives can (and often do) encounter both acute and chronic pain. We must keep our eyes, ears, and mind open to "see" pain in these patients, and leverage the many tools we have available, both drug and non-drug.

Become a learning practice.

Whether an employee leaves by choice or at your request, turnover costs your practice. There's the obvious cost of advertising for a replacement and the time spent interviewing the various candidates. But there's also the cost of lost productivity during the interim when you're short-staffed.

Everyone knows that veterinary practices are busy places! There is always something going on - the phone is ringing, clients are coming in the door, and beloved pets need our help. The life of a veterinary healthcare team member is hectic.

Energy to most of us is something that turns lights on and off and runs our cars. We don't realize we are made of energy, and that we interact with other humans and animals on an instinctive, energetic basis. Having an awareness of how we affect others allows us to be better colleagues, practitioners and care givers.

In the mid 1970's, the National economy started to slow down while the number of veterinarians continued to increase. Concerns were expressed that too many veterinarians would be produced by the year 2000. In the late 1970's and 1980's some practices experienced reduced numbers of clients and no-growth or slow growth gross incomes resulting in declining net incomes.

Acute abdominal pain is often associated with a variety of disorders in small animals. Abdominal pain can be the result of many different underlying diseases processes, many of which can be life threatening. Clinical signs can range from abdominal distension, prayer-type postures, vomiting and diarrhea, to more serious findings such as collapse, hypovolemic shock, hypothermia, and difficulty breathing. Acute abdominal pain thus requires rapid and efficient diagnostic evaluation with proper treatment to facilitate patient survival.

A buy-sell agreement or shareholder's agreement or operating agreement is a written statement of plans about how owners can slow down or get out of the practice at a set time or occurrence. It is the shareholder's agreement for a corporation or an operating agreement for an LLC.

We spend too much time "in" the business and not enough "on" the business.

Small changes in how you practice, or in how you run your business, can have a dramatic impact on your earnings over a lifetime and in keeping you and the profession economically strong.

As veterinary professionals, we have been trained to create a practice environment that focuses on maintaining cleanliness and reducing disease transmission. While these are vital to the health of our staff and patients, we must also consider other aspects of healing. The emotional and energetic atmosphere our clients, staff and patients are exposed to does influence their physical, mental and behavioral well being. It is our obligation to provide a setting conducive to improving staff work life and patient health.

There are so many calculations to be made during a typical day in a veterinary practice - antibiotic doses, fluid flow rates, anaesthetic and analgesic doses. Every time someone makes a calculation there is a chance for a mistake. Unfortunately, even a small miscalculation can spell disaster for an animal patient.

A lower risk practice purchase means the buyer and seller both win and the practice sells. It may be obvious that win-win is best, but sales are made that are not win-win or low risk. The practice sale may be to an independent third party or to an inside person, usually an associate doctor.