Empathize with clients without sacrificing your sanityMarch 6, 2018Daisy’s time had come to an end. Her little body that once followed her owners from room to room and wiggled with joy every time they came home had been ravaged by cancer. She was a shell of her former self; her owners knew it was time. As her loved ones wiped away tears, I administered the final injection.
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Local SEO tips veterinarians need to knowFebruary 22, 2018Think about your behavior as a customer or patient. If you are looking for, say, a new restaurant or dentist, you'll probably do two things—look at their websites and look at online customer reviews. How much new business do you think restaurants or dentists would acquire if you couldn't use Google to find their websites? The same behavior applies to veterinary practices. For veterinarians, the numbers below further highlight the importance of local SEO—the techniques used to make a website appear prominently in Google's organic search results in a given geography. Consider these points: One-third of all mobile searches are local based, and the percentages are climbing. Google processes about nine billion local searches per month. A Pew study from 2013 revealed that about 93 million Americans have searched for healthcare topics online—and this was before mobile search became a factor. According to Moz Keyword Explorer, people search for "veterinarian near me" between 118,000-300,000 times per month in the U.S. The bottom line is this: If your website is optimized for local search, you can connect with more people who are in need of veterinary services. Here …
Veterinarians are mentally well but experience poor well-beingFebruary 17, 2018Veterinarians as a group don't experience psychological distress at significantly higher rates than the general population, according to a new mental health and well-being study by Brakke Consulting and Merck Animal Health. The Merck Animal Health Wellbeing Study, designed to definitively quantify the prevalence of mental illness and stress in the veterinary profession, compared findings to previous studies and to the U.S. population in general. The survey, which polled 3,540 American Veterinary Medical Association members (from a random sample of 20,000), is the first to measure well-being of such a large veterinary sample using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, which is widely used in assessing psychological distress among general and clinical populations. "This survey is unique in that, for the first time, a nationally representative sample of veterinarians in the U.S. were asked about their well-being, which is a broader measure of happiness and life satisfaction than mental health alone," said study investigator Linda Lord, Ph.D., DVM, academic and allied industry liaison lead for Merck Animal Health. One big takeaway is that 5 percent, or 1 in 20, of veterinarians struggle with serious psychological distress (roughly that of the employed general population). "The …
Undercover investigation provides lessons for us allFebruary 15, 2018A fairly recent decision of the Illinois Appellate Court highlights the importance of legal compliance for all veterinary hospitals. The case involves Illinois veterinarian Gary R. Friederich, owner of Park Forest Animal Clinic and Summit Animal Hospital, and his ongoing dispute with Lawrence Draus, a member of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department.
Equipment focus: Dental imagingFebruary 14, 2018Veterinarians who recognize the increased wellness in their patients as a result of proper dental care—as well as the positive financial impact of a well-organized dental program—are now embracing the latest generation of dental imaging equipment, according to Jim Waldsmith, DVM, president, Vetel Diagnostics of San Luis Obispo, Calif.
10 keys to (re)design your perfect lifeFebruary 13, 2018Whether you are starting your professional journey or are ready for a career change, it takes planning, introspection, and foresight to (re)design the life of your dreams. A new job, divorce, a career change, a New Year—all are opportunities to sit down and think hard about what you really want to accomplish with your life.
How Fear Free training decreases on-the-job veterinary injuriesFebruary 13, 2018I think it’s safe to say we’re the only profession with a 100 percent accident rate and, worse yet, a reoccurring one. As with any malady or disease, we are trained to look at cause and effect.
How to find the best value for X-ray and imaging equipmentFebruary 13, 2018Every clinic has its druthers when it comes to X-ray and imaging equipment, and there is no shortage of reasons why one type of equipment or a specific brand is selected over another.
The positive potential of pet insuranceFebruary 12, 2018Nearly 1.8 million pets were insured in North America by the end of 2016, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA). The United States accounts for about 1.6 million of insured pets. This represents an annual growth rate of 11.5 percent compared to the prior year … and studies show that these figures are climbing.
Equipment focus: Cardiac diagnosticsFebruary 6, 2018What’s one of the most frequent questions associated with a patient in respiratory distress? More often than not, it’s whether the issue is cardiopathic, according to Eric Lindquist, DMV, DABVP, Cert. IVUSS.
