Roles

Think your practice is a zoo? Try visiting one. That's what the team at Sanford Animal Hospital in Sanford, N.C., did. Team members and their families took in the zoo at their leisure, then they met up at the outdoor pavilion for hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the fixin's.

We had one wild storm a few weeks ago. It was a Friday, and my dog, Sebastian, was scheduled for a regular exam. We were running late, so I was scrambling as I loaded my 2-year-old son, Donovan, in the back seat and coaxed the dog in behind him. Did I mention it was raining? The torrential kind. Sebastian hates thunderstorms, so I could see him trembling during the whole frantic drive.

I want to send a mailing to market our clinic's dental promotion. Our area of influence is about 2 miles, and that encompasses a population of about 200,000. How can I get the addresses of the households in a certain area or city? Do you know how to focus a mailing to a certain demographic to target people who might own pets?

Curb the 5 o'clock chaos with these simple steps to streamline your discharge appointments and send clients away happy.

It doesn't take a crystal ball to know who'll walk through your practice door next. All you really need is a meeting, says Cindie McDuffee, the office manager at Animal Hospital of Thousand Oaks in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Attending a national veterinary conference offers big payoffs, but it often isn't free-unless you're one lucky team member at Pet Care Veterinary Hospital in Virginia Beach, Va. Lori-Jo Havener, LVT, planned a contest to give the practice's technicians and assistants a chance to attend a national veterinary conference.

A twister with winds up to 205 mph, leveled Greensburg, Kansas on May 4. Veterinarians and other volunteers aided in the rescue of displaced pets. For an in-depth report see the June issue of DVM Newsmagazine. Photos by Brandon Chauncy.

Customizable Word document of a sample letter to send clients about the pet food recall.

Q. We're hiring a new team member. Can we specify "no smokers" in our classified ad?

How do you handle bad behavior from good pet owners? Use this advice to deal with your most difficult clients and keep messy exchanges to a minimum.

Five key findings for print and online from The Poynter Institute EyeTrack07 study.

When it's time to talk about a pet's weight with clients, be sensitive.

Q. I'm a specialist at a referral practice and I'd like to visit the referring veterinarians in my area. What's the best approach?

Q. I'm a credentialed technician, and I'm interested in specialty training. What are my options?

Q. How do I know whether I have the right retirement plan to meet my objectives?

Your team can help heal the hurt pets feel with a pain management program that supports pet owners.

Q. Our team members make different product recommendations for heartworm and flea and tick prevention. How do we get them on the same page?

Veterinarians are bright, independent people, and they can hide addiction and depression for years. But this doctor proves good things can happen when the ugly truth comes to light.

Q. I'm a specialist in a community with a lot of old-guard general practitioners. How can I build rapport and convince them I'm not out to steal their clients?

I spend my weekends paddling. And we're not talking relaxing jaunts on placid lakes, here-this is white-water canoeing.

Q. How can I get the doctors to take care of the equipment at my practice? They don't keep their trucks clean and often leave equipment behind on visits.

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.

Or is it? You don't need to own something to love it like your own. I love Degas, and yet I don't own a single painting. My husband and I have "our song," but we don't own the rights to it. It's simply something that we connect with and made our own. I don't own this magazine, but I'm passionate about every word, every piece of art, and every picture on the page.

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.

It's a natural progression to move from associate to practice owner, but you need to know what you're getting into. (And sellers, you need to make sure your buyer is positioned for success.)