Have you ever been bamboozled by an embezzler? Dr. Alice Villalobos of Hermosa Beach, Calif., planted the thought in the minds of about 75 practitioners and practice managers during a management conference hosted by the American Animal Hospital Association in Boston.
"Just the facts, just give us the facts." That is my best recollection of one of the favorite phrases of Sergeant Joe Friday, on the TV series "Dragnet". I am not showing my age too much, am I? Anyway, there are many times in dairy practice when we really need facts to back up the suggestions we give to our clients.
Many dairy veterinarians benefit by being skilled at training lay people to do appropriate tasks. This is true for in-house practice procedures, and also for things done by lay people on client farms.
Las Vegas-If you ask Dr. Paul Hobson, setting up a simple intranet can save you and your staff the most precious commodity of all - time.
Remember the marketing principle that 20 percent of clients make up 80 percent of your revenue
DVM Newsmagazine knows that eating right is never easy for anyone -- especially if you?re a pet owner with a dog or cat suffering from renal disease.
Architect hands down hard lessons in building veterinary practices from the ground up
"Most dairy producers tend to fall into one of three categories; those who are interested in maximizing profit, those who are interested in achieving excellence, and those who are pursuing a way of life."
I find myself reluctant to do performance reviews, and feel almost apologetic to employees when I schedule them. Perhaps it is the formality involved, or the fear of criticism that makes performance reviews take on an atmosphere of tension.
Fee setting in veterinary medicine is chaos personified. For lack of a better term, I call it transition theory.
How to hire without all the headaches
As the world's largest economy faces recession and veterinarians brace for lags in client spending, cutting back on employee training might seem like a sure way to save a buck.
Ah, it is yet another New Year that brings joy to those who are preparing for the end of the current economic slowdown. (Yes, we can believe that the economy will rebound.)
"Where were you when the terrorist attacks occurred in September?" I imagine that question will come up often in the years to come, much as it does regarding the assassination of JFK or Pearl Harbor for previous generations. I think I will always remember being in the fitness room of my hotel in Vancouver, B.C., while attending the annual meeting of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
Medical lawsuits might be a declining trend if communications were strengthened between practitioner and client, says Thomas E. Harris, Ph.D., veterinary consultant and professor at the University of Alabama.
Editor's Note: The following companies and organizations are now offering some form of staff training in a specific area of veterinary medicine. (This is by no means meant to be an inclusive list, but rather a starting point for practices in need of training information.)
Violence in the workplace is a much greater threat to your hospital than most practitioners realize, experts say.
Employment manuals: Are they the glue that bonds the relationship between employer and employee? Or are they the grim reaper of future litigation?
VE board member reports from the trenches of 9/11.
Milwaukee - Republican veterinarian J.A. "Doc" Hines, DVM, who is running for the 42nd Assembly District of the Wisconsin legislature, says, let the debates begin.
Title familiar? O.K. Maybe you have a life. For the rest of our readers, this Swahili mistranslation says basically no worries!
Minnesota and Wisconsin state organizations are in the preliminary stages of teaming with dairy veterinarians to better define the best role and best practices dairy veterinarians should follow in dairy practice, following the recent passage of a Minnesota resolution.
Relationships fascinate me. They contribute much to the satisfaction and happiness we derive from life. They are also the source of much pain and sadness.
"It seems like he gets shot out of a cannon every morning, and then just starts running from that spot. He's a great vet, but he's just so busy it's hard to get him to do anything that's not an emergency."
"It doesn't make any difference. I'll soon be out of business anyway."?This statement came in response to a suggestion I made to a client while still in practice. I was surprised. The person speaking was a friend as well as a client, and I knew he ran a profitable operation. He was usually upbeat and optimistic, but this morning there was irritation in his voice.
It is time to go to work. You have been in school for nearly eight years and within a few months you will receive your veterinary degree and become a licensed veterinarian. Naturally you are eager to find a job. After all, you have devoted most of your time and effort toward reaching this goal.
Keep money in your hospital by adopting this subtle marketing strategy--and give clients the service they expect and pets the care they need.
These proven strategies will help your practice make more money--and offer better client and patient care
