3 must-reads on outstanding practice managers

In honor of Practice Manager Recognition Week (November 10-16, 2024), dvm360 is highlighting some notable practice managers. These outstanding professionals are working to promote the profession, provide service to their communities, and make a difference in the lives of patients and clients. Click on each headline to read more about them.

Celebrating our Veterinary Heroes: Practice manager Malik Mitchell

Malik Mitchell

Malik Mitchell, center director for Heart + Paw Callowhill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was inspired to pursue this career thanks to the wonderful leaders before him. In an interview with dvm360, he said he strives every day to become the practice managers they were and to continuously improve to be better for the staff, clients, and patients that walk through the doors of Heart + Paw.

In 2023, Mitchell was selected as the practice manager winner in dvm360’s third annual Veterinary Heroes recognition program. His nominator said Mitchell is also dedicated to making the hospital’s community a better place. “Malik is constantly looking for new ways to engage his neighborhood and the surrounding area,” the nominator wrote. “Seeing a desperate need for walk-in, nonemergency veterinary appointments in his hospital’s Philadelphia neighborhood, Malik partnered with his team to pioneer walk-in hours to provide the best care possible for as many pets as possible."

“Malik is also dedicated to being a role model within the community as we as an industry work to be more accessible to people of color.” The nominator added that Mitchell also fosters a positive work environment, ensuring that all team members feel “valued and heard and that their contributions are recognized.”

VMHA announces 2024 Practice Manager of the Year

Joshua Blakemore, CVPM, RVT, FFCP

The Veterinary Hospital Manager Association (VHMA) announced this past July that Joshua Blakemore, CVPM, RVT, FFCP, was named its 2024 Practice Manager of the Year (PMOY). Blakemore was selected as the award recipient for helping fellow technicians in Vermont overcome hurdles. According to a news release, the VHMA uses the PMOY to honor a practice manager who uses their experience, expertise, and knowledge to help make their practice a better place as well as improve business operations.

“[Blakemore’s] initiative in advocating for an apprenticeship program and licensure reciprocity in Vermont for technicians, assisting the local community during a natural disaster, and developing staff training programs for his hospital earned him this distinction above over 70 other nominations,” Christine Shupe, CAE, VHMA executive director, said in the release.

Each year the VHMA asks practice owners, collages, or veterinary management professionals themselves to nominate a professional they feel has made their practice a better place. The range of the transformation can be anywhere between financial, cultural, marketing, practice organization, and more.

The CVPM credential is awarded to 28 practice managers

Photo: Jack F/Adobe Stock

More than 2 dozen veterinary management professionals earned the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) credential this past spring through the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA). The CVPM credential is recognized and respected by practice leaders and others in the veterinary industry, according to the association.

The association's voluntary CVPM credential is recognized as a sign of professional achievement and excellence and is awarded to those who demonstrate the knowledge and experience necessary to manage the ever-changing operations of today's veterinary practices successfully. Applicants are tested rigorously on relevant management knowledge in human resources, law and ethics, marketing, organization of the practice, and finance.

The CVPM exam is offered electronically across North America to registered candidates. Before sitting for the exam, applicants meet practice management experience requirements and must demonstrate that they have earned sufficient formal education and continuing education credits.