Shawn Gatesman named Practice Manager of the Year

Shawn Gatesman of Heartland Veterinary Clinic in Harrisonburg, Virginia, has been named the 2014 Veterinary Economics Practice Manager of the Year. One of 10 nominees, Gatesman is the first to win the award, which was sponsored by Veterinary Pet Insurance and included a trip to CVC Kansas City, a monetary prize and a seat on the Veterinary Economics' editorial advisory board for one year.

Gatesman entered the contest but says he didn't expect to be chosen as the winner. “It's an honor to be selected out of a group of nominees who were all just as deserving as I was,” he told Veterinary Economics during CVC. “But I think this is an opportunity to focus on management from the top down.”

In his entry Gatesman described how, while revamping his practice's dental services, he implemented a method of departmentalizing his team, creating specialists in certain areas. “We considered focusing our team on specialties, where doctors and veterinary technicians rotate less often and become more capable and efficient in some areas,” he says. “We reviewed our goals as a practice and over several meetings with team members and department leads, we took that info and worked it into a departmentalized setup. Not only have team members thrived, but the practice has seen marked increases in services production and a level of care to go right along with it.”

His team describes Gatesman as a dedicated manager who isn't afraid to leave his office. They were thrilled by the news of his win: “The accolades are amazing and my team came out and said, ‘You really deserve this; you know you deserve this,' Gatesman says. “And I said, ‘No I didn't, but thanks.'” His team put up congratulatory plaques around the practice celebrating the win.

For information about all 10 of the nominees visit dvm360.com/pmoy. Details about the 2015 Practice Manager of the Year competition will be announced at the CVC San Diego in December.