Move beyond duct tape and baling twine

Veterinarians are some of the most creative, ingenious people I know. I'm constantly amazed at their ability to look at something broken and find a way to fix it using only duct tape and baling twine.

I've often wondered if members of veterinary school selection committees are especially adept at probing candidates' analytical abilities. So many doctors are gifted with the incredible right-brain talent to analyze a situation and find a solution. So why do veterinarians seem to stall or get flustered when it comes to fixing practice management issues?

To be fair, I, too, was flustered, stumped, and even intimidated by the concept of practice management. I froze up, just like a lot of you. I circled the issue, analyzed it, pondered it, circled some more, and then sounded the evacuation sirens. I was prepared to address medical problems and broken toilets. I hadn't had much training in financial management or team building.

Once I confronted the shock of not knowing, the logic-based side of my brain jumped up and said, “Get over it, and just do it.” Logic says that when you don't know what to do, the best course of action is to admit your shortcomings and find new resources.

So I admitted my limitations. And after a few trying months—during which I traded in my faithful duct tape and baling twine for Excel spreadsheets and Word documents—I began to realize that practice management is fun and exciting. In fact, instead of feeling desperate about running my practice, I found a new sense of purpose and enjoyment in the greatest profession: veterinary medicine.

Yes, I know it's hard to confront the reality that you don't know how to fix everything. Veterinary school prepared you to diagnose and treat an array of animals. And you could probably fix every broken piece of equipment in your practice, craft some sort of a cast from PVC pipe, fashion a tail tie from a piece of baling twine, and create a hoof wrap out of duct tape, if you had to.

I know many of you know the dosage of almost every drug; you're constantly spouting off “X mg's/Kg” to someone. So I know you're good at math and conversions. But still, many practitioners admit that financial numbers scare them.

What makes treating your practice any different from treating a sick animal? You run diagnostics (think benchmarks), read about the disease (in Veterinary Economics, practice management books), and possibly seek a specialist (practice management consultant). So where's the problem?

You were given the instinct to seek answers and treat disease. Now just use those same talents to prevent or treat disease in your practice.

You're gifted, professional people. Harness your gifts to improve the life—and value—of your practice. You can do it!