Take time for veterinary team training
The benefits of continuing education-a more qualified team and motivated employees are among them.
Your veterinary team members probably know everything they need to know and don’t need to worry about continuing education, right? Of course that’s not true, but new data shows that a surprisingly high number of veterinary practices don’t pay for CE for team members.
Our sister magazine Firstline surveyed veterinary team members, and while most have sought some type of job-related education in the last year, 13 percent didn’t. Do you know how many team members in your practice want more CE? Have you asked them? Here’s more on veterinary CE, and how you can get the most out of it.
Data source: 2010 Firstline Team Trends survey
The complete package:
Veterinary team: Did you seek job-related education in the past 12 months?
Did your employer pay for you to attend job-related continuing education events?
Are you currently working on earning additional credentials?
Other types of CE team members are seeking
Data source: 2010 Firstline Team Trends survey
The complete package:
Veterinary team: Did you seek job-related education in the past 12 months?
Did your employer pay for you to attend job-related continuing education events?
Are you currently working on earning additional credentials?
Other types of CE team members are seeking
Data source: 2010 Firstline Team Trends survey
The complete package:
Veterinary team: Did you seek job-related education in the past 12 months?
Did your employer pay for you to attend job-related continuing education events?
Are you currently working on earning additional credentials?
Other types of CE team members are seeking
Data source: 2010 Firstline Team Trends survey
The complete package:
Veterinary team: Did you seek job-related education in the past 12 months?
Did your employer pay for you to attend job-related continuing education events?
Are you currently working on earning additional credentials?
Other types of CE team members are seeking
Look into online learning
Online CE is a useful tool for getting team members trained in an efficient and cost-effective manner, says Lorraine List, CPA, owner of Summit Veterinary Advisors in Littleton, Colo. Here are her tips for maximizing your practice’s benefits.
Delegate research. Assign a team member to explore the growing range of CE courses available. Keep a list of upcoming courses posted on your bulletin board and discuss them in staff meetings.
Split up coursework. Suggest specific courses to individual doctors or employees with the intent of having them report back on the highlights to the rest of the team. By doing so, you’ll get more benefit from the training and encourage the attendee to listen more carefully and pick out the important points.
Send an extra. Some courses allow more than one person to sit in on the sessions at no additional charge. That can generate some excellent discussion within the practice, as different people may have different interpretations of the ideas presented.
Review past sessions. Many online courses allow participants to ask questions. That means that the same course taken at different times can cover different concepts. Consider revisiting especially good courses to see what changes may have been made to the content or to get a refresher. You might find that you’ve forgotten some important points, too.
Keep your team accountable. Make sure employees understand that they’re on the payroll when they attend these courses. Some can be done from home, so ask for quiz results or a copy of the participant’s notes as proof of attendance, along with any confirmation of attendance provided by the course instructors.
With online training, it’s easier than ever for team members to learn about a wide variety of topics. So follow this advice to help them get the most out of their sessions—all while sitting in front of a computer.
To get started today, check out the dvm360 CE Center, where we’ve identified hundreds of CE opportunities for veterinarians and veterinary team members. You’ll find information about CE requirements by state, as well as a list of upcoming online CE courses, on-demand online courses, and sponsored online events.
The complete package:
Veterinary team: Did you seek job-related education in the past 12 months?
Did your employer pay for you to attend job-related continuing education events?
Are you currently working on earning additional credentials?
Other types of CE team members are seeking
Look into online learning
