Coming in the March 2009 issue of Firstline

Feline Health and Wellness

Special Report: Help cats live healthier lives

Recent studies show that the feline population often gets short shrift when it comes to medical care. Editor Kerry Hillard Johnson will report the statistics and experts' advice for how team members can reverse this alarming trend by educating cat owners about the importance of diagnostics, proper nutrition, and preventive medicine including vaccinations and flea and tick products.

Team Building

Functional vs. dysfunctional: Where does your team fall?

Veterinary teams are often like families-dysfunctional at times. But when you're in the middle of the family fray, it can be hard to tell right from wrong. For example, talking about last night's movie is OK. Gossiping about how bad the receptionist is at her job isn't. Associate Editor Liz Nartowicz presents more of these right-wrong scenarios, along with ideas for turning negative actions into positive outcomes.

Continuing Education

Why you need to learn more-and how to do it

The term continuing education gets thrown around a lot. Even still, many team members aren't tuned in to learning. Assistant professor and NAVTA officer Amy Butzier, MEd, CVT, explains the educational opportunities and the benefits, such as better pet care and a more fruitful career.

Client Relations

Stop judging pet owners

Clients get a bad rap-some deservedly so. But labeling clients as “bad” and guessing which ones won't comply or pay doesn't help anyone, especially pets. With advice from Pam Stevenson, CVPM, team members will learn to kick judgments to the curb.

Departments

Ask the Experts

Pain management: How can we implement a team-wide pain scoring system?

Pearls of Practice

Sample script: How to sell products (without feeling like a used-car dealer)

Ad Closing Date: February 17, 2009

Materials Deadline: February 20, 2009

Note: Free Readex On Target® Ad Readership Study for qualified advertisers.