Crazed over poor communication and chaos? Try Firstline Live

Lack of communication and lack of time: They're two of your biggest stressors, according to the 2010 Firstline Team Trends Study. To help, we planned Firstline Live in Kansas City specifically to help you overcome these challenges. Here are two strategies you'll learn about at Firstline Live (and even some ideas you can try today).

1. Hold better team meetings.

It's OK, you can admit it: Your team meetings often end up as go-nowhere gripe sessions that waste your time and the practice's resources. That is, if you even manage to hold team meetings at all. It's time to make a change and turn your staff-wide sit-downs into engaging sessions that educate team members and improve your client and patient care--and revenue too.

Brian Conrad, CVPM, practice manager at Meadow Hills Veterinary Center in Kennewich, Wash., suggests you start getting your meetings in order by determining whether your practice needs weekly, monthly, or quarterly meetings. If communication issues constantly arise or if your practice is experiencing difficulty with a certain aspect, you might benefit from weekly meetings. On the other hand, if you meet weekly but your agenda is sparse, the time you spend away from your patients isn't worth it. Regardless of the frequency you settle on, stick to it. And require everyone to attend. Many team members often think that certain aspects of the practice don't pertain to them unless they were directly involved. This simply isn't true.

To get more tried-and-tested meeting strategies from Conrad, CVPM, register now for Day 1 of Firstline Live, "Team Meetings Confessional: Start Talking Together," held Aug. 26 in Kansas City. Conrad will walk you through a step-by-step process that will help you plan meaningful team meetings and help all team members get more out of them. The strategies you learn will help your team talk effectively as a group and also communicate better with co-workers on an individual basis. Conrad will lead interactive practice sessions to prepare you to take the tactics back to your practice and use them immediately.

2. Implement efficiency strategies.

Many veterinary team members say they have too much to do. If can't figure out how to effectively juggle it all, Marianne Mallonee can help. She's presenting "Get it All Done Without Going Crazy" on Day 2 of Firstline Live, Aug. 27 in Kansas City. Mallonee, who's hospital administrator at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo., will share strategies that have worked in her practice.

Here's one of her tips: Use software that allows you to receive faxes as emails. This saves paper and space. Best yet: If you receive patient records as emails rather than faxes, you can automatically attach the email to your electronic medical record.  

Want more? In Mallonee's interactive Firstline Live presentation, she'll help you assess the areas where your team needs the most help and  give you the tactics you need to dig out from your heap of “to-dos.”

You'll walk away with practical tools for:

Managing stress in the workplace

Accomplishing more with less

Prioritizing to make sure the right tasks get done

Working together more effectively

Increasing doctor-team communications, even when time is tight

Register today for both days of Firstline Live (held in conjunction with the CVC in Kansas City) and save. Save even more when you register on or before the July 13 early-bird deadline.