Business

Use this form to document verbal warnings when you're disciplining employees.

Avoid miscommunication and use this referral form to help improve patient care.

Take these three steps to make sure you can reach your team members and communicate critical news.

Just like this doctor, you may find the letters, photos, and mementos you receive from clients provide a critical pick-me-up when the tough days seem to outweigh the joys of practice.

Our receptionist is excellent at her job, and the clients love her-when she's here. She's been with us for less than a year, but she's frequently absent and still asked for a raise. So we switched her wages from hourly to salary, but now she wants even more money and doesn't want to work Saturdays. Am I being taken advantage of?

Just think of me as a big, black spider, plotting and planning ways to get you to my sticky Web site. In this scenario, you're the juicy fly, I'm afraid. But when you get to vetecon.com I hope you'll be happy as a clam. (This is where my metaphor falls apart, in case you didn't notice.)

Position descriptions help you maintain your focus during the search for employees, communicate the responsibilities of the position to potential candidates, structure the orientation and training process, and assist in employee evaluations.

Obesity is a growing problem in pets. Use educational handouts like this one to help your clients better understand obesity, the associated health risks, and what they can do.

Take the next step to show your staff members the way to safety.

"After the cards dry, we put a couple pieces of clear packing tape over the front of the card," says Jeremy Gerhard, LVT, CVT, at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich.

Using two historic buildings and a modern design, this hospital successfully honors the past, while stepping into the future.

My partner and I are opening a hospital and we're concerned about our accounting structure. Is a local accountant with a good reputation adequate, or should we find someone who specializes in veterinary medicine? What kind of costs can we expect?

We use a human resource company to handle our payroll and medical insurance. Should I include their management fee in our staffing costs?

Improve pet dental care with a client brochure.

Four years ago, my business partner Dr. Ed Farnham and I purchased the Hexagon House, a bed and breakfast in Pentwater, Mich., off Lake Michigan.

"Does the cassette slip around every time you move the animal on the radiograph table?" asks Lynn Kessel, practice manager at Round Rock Animal Hospital in Round Rock, Texas.

"Clients like to know their pets will be taken care of by doctors they know and trust in an emergency, so having a doctor on staff 24 hours a day just makes sense to us," says Dr. Tom Nelson, co-owner of Animal Medical Center in Anniston, Ala. "Besides, the nearest emergency clinic is 60 miles away."

Written training guidelines define the path your employees will take. Use these guidelines to develop yours.

Plug yourself and your team into the latest technology to improve communication-and your bottom line.

Many veterinary practices operate in older buildings with leaky windows, poor insulation and patched roofs. Despite escalating energy costs, the harsh reality is few veterinarians are aware of the many incentives – both cash and tax incentives – available to help reduce that operating expense.

Reading is power.

Using two historic buildings and a modern design, this hospital successfully honors the past, while stepping into the future.

Your client says, "You care more about my money than you do about my pet." How do you respond?

If an employee quits, do I have to pay that person for his or her remaining vacation days?

How much should I compensate a mobile veterinarian who wants to perform surgeries and dentals at my clinic? She'd conduct the procedures but use my clinic's equipment, staff, and drugs for her clientele.

15 tools and tips to take your team from good to great.

Are your walls or trim outdated? New paint, paper, and trim can take your exam room from ughh to ahhh.

The Clocktower Animal Hospital in Herndon, Va., saves nearly $36,000 a year through a buying group.

An estimated 45 percent of pets in the United States are overweight or obese. So now's the time to tip the scale in favor of leaner, healthier pets.

This veterinarian's passion for practice-and helicopters-lets him fill a unique niche.