Technicians

I had just come in from a walk when my phone rang. As any veterinarian knows, getting a call this late at night could mean only one thing: a sick animal.

Are you in tune with Baby Boomers? All-knowing of New Millenniums? Savvy with Generation X? Up to snuff with Traditionals? Take this quiz and test your generational know-how.

She's a workaholic. He doesn't get the rules. She wants a steady, independent work environment, while he prefers lots of activity and public recognition. Here's a quick guide to the care and feeding of team members from different generations.

It's time to bare your sole to team members and share what rubs you the wrong way. Use these tips and insights to put your team on an even heel.

Sometimes pets and their owners share an uncanny resemblance-bad behavior. Use this chart to tackle both species' less favorable features.

When the school bell rings at Heritage Animal Hospital in Maple Grove, Minn., team members celebrate.

One night about a year ago, I was on call but had important business to attend to-I was standing in line at a local bookstore waiting for the release of the latest book in the Harry Potter series. It was midnight, and true to form, my pager, the black box of evil, chimed.

Everybody wants to feel recognized by their bosses and peers. Here's how you can say thanks and boost morale in your practice.

Are there tough talks you're not having? Learn to lay issues on the table and push that pachyderm out of your practice and your life.

Q When I ask my co-workers for help, they seem receptive but never follow through. What should I do?

Review this list of items to include in puppy and kitten kits. Then select the handouts and giveaways that target your practice's education mission and goals.

To keep the team eggs-ited at Cloverleaf Animal Hospital in Westfield Center, Ohio, Linda Randall, DVM, AVBP, and Susan Harr, the practice manager, host an annual indoor spring egg hunt at their one-doctor practice.

Use this survey to learn how satisfied clients are with your practice.

Q Should I receive compensation or bonuses for the dental procedures I'm specially trained to perform?

Form asking employees to acknowledge that they understand the hospital manual and their at-will status

Sick of the communication gaps and the infighting about policy changes that often occur between front and back office team members? Crystal Steen, a receptionist at Pet Care Vet in Virginia Beach, Va., suggests electing area liaisons.

Q. How can I get the most out of my practice's open house?

My own illness gave me a glimpse into the tough road to recovery the patients at our clinic face every day-and how my care can make a difference.

We rehired a team member after she had a baby and she's implemented a nursing regimen at work. At lunch, she nurses in her car with her undergarments visible or on the side lawn of the practice parking lot. Then she pumps-in our doctor's office. The rest of the staff is uncomfortable, and we would like to encourage discretion while still supporting her decision to nurse her child. How do I approach this employee?

Use these targeted tactics to chisel away at team members' bad behavior and heigh-ho poor performance right out of your practice.

An effective e-mail program gives your practice a high-tech image, says author Ralph Laurie.

On an ordinary day a few months ago, I watched a cartoon with my toddler about seeds of discontent.

Q When I discuss client education topics, I feel like clients are tuning me out. How can I make them listen?

Our receptionists often forget to give clients their pets' medications before they leave our practice. I created a hanging prescription filing system to simplify the process, but that hasn't resolved the problem. I've approached my managers about the issue, but they don't seem concerned. What should I do?

They're the situations you dread.

Pet owners are clearly learning about nutrition. But where are they getting their information? Brian Conrad, practice manager at Meadow Hills Veterinary Center in Kennewick, Wash., worries that it's not from you.

The team at Concord Veterinary Center in Springville, NY, expected an uneventful monthly practice staff meeting, but Debbie Kaczmarski, LVT, the hospital manager, and Craig Wiede, DVM, the practice's owner, had another plan.

Send your team home on time and impress clients by replacing old-fashioned callbacks with e-mails and text messages.

Six pet owners tell their stories about why they left veterinary practices. Learn from their experiences--then use these tips and tools to avoid critical client care mistakes.

Grab clients' attention and encourage compliance by using descriptive terminology, suggests Sharon DeNayer, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and the practice manager at Windsor Veterinary Clinic in Windsor, Colo.