5 Someecards Every Vet Tech Needs to Keep on HandMarch 21, 2016Your job as a veterinary technician is hard. And sometimes the frustrations and perks of the job are best expressed in the form of SomeeCards. 1) What money? 2) What weekend plans? 3) Bring it on. 4) Solid career advice. 5) You're just trying to be helpful.
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What They Never Tell You About Being a Vet Tech in SchoolMarch 21, 2016If you're a vet tech, or looking to be a vet tech, there are just some things that can't be taught. There are things you can only learn from experience. That's the spirit that this infographic from Vet Tech Guide captures in explaining what vet techs really do. The topics covered include: You Won’t Always Cry During Euthanasia Emergencies Always Happen at 4:50 PM on Fridays Not Everyone Loves Their Pet Like You Do You’ll Almost Never Have a Peaceful Lunch It’s Not Always the Big Dogs Who Will Bite You Get a Morbid Sense of Humor You Might End Up Saving People, Too You Have to Like People Clients Will Give Vets All the Credit You’ll Trust Your Vet With Your Own Life What tips would you add to to this list? Let us know in the comments.
7 Qualities of a Great Veterinary SupervisorMarch 21, 2016Before we get started, we need to explain just what a supervisor is and what it is not. What it is not: It is generally not the office manager, practice manager or hospital manager. What it is: The person just “above” the team members on the organizational chart — the hierarchy of the veterinary practice, so to speak. In a smaller practice, with a handful of team members, this might be the office manager, if this person oversees the receptionists and there is no other management figure between the two. Typically, however, the supervisor is someone like the Head Receptionist or Lead Technician, the person put in charge of the team member in that same position. BUT — and this is a big but — this person might not actually have any sort of management title. They might instead be the one who has worked at the practice the longest, or one who is the oldest and almost always the person who is considered the best at that position. They may not hold a management title but are considered the ultimate “go-to” person for that position. We call these “silent …
Why You Need to Start Saying 'No'March 17, 2016In the course of my 20 years in veterinary practice, I’ve learned lots of stuff—mostly the hard way. Worst of all, I’ve kissed lots of frogs. I know you have, too. Be they clients, employers, employees, product suppliers, service providers or business partners, we veterinary professionals interact with a wide range of possible reptiles. But as we all know, even princesses have to pucker up to get what they want. Yes, people will come and go. The hard part is learning to say “no” gracefully so you can move on to the next potential prince with the least amount of slime on your lips. Indeed, most of us eventually learn that declining specific actions, interactions and scenarios is well worth the stress that accompanies the negativity that comes with “no.” With maturity, we recognize that people, places and things we once tolerated are not worth the energy they demand, and we can finally muster the courage to bid them farewell—and fast. Unfortunately, the possibility for negative interactions has kept pace with the speed and complexity of modern veterinary practice. Whether you’re firing a client, splitting up your practice’s …
2016 Western Veterinary Conference: Day 1March 7, 2016One of the largest veterinary continuing education events is held every year in Las Vegas: The Western Veterinary Conference (WVC). The annual event attracts thousands of veterinary professionals to Sin City for a week of hands-on labs, seminars, workshops, lectures, networking and much more in six topic areas: small animal, equine, veterinary technician, practice management, food animal, and avian and exotics. Once you're done for the day, you can head out and check out all Las Vegas has to offer, from casinos to live shows. The WVC, as they write on their website, is "dedicated to providing quality continuing education to the veterinary community through an array of learning styles and environments. Our courses provide comprehensive, progressive and practical knowledge that can be applied immediately to the veterinary practice." More than 1,000 CEs are available to participants. Have you never been to a WVC event? Here are a few highlights on what to look forward to below. (Click on each photo for explanation.) Next year’s conference will take place March 5 through 9, 2017.
How Do Veterinary Clients Drive You Insane?March 3, 2016It’s no secret that sometimes clients drive you insane. Thousand of words have been written about the struggle. Just check out Dr. Phil Zeltzman’s Marketing 101: Open Letter To New (and Existing) Clients, and bathe in the sarcasm. One highlight? “[Feel free to] insist that we follow your breeder’s recommendations, especially about anesthesia or vaccine protocols. Our schooling and veterinary journals really don't teach us anything of value, so we appreciate the guidance.” Andy Roark, DVM, DS, host of the YouTube show Cone of Shame, along with VetStreet.com decided to turn the tables on clients with the video, “Tips to Help Vets Lose Their Minds.” Watch it below: Dr. Roark's five tips for his clients to drive him insane? "No matter what, it's an emergency." "The best time to be seen is closing time." "No matter what, answer your phone." "Have the doctor talk to everyone you know." "Don't do anything the vet recommends and tell him." It’s no secret we can drive our clients insane too, as Wendy S. Myer’s points out in her article, “5 Statements That Secretly Irritate …
5 Qualities of an Amazing Veterinary ReceptionistMarch 1, 2016A good receptionist in veterinary medicine must realize that there is a host of names for his or her position besides “receptionist.” You could be a client service representative, client advocate, front office personnel and many more, including “the girls up front.” Yes, you will hear that also, and none of these position titles mean any disrespect whatsoever, despite any personal connotations you may assume. So what is a veterinary receptionist? As Wendy S. Myer's writes in her article "How to Support Your Veterinary Receptionist:" “Receptionists are the face of your veterinary hospital. They play the starring role in every client experience — from scheduling exams to check-in and checkout.” No one in the veterinary practice has anything but respect for the guys and gals that work the frontlines in veterinary medicine. How do we know? Because not one of them thinks that THEY would be able to do YOUR job — it is the toughest on the team, and everyone knows it. Why? Because you must possess a blend of qualities that are almost not humanly possible. What are those …
Why It's Important to Be YourselfFebruary 25, 2016Another sad story has rocked my world this past week. It made me think of all the people out there that feel they cannot BE who they want to BE. I do not think this relates just to personal lifestyles, but also to what we want to become as a professional and the type of work we choose to affiliate ourselves with. But the message came to me by way of a personal lifestyle tragedy. School shootings are, unfortunately, becoming commonplace in the news. That is sad enough, but this one captured my heart even before we knew the details. At an Arizona high school, two 15-year-old girls were found shot, with the weapon between them. It didn’t take the story unraveling to put together what kind of shooting this was. A murderer doesn’t often leave the weapon at the scene of the crime. As you probably know by now, this sad story was deemed a murder-suicide, and it was released that the girls were good friends, even a “couple” perhaps. Gay and lesbian youth commit suicide at an alarming rate. What struck me in this story, though, was knowing they made this decision together. Likely, they were forbidden, or …
Vet Confessions: I Lied When a Pet DiedFebruary 16, 2016Along with my passionate belief in the “good” of veterinary medicine, I’ve shared with you in this column my faith in God, and many colleagues responded with their own testimonies. Now it’s time for a confession. While many times in the past I’ve asked God for forgiveness for my sins and have been very open with my family and friends about egregious fraternity pranks, too many times drinking and driving when younger, and not being respectful enough of women when I was in “lust” and not in “love,” I’ve never opened up about the serious mistakes in my veterinary past. Some deadly. One of the most, if not the most popular column I’ve ever written for Veterinary Economics was titled “My Biggest Practice Mistakes … and the Lessons I Learned.” I literally had hundreds of colleagues over the years come up to me and tell me how they appreciated my honesty in that piece, that it was good to admit mistakes rather than always pretend as a communicator/ expert that your, pardon, “feces don’t stink.” They said they felt better about themselves, their careers and more open to admit mistakes. But …
How to Work With MillennialsFebruary 12, 2016Have you given up on understanding millennials, a.k.a. Gen Y? Do you believe they feel entitled, lazy and selfish? Here are some key insights to help you better understand them and work with them. Sure enough, this “largest generation” (80 million Americans) is very different from its predecessors. First, who is a Millennial? Exact ages and definitions vary, but here is how the Center for Generational Kinetics1 defines the five generations currently making up our society: iGen or Gen Z: Born 1996 and later Millennials or Gen Y: Born 1977 to 1995 Generation X: Born 1965 to 1976 Baby boomers: Born 1946 to 1964 Traditionalists: Born 1945 or before The Center for Generational Kinetics recently published a white paper2 that compiled data on Millennial employment and provided five insights. The insights pertain to employment in general and apply to veterinary medicine as well. Insight No. 1: What Motivates Millennials? The first insight is the five motivators for Millennial employees, ages 19 to 37, to engage with their jobs: They must feel valued within the organization (by far the most important driver). They must have confidence …
