VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVeterinary medicine is losing its personal touch August 12, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAFor me, it is that personal connection that matters most because, without it, I might as well be an accountant, or some other brand of desk jockey. The way I see it, if I’m not invested in my patient and their people, I would not be as motivated to be kind, compassionate, thorough, and diligent.
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VPN Plus+ ExclusiveA look inside the open-hospital model of veterinary careAugust 5, 2022By Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMAOne approach I have experienced and believe deserves greater study and broader adoption, is the open-hospital model.3For most of my career, I have worked in a hospital that encourages clients to be with their pet at any time while they are in our care, whether in the exam room for a routine checkup, hospitalized in the ICU, and even during dentistry, surgery, or other invasive procedures.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveA perspective against private equityJuly 7, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBABy the end of this column, I hope to explain the essence of private equity investing well enough to show there is nothing defensible (or even capitalist) about it. Even if you are one of the few fortunate veterinary practice owners likely to benefit enormously from it—trust me, there is nothing to love beyond what it does for your personal bank account. (I begrudge you not one penny of it. You have earned it!)
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveManaging sepsisJune 10, 2022By Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMAManaging sepsis is a great example of the challenge of practicing evidence-based medicine in an evidence-poor environment. Extrapolation from evidence in humans and reasoning from physiologic first principles are rational and necessary strategies, but, of course, they sometimes lead to practices that turn out to be ineffective or even counterproductive in veterinary patients.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveMy wildest dreams?June 2, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAPractices like mine are easily worth 20 times their original sale price (and possibly a lot more given our profession’s feverish practice transaction climate in many suburban markets). Trouble is, I have such mixed feelings on the subject of selling that I do not even want to know my practice’s current market value. Sure, I can have a proper valuation done, but do I really want to go there?
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveWhat to do when morale hits the skidsMay 5, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAWhile it looks like we may be coming out from under the weight of the worst this pandemic has to offer, it is going to take time to restore our practices to their stable workflows and our teams to the purpose-driven, satisfied working groups we once enjoyed. Here are some carrot and stick solutions, short- and long-term, to help address the low morale that currently plagues so many of us.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveTech Talk: Purdue's successful approach to educating the entire vet med teamApril 28, 2022By Ashli Selke, RVT, CVTAccomplishments such as this contribute to the veterinary nursing field and how Purdue is excelling in the relationships created between DVM and nursing students. This, I believe, is critical to our profession’s future of understanding each other and our prospective roles.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveWhen in doubt, cut it out! But by how much?April 13, 2022By Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMARegardless of its mysterious provenance, the 3-cm margin for MCT excision has been widely adopted. Given the technical difficulty of this practice and the risk of post-surgical complications, it is likely many patients have suffered such complications or even been denied treatment for their disease due to the lack of an available veterinarian comfortable performing such an aggressive surgical excision. The adoption of standards without strong evidence has real-world consequences for our patients.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveTattoos and don'ts?March 17, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAWe all have our views on the subject: electing to dress, cut our hair, and otherwise alter our appearance in accordance with these. Some, however, seem ever determined to impose their personal standards on others.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVet technicians need and want title protection; why so inconsistent?March 3, 2022By Ashli Selke, RVT, CVTTitle protection across our profession lacks continuity. The guidelines for this vary across the United States, which creates a huge misunderstanding from within the profession as well as consumers. How can anyone keep up when our title is protected in one state but not even recognized in another? The answer is, we can’t. So, we need to work together to bring the “big” issues to the forefront.
