Help Shape the Future of Veterinary Education
|Articles|July 7, 2016

Practice management hacks: Advice to a new manager on standards of care

VHMA members spill their best kept secrets for better patient care.

The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) shared exclusive data with us, and we're thrilled to bring you this series of practice management "hacks" or best-kept secrets from VHMA members.

First up, VHMA members were asked: If you had to give advice to a new manager (in a single, one-line statement) what advice would you give regarding the establishment/management of standards for patient care? What's your best kept secret or what has made the biggest successful impact?

 

For a cheeky look at how technicians "fail" doctors, don't miss this video from Drs. Andy Roark and Dave Nicol.

 

 

Want more than input? Here's how to guarantee staff buy-in.

 

 

We can prove this works: Here's a case study on sharing your own pet's struggles with clients.

 

 

The ideas on how to do this well abound-check out the articles here.

 

 

You can make your practice better one step at a time, by implementing a way to track systems, procedures and client preferences.

 


Related to this article

Q&A: Caregiver burden can begin early in pet illness. Are veterinary teams equipped to support clients, and how can veterinary social workers help both parties?
Caroline Cox, LSW, MSW, and Erika Krick, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology), discuss the role of veterinary social workers in supporting clients, communicating with veterinary teams, and helping practices address the human side of veterinary care in this Q&A from an interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference.
Inside veterinary social work
In a slideshow drawn from an on-site dvm360 interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference, a veterinary oncologist and a veterinary social worker walk through how the role supports owners and staff across a pet's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and end-of-life care.