Business

Q. Many of our clients don't seem to recognize the signs that their pets are in pain. What can we do?

Q. How do I deal with a team member who is going through a personal issue and seems noticeably distracted during work?

Learning to take the hard hits with poise and professionalism will make you a better doctor. So when the ugliest parts of your job throw a punch-jab combination, roll with it.

Make sure your benefits stack up well against the other options team members could find in your area-and give employees more reasons to stick around.

Q. To help my team members improve their computer skills, I'd like to pay for training classes. But I'm afraid a team member might leave soon after and I won't get a return on my investment. Should I take the risk?

Use these guidelines to balance appearance, cost, and durability when you choose interior building materials.

Q. How many hours can an associate work and still be considered part-time? Do on-call hours count?

From the windows to the walls, smart construction leads to big energy savings.

The first step: Figure out what type of client you are. Then choose an architect whose strengths match your needs.

The entrants in the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition represent the best practices built every year. Check out these lessons learned from their designs.

A chart to help you find the right level of comfort for the different areas in your practice.

Drains and air-return ducts may not seem sexy, but thoughtful choices about behind-the-scenes tools let your new practice work harder for you.

Two detail-oriented doctors, technological advances, and a tight floor plan combine at Harden Ranch Veterinary Hospital. The result: 10 pounds of practice in an 8-pound space.

Read "What's In It for Me?" and then solve the puzzle.

Well, clearly a lot. Enough that they buy them designer clothing and luxurious dog beds, in addition to the basics. (The APPMA estimates that we'll spend $38 billion on pets this year.) Enough that they rearrange their lives to accommodate pets' needs, getting out to give that walk or making time to tease with a feather toy. And pet owners rearrange their finances, of course, to pay for veterinary care-and food and toys and daycare and carriers.

Consider these five roads out of practice, and start planning your journey now.

EVERYONE IS CAPABLE OF MULTITASKING, but equine practitioners take the gold medal: driving the truck to the next appointment, talking on the cell phone, writing invoices, and keeping up with new technology. But at what expense? And how can you manage all those jobs and still focus on providing high-quality medicine?

The honeymoon is over. You've settled into your new place, routine has set in, and you're starting to realize this marriage thing isn't exactly how you dreamed it would be. Sound familiar?

Dr. Brad Rosonke, owner of Hillside Animal Hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz., has little interest in dentistry. But he knows that offering dental services means better care. His solution: Hire a dental resident.

When clients visit for routine checkups or care, send them home with a pet health report card, suggests Martha Harmon, office manager at Riverdale Animal Hospital in Riverdale, Ga.

Stagnation isn't an option. So use these strategies to paddle along the always-swelling river of new information. You'll find they make professional growth easy and exciting-and keep your passion for practice alive.

I heard that a veterinarian was audited and fined more than $30,000 in back taxes for not claiming discounted pet care as taxable income on his employees' paychecks. I've been offering $300 in pet care per year per full-time employee (and half that for part-timers). If an employee goes over the $300 limit, he or she gets a 50 percent discount on additional care. Have I been doing it wrong all these years?

Is there a less complicated way to offer pet care to my employees than offering discounted services?

Higher building costs coupled with clients' higher expectations for care put you in a challenging position. Adopt these forward-thinking strategies to position your new practice for success.

2006-2007 Firstline MVP Nomination Form

Customize this sample Word document to terminate a doctor-client relationship politely and professionally.

As the continuing education season is well under way, the time has come for another practical quiz.

These specialists designed their facility to reflect the care they give, focusing on traffic flow, workflow, and the potential for expansion. Today, clients and employees of Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson know the facility supports their goals.

Shawnee, Kan. - Bayer HealthCare, Animal Health Division, announced that it reached an agreement for U.S. distribution rights for Switzerland-based Datamars' ISO-approved microchips and scanners for companion animals and horses.

A corporate trustee won't die, move away, take a vacation or be biased or distracted by personal concerns.