About the Author
Take Charge columnist Dr. Karen E. Felsted is the founder of PantheraT Veterinary Management Consulting. She spent three years as CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.
Written By This Author

Human Resources
Successful Successions
Be sure to outline how to replace a practice manager or another critical leader long before the need arises.
Client Communication
Get the Most From Your Estimates
Remember, your client and veterinary practice are on the same side. Both of you want what’s best for the pet.
Practice Management
Forgoing an Estimate Can Cost You
The more a pet owner knows about your prices in advance, the better.
Practice Management
Long COVID’s Legacy
A pandemic-driven wellness check shows how the veterinary profession can serve clients and team members better.
Human Resources
Why Exit and Stay Interviews Matter
An in-depth conversation with a departing or current team member can unearth what is and isn’t working well at your practice.
Human Resources
How to Structure an Associate DVM’s Pay
Each veterinary practice must determine the best approach, whether it involves salary, production or a combination.
Human Resources
Are You Paying Your Veterinarians Enough?
Job candidates turn down offers and associates are prone to quit when compensation is out of line and the workplace has culture issues.
Innovation/Technology
AI Delivers Results for the Patient and Practice
Image interpretation using artificial intelligence can improve your radiographic services if you follow these six steps.

Merchandising
Addressing Inventory
With more work and less staff as a result of the pandemic, inventory can fall to wayside and open the way for theft and mismanagement.
Client Communication
Getting Back to Basics
If your hospital is underperforming, define your value proposition, diagnose any other problems and make the necessary fixes.

Personal Wellness
Work Less, Play More
Practice managers must learn to free themselves from their job when time off beckons.

Human Resources
Hire Quickly but Sensibly
Skipping critical steps in identifying the best person for your practice will lead to failure.
Practice Management
Lighten Your Load
If you are seriously overworked, sit down with your boss and discuss the hours.
Practice Management
Unraveling a Few Emerging Problems
Veterinary life got more complicated during the pandemic, saddling teams with personal and practice-wide challenges.
Finance
Help! We Can’t Make Payroll!
Notify your employees as soon as you know their paychecks will be reduced or delayed.
Practice Ownership
Rise Above the Rest
The primary focus in determining your practice’s business model is knowing what pet owners want and value.
Practice Management
Say No to No-Shows
While some practices are grateful to have no-shows, which they say create breathing room in an already hectic schedule, others respond to the nuisance in a variety of ways.
Veterinary Industry
Six Growing Issues
The veterinary world is getting more complicated. It’s time to embrace change for the good of the profession, clients and patients.
Practice Management
What Now?
With little warning, the COVID-19 pandemic pummeled the veterinary industry and transformed patient care, client relations and staffing. Will we ever return to the “old normal,” or is more upheaval still to come?
Practice Management
12 Ways to Sustain Your Practice
Tough times need tough people. This is a great time for caution tempered with common sense.
Practice Management
The price is right
The Pet Owners Economic Value Study reveals what pet owners are willing to pay for veterinary care. Clients ages 19 to 29 are an attractive customer segment.
Client Communication
Be the Center of Attraction
Why waste time looking for new clients if you don’t know why pet owners are leaving? Correct your hospital’s problems and start a marketing campaign.