 Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman is a certified veterinary practice manager and owner of VMC Inc., a veterinary consulting firm based in Evergreen Colo. Through his firm, he has consulted with more than 800 veterinary hospitals throughout North America, providing assistance in associate hiring, partnership formation, exit strategies, employee issues, profitability, efficiency, and more. He has lectured worldwide at meetings such as Fetch dvm360 conference (formerly CVC), the North American Veterinary Conference, the World Small Animal Veterinary Conference, the Denmark Annual Congress, and the London Veterinary Forum. Opperman founded the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association and served as president until 1993. Through his VMC School of Veterinary Practice Management, he has trained more than 250 practice managers.

I work at a walk-in clinic. Some clients ask for me, but if it's a 40-minute wait, they'll see another doctor. My boss wants to pay me a percentage of my production. Is this fair at a walk-in clinic? 

Many walk-in practices use percentage-based compensation for associates, says 

 Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of consulting firm VMC Inc. in Evergreen, Colo. No matter what type of practice you work at, with percentage-based compensation you're in charge of your own destiny. Consider these questions:  

What's your average per-client transaction charge?

Are you offering a full-service approach and educating your clients about everything they need to know, then following up with strong recommendations? 

With your employer's consent, try setting aside a day or two a week for scheduled appointments; on these days you'll take walk-in clients only when you don't have an appointment scheduled. "This would be the best of both worlds—for the practice, for you, and for the clients who wish to see you," Opperman says. 

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Associates

Business

I work at a walk-in clinic. Some clients ask for me, but if it's a 40-minute wait, they'll see another doctor. My boss wants to pay me a percentage of my production. Is this fair at a walk-in clinic?

Compensation at a walk-in clinic

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