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Practice owners need to be fairly compensated. A four-tier formula is the answer.

As the owner of your veterinary practice, how do you determine your compensation and benefits? Unfortunately, many practice owners are what I call bottom feeders. That is, whatever amount is left in the bank account at the end of the month is how much they pay themselves. This is not how you should determine your […]

Your appointment calendar should be teeming with patients but not so crammed that you regularly turn away or turn off clients.

As you plow through the spring and gear up for what promises to be a busy summer season, maximizing efficiency and minimizing the craziness of the appointment schedule should be at the top of your mind. This year I am determined to coach up the reception team to passionately and proactively manage the calendar to […]

Suffering from burnout, compassion fatigue or work-life issues? Make time for yourself, and distance yourself from what causes you the most stress.

Do you ever feel like life is spinning out of control? Like you never have enough time for the things you need to do, and no matter what you do, you think you should be doing something else? This is common among veterinary professionals. The stress begins during school and training and continues in the […]

Choosing a new revenue item is easy. What is time consuming, and more fruitful, is careful planning and staff and client education.

Your veterinary hospital has decided to carry a new product. It could be something brand new to the market or something that has been around for some time and now you think it will be a better fit for your clients and their pets. Either way, change is about to happen. The success of a […]

Underrepresented and low-income students are determined to earn admission to veterinary school and thrive afterward. You can help them achieve their dreams.

Last fall, young people from all over the United States applied to veterinary school. Their applications represented a significant step toward their lifelong goal of becoming a veterinarian. At the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, where I work, we survey applicants and use the data collected to recommend recruiting and admissions practices. The veterinary […]

Focusing on pet-specific care will improve patient and financial outcomes in your veterinary practice.

For veterinary medicine to provide real value to pet owners and real financial success for veterinarians, there is a need to focus on being proactive, appreciating risk factors, closing compliance gaps and managing through evidence-based guidelines. This is the essence of pet-specific care and an opportunity that veterinarians should embrace. I define pet-specific care as […]

Fill-in veterinarians are well worth the cost. They help maintain work flow and keep clients happy, pets cared for and the staff sane.

Does anyone remember the McDonald’s advertising slogan “You deserve a break today”? The jingle frequently dances through my head as I think about my career as a relief veterinarian. The veterinary relief, or locum, niche is becoming ever more important in our profession. The need for this business-to-business service is growing along with the exploding […]

What you do in advance of a staff meeting and how you utilize your sales reps can improve employee buy-in and, in turn, client compliance.

In the run-up to 2019, manufacturers and distributors met with their sales teams to announce new goals, strategies, product lines, marketing campaigns and client-clinic incentive programs. New educational pieces, training opportunities, efficacy studies and pricing lists were reviewed and summarized. To the average client, such news is as exciting as hearing their pet needs to […]

Production-based compensation, when implemented correctly, is a win-win for the veterinarian and the practice owner.

An article recently published in this journal [“A Prescription for Change,” October/November 2018] declared that it is time to do away with production-based compensation and “all its ills.” The article went on to proclaim that production-based compensation is no longer viable as a means of compensation for associate veterinarians. I could not disagree more. First […]

From employee assistance programs to well-being seminars, the practice manager has a number of options for addressing a team member’s actual or potential personal crises.

Without a doubt, a team member struggling with a personal issue — marriage, financial, substance abuse or mental health, for example — can show a decline in productivity, attendance, energy and attitude while on the job. Personal rough patches are inevitable. But how can a practice manager support the team member, minimize any negative impacts […]