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Guest post: Never walk past a mistake
In collaboration with Admired Leadership, check out their article from their Field Notes newsletter, which is a blurb about daily leadership wisdom you can read in about a minute.
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In collaboration with Admired Leadership, check out their article from their Field Notes newsletter, which is a blurb about daily leadership wisdom you can read in about a minute.
Trends
November 2024
In this competitive environment, there are special offers, seasonal “specials,” and other volume purchase discounts available to your practice. If you play your cards right, these can help clients save money while increasing your profits. But, if not properly taken advantage of, these savings may actually be reducing your practice’s profit.
Trends
November 2024
This year, RECOVER released its first major revisions to its CPR guidelines for basic life support, advanced life support, and monitoring. RECOVER is also the first veterinary organization to use an even more rigorous method known as GRADE.
Trends
November 2024
Based on polls and census figures, the number of LGBTQ+ people in the veterinary profession will increase substantially in the next five to 10 years. This begs the question, should there be more directed mentorship and support for queer ascent in the profession?
Trends
November 2024
These tips from the 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines can help show that love for your clients and their senior pets.
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Can you diagnose and prescribe based on a video visit without a physical exam? It depends on the state(s) in which you practice–and even then, it’s sometimes hard to know.
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In collaboration with Admired Leadership, check out their article from their Field Notes newsletter, which is a blurb about daily leadership wisdom you can read in about a minute.
Trends
October 2024
“Doctor Google!” Say these words to any medical care provider—human or veterinary—and you will immediately get a negative reaction. But actually, there are vast quantities of excellent, accurate and useful information available online. So why the attitude?
Trends
October 2024
The pandemic changed many aspects of our day-to-day lives, including what is endured at the workplace for veterinary professionals. Changes in patient load, staffing shortages, and client expectations have exponentially increased the workload for credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs).
TrendsMember Exclusive
October 2024
High turnover rates of skilled support staff can be costly, disrupt team dynamics, and compromise patient safety. Here are the key strategies for retaining these valuable team members by building a strong community, fostering a sense of purpose, investing in personal growth and development, and ensuring effective management practices.
Trends
October 2024
Telehealth services are considered part of the solution for growing professional concerns such as access to care and workforce shortages. The list of cases that can be handled through telemedicine is long, and the opportunities to utilize technicians are many.
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The People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act introduced earlier this month could change how pet owners pay for care, specifically by expanding the ways they can use their Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
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In collaboration with Admired Leadership, check out their article from their Field Notes newsletter, which is a blurb about daily leadership wisdom you can read in about a minute.
Trends
September 2024
A conversation with Casey Callanan, MBA, of Clear Contender, LLC, who offers tips on getting into podcasting and using content for social media promotions.
TrendsMember Exclusive
September 2024
In the US alone, about 20 million pets experience poverty with their families and 70% of these animals have never seen a veterinarian, according to the HSUS. Some organizations have been working for years on these access-to-care problems but now awareness by others is growing. The awareness has even prompted the suggestion of a term for it: “veterinary care deserts.”
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Opportunities for career advancement can help improve retention in clinical practice—and there are several ways to make sure the people who keep your practice running are getting the opportunities they desire.
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Mentorship benefits veterinary practices in numerous ways, from improving retention to increasing the bottom line. And the good news is, your practice can use existing resources to get started with a mentorship program.
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Everybody loves a good story—that’s why effective storytelling can save lives in the world of veterinary medicine.
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Embracing mentorship can elevate a practice by boosting a team’s professional growth, job satisfaction, and clinic success. Here’s what you should know about the requirements and benefits of mentorship in veterinary practice.
Welcome to the companion site for Starting a Veterinary Practice!
Starting a Veterinary Practice!
Trends
August 2024
Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, shares insights into the importance of personalized experiences in veterinary practice.
Welcome to the companion site for Practice Made Perfect!
Practice Made Perfect
2021 AAHA/AVMA Telehealth Guidelines for Small-Animal Practice
Want to learn more about how telehealth can benefit your patients, clients, and your practice? Now you can with our comprehensive implementation toolkit.
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The phrases “hiring for fit” and “hiring for culture” are often used as guiding recruitment principles, and on the surface, they seem like a great way to build a harmonious team. However, it’s important to understand how these practices can also foster bias.
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AAHA CON 2024 is just a couple flips of the calendar away, and if you haven’t already made plans to head to National Harbor, Maryland, this September for our annual veterinary conference, there’s no time like the present to get started.
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Hurricane Ian left a path of devastation when it hit Florida in 2022. Now, almost two years later, the destruction of VCA’s hospital on Sanibel Island allowed their team to rebuild not only a bigger practice but one that provides more comprehensive pet care.
Trends
July 2024
Many practice owners start thinking about selling too late—whether they hope to sell to an individual or a corporation. That’s because finding a practitioner-buyer other than an associate can take several years, and consolidators typically require sellers to keep working for years. So what do you do?
2023 AAHA Mentoring Guidelines
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From letting your message speak for itself to supporting your people on the front lines, we have tips for handling public backlash from a vet who’s been there.
Protected: Additional Resources for Controlled Substance Logs
Protected: Additional Resources for Controlled Substance Logs
Protected: Additional Resources for Controlled Substance Logs
Welcome to the companion site for AAHA Controlled Substance Logs!
AAHA’s Controlled Substance Logs Resources
Welcome to the companion site for Practical Guide to Managing Employee Performance in Veterinary Practices!
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Stepping into a managerial role in an animal hospital can be challenging—especially when it means supervising former peers.
Trends
June 2024
When clients face financial challenges, they might decline necessary treatments for their pets, which can present ethical and emotional burdens on the veterinary team. What can teams do to alleviate some of this stress?
Trends
June 2024
Connecting with clients for whom spoken English isn’t their primary language is difficult—sometimes even perilous—due to miscommunication over diagnoses, treatment options, risks, and costs. But, taking even small steps to bridge the language gap can make a big difference.
Trends
June 2024
The work environment has not always welcomed people’s expressions of their individuality, whether it is through clothes, tattoos, or piercings. But today, in veterinary medicine, a growing number of professionals are preferring surgical scrubs to white coats or business attire, and practices are welcoming (and even embracing) artistic body expressions in their employees.
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As veterinary professionals, the loss of our own pets offers a deeper understanding of grief—and a chance for compassionate connection with clients.
AAHA Guide to Creating an Employee Handbook
Exclusive resources for managing staff through emergency situations. Add expertly crafted safety and paid leave protocols to your handbook, download sample forms and letter templates, and browse relevant resources.
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Better communication leads to better care—but communicating clearly with clients can be challenging when you’re not only discussing medical issues the client may be unfamiliar with, but are trying to do so with a language barrier in the way.
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Learn how employers and workers can create an effective workplace violence prevention plan—together
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Dealing with difficult clients is part of the veterinary world. But navigating these choppy waters can also be a chance to shine, personally and as a practice.
Trends
May 2024
AI has many applications, including being an aid for SOAP notes. This article also includes a short roundup from several different software companies who are doing interesting things: Shepherd, Instinct, VetSOAP, and PetDesk.
Trends
May 2024
Many people worry about their financial health and those in the veterinary community are not immune to that concern. Unfortunately, a person’s financial worries can be a significant cause of stress and that stress can affect wellbeing.
Trends
May 2024
Most people are familiar with the famous line from the Apollo 13 mission, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” When there is a crisis, true professionals know how to respond. And vet med, like NASA, is filled with true professionals.
Trends
May 2024
AAHA board member Robert Lawrie, MRCVS, weighs in on the advancements made possible by veterinary software and data capture. The AAHA Community asks how new vets can build confidence through online learning. This month’s Scoop news headlines include: Penn Vet launches mRNA Research Initiative, Links Found Between Human, Canine Brain Tumors, VHMA Compensation and Benefits Survey Results Announced, Canine Respiratory Disease Cases Fall; and more!
Recordkeeping is a major challenge for most veterinary facilities with both the DEA and TITAN data indicating that ~96% of all practices will fail a DEA Inspection due to errors with recordkeeping.
Member Exclusive
With AAHA Advantage, you can purchase the products you need from the vendors you already trust at significant discounts and earn growth rebates.
Trends
May 2024
According to AAHA’s research, one factor consistently comes up again and again in the conversation about staff turnover: fair compensation. It’s the top driver of attrition, and it’s also a key retention factor. This article offers expert tips for addressing the number one driver of turnover among veterinary professionals.
Member Exclusive
Publicity Toolbox
An exclusive benefit for AAHA-accredited practices, here, you’ll find resources for marketing your hospital and your AAHA accreditation, communicating with clients, and more.
Member Exclusive
Publicity Toolbox
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Launching in 2024, the North American Association of Veterinary Receptionists (NAAVR) will provide CE for customer service representatives in many areas, including conflict resolution, great customer service, and hospitality.
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Nonmedical skills are fundamental to the health of a practice’s team.
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In anticipation of Monday’s total solar eclipse, the big news for pet owners is that the eclipse likely won’t be any news at all to their pets.
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The goal of a loyalty program is not just to increase transactions, but to deepen connections between your clients and your practice.
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Need help writing great bios for your amazing team or posting a job description? Artificial intelligence can give you the drafts to start with—then you refine and add that human touch.
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AAHA’s white paper “Stay, Please” has interactive ways to explore the nuances of who’s planning to leave veterinary practices and why. Associate DVMs and credentialed techs have the same top 6 retention and attrition factors. Can you guess what they are?
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Do you know what keeps your happy employees happy and what’s driving the unhappy ones away? AAHA’s white paper “Stay, Please,” includes interactive graphics that break down the reasons people stay in vet med (retention) and why they leave (attrition).
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How you increase employee retention might be practice-wide or it might focus on specific job roles where you see the highest turnover. AAHA’s “Stay, Please” white paper has the data to inform your next move, regardless of which strategy you choose.
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A content calendar makes your veterinary practice’s marketing strategy flow like clockwork—but who has the time to put it together? AI tools can fast track the process and help generate ideas for social media posts.
Trends
March 2024: The Behavior Issue
Prior to the pandemic, employee development focused primarily on teaching technical skills, like how to operate the latest accounting software or inventory management system. But the pandemic showed us that skills such as communication and innovative thinking are what will enable a practice not only to survive but to thrive, especially in tough times.
Trends
March 2024: The Behavior Issue
In Part 2 of this 2-part article, we’ll explore strategies for calming down dealing with clients whose stress levels are high, who are showing behavior that ranges from anger to outright hostility.
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Great customer service begins long before the client steps into your practice. Debbie Boone, CVPM, applies hospitality principles from vet med and beyond to train CSRs in how to deliver the best care to clients—including an appropriate level of knowledge to help triage common cases.
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ICYMI: With a goal of 90% retention in the veterinary space, AAHA’s CEO shares some key insights on our recent retention whitepaper, “Stay, Please.”
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Growing up with restaurateurs for parents, Debbie Boone, CVPM, learned firsthand how exceptional hospitality garners loyal clients and transforms the lives of employees—and she wants healthcare professionals to reap those benefits.
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Working in a veterinary practice while pregnant poses some unique risks, including the dangers of radiation, anesthesia, infectious disease, chemicals, potential injuries, and stress. Luckily, there are safety precautions to reduce the risk.
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Individuals are often blamed when mistakes and adverse events happen, but when there are risky vulnerabilities in equipment and processes, it’s the systems that need to change, not just the people.
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When faced with another month of social media posts to write, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be a springboard for ideas and a place to start—but the human review is crucial.
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There are many ways to show clients some love, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or any time of year. AAHA-accredited practice owner Jenn Galvin has some thoughts on appreciating the person holding your patient’s leash.
Trends
February 2024
In Part 1 of this 2-part article, we’ll explore strategies for calming down annoyed clients whose stress levels are mild to moderate, and we’ll also discuss what can set people off in these situations. In Part 2, we will go over the more extreme cases of client anger, when stress levels are escalated and through the roof.
Trends
February 2024
Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA, practice owner, consultant, and fellow podcaster, joined Central Line to talk about what veterinary professionals in any corner of the field can take away from Synchrony’s 2023 Equine Lifetime of Care study.
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Veterinary professionals are well-suited to be experts in a variety of One Health concepts. Here are some resources and ideas for how to increase awareness among your clients about the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
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Refresh your practice’s brand and marketing strategy to ring in the New Year with helpful hints from Danielle Lambert, founder of Snout School.
Trends
January 2024
Virtual care offers huge benefits for your patients, clients, staff, and bottom line. These include increased workflow efficiency, improved work-life balance, better and more thorough care for patients, and added convenience value for clients. It is no surprise that the lynchpin of well-implemented virtual care begins and ends with veterinary technicians, assistants, and care coordinators.
Trends
January 2024
A new AAHA survey on staff retention got a massive response. People had a lot to say—and they wanted to be heard. After months of sorting through the data, consulting with data analysts, and looking at these findings from various angles, we’ve landed on some illuminating findings.
Trends
January 2024
In Practice is a new feature in our newly redesigned Trends. Each month the final page of Trends will feature a useful and practical graphic that can be downloaded from the Trends website. This month, we have an infographic on the ins and outs of telehealth.
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A recent study funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute found that cats offer more than just companionship to older adults: Feline ownership can ease loneliness, improve health, and even reduce doctor visits.
Trends
November 2023
There are many things that affect a person’s ability to retain information, and if we know what they are, we can set ourselves up for success.
Trends
October 2023
Compassion fatigue and burnout are rampant among veterinary technicians. Some techs are taking to social media to promote wellness and spread encouragement to others.
Trends
October 2023
Technician retention and good leadership are inextricably tied, as we discuss in this Central Line podcast episode with Natalie Boursiquot, RVT, and Liz Hughston, MEd, RVT, CVT, VTS (SAIM, ECC). From the role individuals can play in systemic change to insights into how leadership can show technicians—and other employees—they truly matter, this conversation was full of helpful ideas for increasing tech retention.
Trends
October 2023
In this hypothetical case, our patient, Teddy, is at a free clinic where you are volunteering for the morning, and you will have to communicate all the options to the owner without making her feel like the best ones are financially out of reach.
Trends
September 2023
A proposed FTC rule could ban noncompete clauses. The debate is fierce and ongoing. This article explores some of the challenges and repercussions of the proposed ban.
Trends
August 2023
There is something magical about cat-only clinics. Many of them have very highly trained doctors and staff who are true cat lovers and who know what it takes to keep cats at their healthiest and cat owners willing to keep coming back for regular care.
Trends
August 2023
Everyone from the client service representatives to the veterinary assistants and technicians can play a vital role in providing the best care to feline patients, especially in cases of dermatological problems.
Trends
August 2023
Millions of pet owners are experienced with veterinary care, and already have a relationship with a veterinarian. So, where are the cats?