Technicians

Bring your knowledge and an animal or two-you'll be the greatest show on earth.

When it's time to negotiate, don't be a doormat or a bully. Use these tips to find common ground.

Practices across the country are fielding waves of calls from scared pet owners as news about the pet food recall continues to break. Use these tips to answer clients' questions.

After a loss, take these steps to recognize clients' special relationships with their pets.

You never know what you're going to see in practice-it can be a real mixed bag.

The mean hourly wages of veterinary technicians and assistants were recently reported to be $12.90 and $9.90, respectively, as of March 2005. That was two years ago, so I would predict those figures will increase by 10 percent – to $14.14 and $10.90 – by the time you read this.

Need a new system to make sure callbacks happen? Joanne Bowman, RVT, a technician at Cottonwood Animal Hospital in Ottawa, Kan., uses plastic file baskets to hold each doctor's callback files in a central location.

Here's how to dress for the level of success you never wanted to achieve.

Ask Amy: Holiday scheduling blues

Not sure what to do with your empty walls? Charisse Lombardo, an interior de signer and president of CLM interiors in Ridgefield, Conn., suggests creating your own wall of fame.

Your practice isn't a bank, and you're not a loan officer. Use these eight strategies to make sure your practice gets paid for services--so the practice owner can pay you.

There's a different kind of pain that comes from making the decision of life or death for a pet.

Mrs. Smith is on the phone again. Someone from your practice left her a message.

Your practice is unique. Maybe you offer a service others don't, or maybe you just do it better. But if you don't tell clients why you're so special, they just might miss it. And wouldn't that be a shame?

Whether from accidents, illness, or euthanasia, pets die every day, often in your hospital. Do you know what to say--and what not to say--to clients before, during, and after a loss?

Creating unity among clients whose pets have passed away helps solidify their bond to your practice-and shows great empathy.

We've adopted a major hotel chain's steps for providing excellent client service. Of course, we aren't in the hotel industry, but we are in the hospitality industry.

Firstline gathered a group of consultants to discuss how to keep technicians in the profession.

Is your practice ready for a disaster? Even when your team members and patients are safe, fires and tornadoes may destroy critical records that help you match pets with their owners.

Compassionate caregiver. Teacher. Go-to person. These are all words co-workers use to describe Kathy Coffman, the 2007 Firstline MVP, sponsored by Virbac's C.E.T. University.

Every day at our practice is a scheduling nightmare, and our doctor just does not see the problem. Our practice is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We accept drop-offs from 7 to 8 a.m., but our doctor refuses to schedule a team member that early. He says he'll help clients, but when my manager and I arrive at 7:30 a.m., clients are waiting and upset. My doctor also complains if he has to pay us overtime, but if someone comes to the door or calls at 6:55 p.m., he lets them in. I understand he wants to generate revenue and help the pet, but whether it's an ear infection, an abscess, dental care, or a hot spot, he wants to treat the pet immediately. How can we run an efficient, regularly scheduled hospital?

Ask a client for a fecal sample and you'll likely get a range of responses-from slightly sickened to totally grossed out. Hey, playing with pet poop's not your favorite hobby, either, but fecal testing helps you keep pets parasite-free.

What's weighing you down? Use these tips to let go of the attitudes and behaviors that keep you from moving upward and reaching your career goals.

Does dingy, drab, or dungeon-like describe your practice? It might be time for a makeover. Use these quick and thrifty ideas to take your practice from blah to beautiful.

Listen to audio from the Firstline roundtable.

Listen to audio from the Firstline roundtable.

Listen to audio from the Firstline roundtable.

Listen to excerpts from the Firstline roundtable, "Why do technicians leave?"

Listen to audio from the Firstline roundtable.

Listen to audio from the Firstline roundtable