Roles

Looking for a prescription for a dull staff meeting? Dawn Westbrook, the client services supervisor at Pine Ridge Pet Care in Andover, Minn., found the perfect solution. She surprised team members with a game instead of the usual policies and procedures discussion.

Dancing keeps this veterinarian on her toes.

privileged content

Reward associates for their knowledge, education, time, and experience level.

Use this form to document verbal warnings when you're disciplining employees.

Avoid miscommunication and use this referral form to help improve patient care.

Take these three steps to make sure you can reach your team members and communicate critical news.

Position descriptions help you maintain your focus during the search for employees, communicate the responsibilities of the position to potential candidates, structure the orientation and training process, and assist in employee evaluations.

Obesity is a growing problem in pets. Use educational handouts like this one to help your clients better understand obesity, the associated health risks, and what they can do.

Take the next step to show your staff members the way to safety.

"After the cards dry, we put a couple pieces of clear packing tape over the front of the card," says Jeremy Gerhard, LVT, CVT, at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich.

To breed cats in Rhode Island, owners must obtain a breeding permit. The fee: $100 per cat per year.

Four years ago, my business partner Dr. Ed Farnham and I purchased the Hexagon House, a bed and breakfast in Pentwater, Mich., off Lake Michigan.

Written training guidelines define the path your employees will take. Use these guidelines to develop yours.

If an employee quits, do I have to pay that person for his or her remaining vacation days?

How much should I compensate a mobile veterinarian who wants to perform surgeries and dentals at my clinic? She'd conduct the procedures but use my clinic's equipment, staff, and drugs for her clientele.

15 tools and tips to take your team from good to great.

An estimated 45 percent of pets in the United States are overweight or obese. So now's the time to tip the scale in favor of leaner, healthier pets.

This veterinarian's passion for practice-and helicopters-lets him fill a unique niche.

Use these tips to change client confrontations into useful collaborations.

Based on an analysis of seven years of BSE surveillance data, the USDA has concluded that the prevalence of the disease is less than 1 case per million adult cattle. Because of the low level of the threat, it plans to pull back on its surveillance program.

Should we offer walk-in appointments?

Dr. Bonnie Beaver, MS, Dipl. ACVB, stood up in July against a bill that would ban horse slaughter for human consumption. The past-president of the AVMA says, "The legislation doesn't address the financial support required to care for the horses given up by their owners.

Most veterinarians don't see malpractice threats and lawsuits as their most pressing issue.

A new Web site will help you and your clients easily locate safety information about drug products regulated by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Have you or are you successfully managing this balancing act? Share your strategies, struggles, and triumphs here.

Almost half of illicit drug users who are employed full-time work at businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Find out how you can make your practice a drug-free zone.

I work in a new practice and everyone is used to different protocols. How can we get on the same page?

Just whisper the word tests, and clients will flood you with questions: what, when, how much? Try these answers to get the OK.

Practice managers lower turnover, free up the doctors' time so they can focus more on patients and clients, and improve the owners' sanity. Could you use one of these gems in your practice?