Columns

The veterinary world looks a whole lot different than it did 15 years ago. That’s a very good thing.

When I first worked on veterinary and animal welfare issues, back in 2004, two things were clear: I’d move on to other venues when the microchipping coalition wrapped up and we abandoned the silly notion that microchips and scanners for identifying lost pets should use proprietary technologies. No chance of me becoming what my kids […]

A professional look means different things to different people. Does your clinic’s policy reflect core values and a commitment to diversity?

Many years ago, my office initiated a dress code review. During our working group meetings, my male colleagues bemoaned how women could wear sleeveless shirts and sandals during the summer, while men were limited to sleeved shirts, neck ties and hot, confining loafers and Oxford shoes. Conversations quickly devolved into a gendered discussion about equity […]

A room dedicated to ultrasound or endoscopy — or both — requires thoughtful layout and certain fixtures to ensure efficiency.

Some diagnostic and treatment procedures once found only in specialist facilities are turning up in a wider range of practices because of greater equipment options and higher standards of care. In the last issue of Today’s Veterinary Business, I discussed planning a dedicated dental procedures space. This month, I will cover how to design rooms […]

Self-esteem can leave you when you need it most, so try building more self-compassion into your daily experiences.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” — Buddha If you had to choose between feeling good about yourself or forgiving yourself and accepting yourself completely, exactly as you are, which would you choose? Would you rather feel good about yourself or have compassion for yourself? Would […]

Reducing fear and stress in patients might require changing the workplace culture. Once you have the team’s attention and buy-in, your clients will take notice.

It’s a busy Monday morning at your practice, full of appointments and a few walk-ins spilling over from the weekend. And then, in the midst of controlled chaos, an anxious German shepherd is scheduled for a 20-minute appointment to “check hips.” A few years ago, just writing those words would have sent my shoulders hunching […]

Whether accomplished at conferences, online or during lunch and learns, continuing education is important for skillset development and career advancement.

Do you look at continuing education as a growth opportunity, or is it perceived as a necessary evil? Those of us in this profession for the long haul generally look at CE as a learning opportunity and a path to enhancing our knowledge, skills and abilities. The fact that you are reading this article is […]

Sharing details about your practice’s performance builds trust in your employees and can help make your business even more successful.

Open book management (OBM) has been part of the business vernacular since the mid-1980s, yet it continues to be viewed with healthy skepticism. A 2017 article in Forbes magazine reported that most companies increase profitability and productivity by 30% in the first year after implementing OBM. So, knowing that, what is OBM and would how […]

You might not be able to change the beliefs of anti-vaxxers, but you can communicate the veterinary perspective.

The notion that “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it,” penned by Jonathan Swift in 1710, is present in today’s pervasiveness of social media, fake news, fearmongering and pseudoscience. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Family Practitioners and other institutions have poured money, […]

The Veterinary Innovation Summit showed that pet health care is moving from reactive and acute to proactive and preventive. You can thank telehealth, wearables and other technology-driven ideas.

When a person blinks or a dog scratches his ear and the event isn’t recorded, it’s a moment in time likely to pass unnoticed and unaccounted for, one in an endless series of moments that have no beginning and no end. But what happens when that moment is recorded and someone is paying attention? When […]

The right mobile application can enhance your practice, your relationship with clients and, most importantly, pet health.

It’s all too easy to become overwhelmed by new offerings flooding the veterinary marketplace. While many of the shiny, new mobile apps are worth their weight in gold, cutting through the noise to determine the best fit for a veterinary practice isn’t so simple. As more companies promise to enhance engagement with the modern pet […]