Practice Management
Q&A: The trouble with helping needy employees
January 1st 2011A hard-working veterinary assistant at my practice is having money troubles and turning to payday loans to make ends meet. Our salaries are fair and reasonable for our area and our economy. I'm worried this is a poor personal financial decision on his part. What should I do?
Veterinary employment contracts should be a win-win agreement (Proceedings)
November 1st 2010Employment contracts exist even if they are not in writing. The problem with oral contracts is in trying to enforce them. Contracts require a meeting of the minds of two persons followed by some form of payment for enforceability. Employees, although commonly intimidated, must realize they are on equal footing with the employer.
Can't get no satisfaction? How to minimize staff turnover (Proceedings)
November 1st 2010Whether an employee leaves by choice or at your request, turnover costs your practice. There's the obvious cost of advertising for a replacement and the time spent interviewing the various candidates. But there's also the cost of lost productivity during the interim when you're short-staffed.
Common sense management (Proceedings)
November 1st 2010In the mid 1970's, the National economy started to slow down while the number of veterinarians continued to increase. Concerns were expressed that too many veterinarians would be produced by the year 2000. In the late 1970's and 1980's some practices experienced reduced numbers of clients and no-growth or slow growth gross incomes resulting in declining net incomes.
Shifting from a negative to a positive practice environment (Proceedings)
November 1st 2010Humans and animals have the instinctive ability to energetically interact with everything around them. As positive or negative energies interact with our energy fields, we are physically and emotionally affected. When the surroundings are stressful, this energy can cause anxiety, weaken the immune system and literally create negative situations for the patient. Procedures can be more difficult, untoward reactions can occur, and healing can be interrupted because of the energy of the people and surroundings. It is imperative that we keep gossip, anger, and drama out of the practice.