Technicians

How do I make a dental recommendation to clients who've refused this care before?

When it comes to protecting your practice from lawsuits, you're your practice's best line of defense.

Feeling prickly about the new associate? You play a part in her success, so try to make her feel welcome.

Dogs can't wait to get through the front door of Chanhassen Veterinary Clinic in Chanhassen, Minn. For 12 years, the clinic has been throwing free puppy parties in its reception area.

Do you see the faces of your elderly or disabled clients as often as you'd like? When the team at Millsap Veterinary Clinic in Millsap, Texas, noticed some older clients were missing their pets' checkups, they started asking questions-and uncovered a transportation problem. Their solution: a pet taxi.

You know the routine all too well: Mr. Smith visits with his rambunctious English springer spaniel, Burt, and all goes well until you mention Burt's oral health. Enter the blank stare. Or the anxious shifting from foot to foot. Or even the hasty, "Oh, he's fine!"

The next time clients refuse care, use this advice from Caitlin Rivers, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and technician supervisor at Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa.: Don't take it personally.

We might think pets have it easy. No calorie counting. No comparing their thighs with supermodels on television or perusing the latest issue of Vogue and wondering how the pouty face on the cover got so thin. Nope. For pets someone measures out their food daily and with just a meow or a faithful wag of the tail, they're adored no matter how rotund they become. What a life!

My fondest wish is to never see this very wild--and very special--patient again.

Our department doesn't work as a team. Some team members are rude and disrespectful, and the work environment is so hostile I dread each day. Help!

Most clients would be pretty grossed out to find a flea or tick on their pets. But they don't always take all the steps to protect their pets from infestations. That's where you come in. You want to start pet owners off on the right paw, so begin discussing parasite control the first day clients visit with their new pets.

One of our clients was so in love with his Doberman. One day his dog escaped from his yard. A frightened neighbor went after the dog with electric hedge clippers. The dog was rushed in for emergency surgery. Once the dog recovered, the man was so grateful that every time he visited our hospital he volunteered his services for almost a year.

Looking for a prescription for a dull staff meeting? Dawn Westbrook, the client services supervisor at Pine Ridge Pet Care in Andover, Minn., found the perfect solution. She surprised team members with a game instead of the usual policies and procedures discussion.

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

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

I work in a new practice and everyone is used to different protocols. How can we get on the same page?

Just whisper the word tests, and clients will flood you with questions: what, when, how much? Try these answers to get the OK.

Jessica Harris, RVT, describes herself as the quintessential veterinary person who knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. This March, she realized her dream of attending veterinary school with an acceptance letter to North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Want to get more done in less time? Plan for efficiency with these one-step-at-a-time solutions.

Sharing my love for animals helped me reach out to a student struggling with a drug addiction.

Hospital tours attract new clients and cement your bond with existing ones. "We like to take the mystery away," says Dr. Lisa Barlow of Centennial Valley Animal Hospital PC in Louisville, Colo. "We think hospital tours help clients feel better about leaving their pets here."

Are you unhappy at work? Maybe it's time for a change. You know you need a new job when ...

Our practice just cut employee discounts because of an IRS law. Most of us have worked here for five or 10 years, and we have many pets to take care of. We can't afford their care now. Should we look for other jobs?

What's the nicest thing a client ever said to you?

Are you unhappy at work? Maybe it's time for a change. You know you need a new job when ...

Looking for a fun way to say thanks for a job well done? When the price at the pumps started rising this summer, the team at Community Veterinary Center in Oneonta, N.Y., received a special bonus: a little gas relief.

Few pets miss their regular test or get behind on their medications at Lost Mountain Animal Hospital in Marietta, Ga. That's because Tiffany Gluckman, a receptionist, sends out reminders to clients to make appointments for procedures, tests, and medications, such as T4 levels and phenobarbital screens every six months, heartworm medication every year, and regular dentals.

You have a whole week to recognize these blood-drawing, anesthesia-monitoring, animal-loving team members Oct. 15 to 21. Not sure what to do? Try some of these ideas from Nancy Allen, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and the practice manager at Olathe Animal Hospital in Olathe, Kan.

Editor's Note: DVM Newsmagazine asked Cheryl Weber, a grief counselor from the University of Illinois, to share her expertise and advice when a doctor is asked to euthanize a sick animal.