Employee assistance programs: The basicsFebruary 14, 2020Employers are realizing that when a staff member’s personal problems are left unchecked, they can fester, bubble over, and impact every aspect of their life, including job performance.
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Courageous conversations: Respond, don't reactFebruary 12, 2020Rather than reacting when a conflict occurs, learn productive ways to respond to sensitive conversations with coworkers, management, and/or clients.
MightyVet video explores euthanasia's effect on veterinariansFebruary 11, 2020Euthanasia takes an emotional toll on even the most seasoned animal health professionals, and an award-winning video by MightyVet hopes to spark dialogue on this issue.
Three phrases to banish from your vocabularyOctober 28, 2019Have you ever visited a foreign country and struggled to communicate because you don’t know the language?
Millennials favor friendly staff, personalized serviceSeptember 18, 2019Young pet owners are willing to spend on their pets, but their loyalty is far from free.
Need help selling services? It's all about client communicationJuly 24, 2019As independent, small-business practice owners, we are all very aware of the changes in our profession over the last 20 years and the need to search out new services or products allowing us to stay relevant and keep ahead of the competition. It is not just our neighboring clinics that can take a bite out of our profitability. Indeed, we must also keep in mind that in this information-saturated digital world, our clients are exposed to an astounding number of influences regarding pet care, all of which have a profound impact on their buying tendencies, as well as their trust in your offerings.
It takes four Cs to be completely competentMay 23, 2019What would you do if you could design the perfect, well-rounded, multitalented veterinarian? Which traits would be required? What skills would be indispensable? Our Dutch colleague Roeland Wessels, DVM, has found the ideal recipe.* "Veterinarians (and their team members) are like diamonds. Their worth is defined by the four Cs. Those Cs don't stand for carat, cut, color, and clarity, but for clinical, communication, cooperation, and commercial skills." Let's go over each set of skills. 1) Clinical skills You are trained to provide excellent, evidence-based, state-of-the-art medicine. You are capable of diagnosing and treating patients—or accomplishing whatever your mission is at a veterinary practice. You have vast amounts of knowledge. Regardless of your education, you still need to improve or refine your clinical skills by reading journals and attending continuing education meetings. "Yet, veterinarians usually overestimate how important clinical competence is in the eyes of a pet owner. They expect you to be great, or they wouldn't even be in your exam room," Dr. Wessels explains. Ironically, some clients will brag more about the fact their pet has a 20-cm long incision with 23 skin staples than they will gloat about a tiny spay incision with no …
Are "team-building" exercises worth it?May 23, 2019Many people have participated in "team-building" exercises—but do they work? Let's start by defining what we mean by team building. According to Wikipedia, it is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams often involving collaborative tasks. 1 Many team-building exercises aim to expose and address interpersonal problems within the group. Developing the veterinary team requires developing each individual employee, as well as helping people learn to work together constructively.2 That's the definition. However, it doesn't address the question of, "Why do it?" According to author and veterinarian, Carin A. Smith, DVM, good team development contributes to employee and client satisfaction. Happy people stick around and do a good job. Staff retention increases productivity and reduces expenses.2 Seems like a good reason to do it—teamwork is a worthy goal! Certainly, the general goals consist of getting to know your coworkers better, increasing team spirit, fostering innovation and creativity, enhancing communication, supporting each other, and the list continues. But is there more? Are team-building exercises worth it? What is your team-building ROI? To properly measure the success of a team-building session, you need to have a plan and baseline metrics. …
Is the person you just hired a real CVT?May 2, 2019You don't have to be a human resources guru to ensure the person you're hiring is genuinely credentialed. Yet, fraud happens. When applying for a position, anyone can claim to be a credentialed veterinary technician/technologist (CVT) in good standing. But are they? It can be frustrating if you know someone who has falsely (either intentionally or through ignorance) represented himself/herself as a CVT to obtain a job. People who are CVTs in good standing have gone through a process to obtain these credentials (CVT, registered veterinary technician [RVT], licensed veterinary technician [LVT], or licensed veterinary medical technician [LVMT]). It's unfortunate when individuals apply for a position as a CVT (of any title) when they are unqualified. However, this is no excuse for the hiring manager not to perform due diligence in the hiring process, which includes verifying credentials. Defining proper job duties Hiring a new employee starts by defining the role of each team member, establishing a solid job description for the required expertise. These can be tweaked as needed for individual skill sets when a good fit is found. It is important to recognize the training CVTs receive. Ultimately, the requirements to be certified, registered, or licensed are …
Pathway Vet Alliance to hire over 175 veterinariansMarch 26, 2019Pathway Vet Alliance says it is looking to hire more than 175 veterinarians across the company's network of veterinary hospitals. In addition to veterinarians, Pathway is also hiring for hundreds of support positions—both nationwide and at its main support office in Austin, Tex.—in business development, human resources, IT, practice management, and marketing. "Our continued growth over the last few years has been extraordinary, and we remain committed to investing in our existing team members and creating new career opportunities nationwide," says Renee Harbour, the company's talent director and mergers and acquisition DVM integrations manager. "Pathway is a conduit for people who want to practice their passion and help make an impact in the veterinary industry. We invite those interested in joining our team to visit our website and become a change agent for good." In 2018, the company acquired 55 new veterinary practices, and now supports nearly 200 locations across the U.S., employing more than 4,500 staff members. Pathway was ranked 1,094 on Inc. magazine's 37th annual Inc. 5000, which is a list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Applicants interested in joining Pathway's team can visit the website.
