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Markup Math
graphic with arrows and numbers

Trends

November 2024

Markup Math

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.

How to Save a Life

Trends

November 2024

How to Save a Life

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.

Queer Leadership in Vet Med

Trends

November 2024

Queer Leadership in Vet Med

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?

In Practice – Making Seniors Feel at Home
Making Seniors feel at home handout

Trends

November 2024

In Practice – Making Seniors Feel at Home

These tips from the 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines can help show that love for your clients and their senior pets.

The patchwork quilt of state veterinary telehealth laws

NEWStat

The patchwork quilt of state veterinary telehealth laws

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.

Combating Misinformation
multiple phone screens being held by hands

Trends

October 2024

Combating Misinformation

“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?

Tech Support
medical person in scrubs looking pensive

Trends

October 2024

Tech Support

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).

Retention is the New Recruitment
3 people in scrubs talking

TrendsMember Exclusive

October 2024

Retention is the New Recruitment

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.

Compassionate Care From Afar
2 people in scrubs on phones

Trends

October 2024

Compassionate Care From Afar

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.

Graceful Self-Promotion and Podcasting Tips
Katie Berlin and Casey Callahan

Trends

September 2024

Graceful Self-Promotion and Podcasting Tips

A conversation with Casey Callanan, MBA, of Clear Contender, LLC, who offers tips on getting into podcasting and using content for social media promotions.

Veterinary Care Deserts: Unique Challenges
illustration of a person walking a dog in a desertscape

TrendsMember Exclusive

September 2024

Veterinary Care Deserts: Unique Challenges

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.”

Career development: Mentorship, opportunity, and education
Tree Growth Three Steps In nature And beautiful morning lighting

NEWStat

Career development: Mentorship, opportunity, and education

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.

Why your practice needs a mentorship program—and how to get started
Mentoring concept - people caring for and climbing a vine toward the sun

NEWStat

Why your practice needs a mentorship program—and how to get started

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.

Are you ready to mentor?
illustration of a hand watering pots where people are growing out of

NEWStat

Are you ready to mentor?

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.

Telehealth Guidelines Toolkit
Kitten playing with owners cell phone

2021 AAHA/AVMA Telehealth Guidelines for Small-Animal Practice

Telehealth Guidelines Toolkit

Want to learn more about how telehealth can benefit your patients, clients, and your practice? Now you can with our comprehensive implementation toolkit.

Hiring for fit and culture: How to avoid unintentional bias
hiring interview

NEWStat

Hiring for fit and culture: How to avoid unintentional bias

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.

Meet a few of our upcoming AAHA CON speakers!
Headshots of some of the 2024 AAHA Con Speakers

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Meet a few of our upcoming AAHA CON speakers!

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.

Hurricane Ian destroyed their practice. This is how they rebuilt
an area decimated by hurricane ian in 2022

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Hurricane Ian destroyed their practice. This is how they rebuilt

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.

Practice Ownership Exit (and Entry) Strategies
An illustration of an open glass door with the veterinary caduceus on it. Light is shining through the door.

Trends

July 2024

Practice Ownership Exit (and Entry) Strategies

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?

Who put you in charge?
illustration of a woman on top of a mountain holding a flag

NEWStat

Who put you in charge?

Stepping into a managerial role in an animal hospital can be challenging—especially when it means supervising former peers.

More Options Equals Better Care
A client looking worried while holding a vet bill. A veterinary team member is with her dog in the background.

Trends

June 2024

More Options Equals Better Care

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?

Language Is Power
Illustration of a bullhorn with light coming out of it. In the background are sentences that say

Trends

June 2024

Language Is Power

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.

The New Professional Attire
Two technicians looking at a computer. Both are wearing identical light blue scrubs and both have tattoos.

Trends

June 2024

The New Professional Attire

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.

My dog died
Illustration of a senior beagle dog against a maroon background

NEWStat

My dog died

As veterinary professionals, the loss of our own pets offers a deeper understanding of grief—and a chance for compassionate connection with clients.

Protected: Additional Resources for Creating an Employee Handbook

AAHA Guide to Creating an Employee Handbook

Protected: Additional Resources for 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.

An exciting opportunity to improve your veterinary Spanish
image of two cell phones, the screen on one says

NEWStat

An exciting opportunity to improve your veterinary Spanish

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.

Some like it hot: Handling heated client conversations
Illustration of a person, head in hands, with lots of thought bubbles and dark scribble clouds around their head

NEWStat

Some like it hot: Handling heated client conversations

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.

Applications of AI in Veterinary Practice
Futuristic rendition of AI in veterinary medicine. A diagnostic screen showing a cat and all of its medical information

Trends

May 2024

Applications of AI in Veterinary Practice

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.

Financial Health, Mental Health
Illustration of a stressed woman at a table looking at her small paycheck. Her dog is next to her staring at his empty food bowl. Multiple

Trends

May 2024

Financial Health, Mental Health

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.

From the Editor
Headshot of Ben Williams next to a photo of the May 2024 edition of Trends Magazine.

Trends

May 2024

From the Editor

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.

The Scoop-May 2024
Images of 3 highlighted veterinary news stories: Robert Lawrie, MRCVS, Students in the UMES preveterinary program, and Cornell Wildlife Health Center Receives $35M Endowment

Trends

May 2024

The Scoop-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!

Controlled Drug Logging – DEA’s Perspective

Controlled Drug Logging – DEA’s Perspective

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.

AAHA Advantage®
Woman using a laptop to pursue her career goals in veterinary technology through the flexible DEVTP online program.

Member Exclusive

AAHA Advantage®

With AAHA Advantage, you can purchase the products you need from the vendors you already trust at significant discounts and earn growth rebates.

Vet Med, We Have a Problem
Illustration of a cat in a rocket that is venting money to show why fair compensation is critical.

Trends

May 2024

Vet Med, We Have a Problem

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.

Marketing Tools for Clients
Kitten playing with owners cell phone

Member Exclusive

Publicity Toolbox

Marketing Tools for Clients

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.

NAAVR hopes to provide a career path for veterinary receptionists
vetmed csr on the phone

NEWStat

NAAVR hopes to provide a career path for veterinary receptionists

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.

Pets and the April 8 total solar eclipse
an illustration of the solar eclipse

NEWStat

Pets and the April 8 total solar eclipse

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.

Fetch more business with a loyalty program
dog jumping in air with ball in mouth

NEWStat

Fetch more business with a loyalty program

The goal of a loyalty program is not just to increase transactions, but to deepen connections between your clients and your practice.

How to use AI to write bios and job descriptions
Illustration of various people's hands holding phones and tablets

NEWStat

How to use AI to write bios and job descriptions

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.

Vet med career personas from the AAHA retention study

NEWStat

Vet med career personas from the AAHA retention study

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?

Interactive graphics: Retention and attrition in vet med

NEWStat

Interactive graphics: Retention and attrition in vet med

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).

Reducing turnover: Which approach is right for you?

NEWStat

Reducing turnover: Which approach is right for you?

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.

How to use AI to create a veterinary content calendar

NEWStat

How to use AI to create a veterinary content calendar

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.

Soft Skills in a Hard World
Photo of a technician talking with a client while putting an e-collar on a cat. Soft skills like excellent client communication is a valuable skill.

Trends

March 2024: The Behavior Issue

Soft Skills in a Hard World

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.

The Art of De-Escalation, Part 2
Photo of an upset client speaking to a CSR

Trends

March 2024: The Behavior Issue

The Art of De-Escalation, Part 2

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.

3 Ways to empower your customer service team

NEWStat

3 Ways to empower your customer service team

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.

Hospitality in healthcare? How it can transform the veterinary experience.
A woman holds the book Hospitality in Healthcare by Debbie Boone, CVPM

NEWStat

Hospitality in healthcare? How it can transform the veterinary experience.

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.

HANDOUT: Vet med workplace hazards that can affect pregnancy

NEWStat

HANDOUT: Vet med workplace hazards that can affect pregnancy

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.

Medical errors: Stop blaming the people and start fixing the systems

NEWStat

Medical errors: Stop blaming the people and start fixing the systems

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.

Stuck on social captions? Let AI be your springboard

NEWStat

Stuck on social captions? Let AI be your springboard

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.

Appreciate the leash holders

NEWStat

Appreciate the leash holders

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.

The Art of De-Escalation, Part 1
Photo of an angry client on her phone.

Trends

February 2024

The Art of De-Escalation, Part 1

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.

What Can We Learn From Equine Veterinarians?
Photos of Katie Berlin, DVM, and Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA, during podcast recording, with an image of horses running in the background.

Trends

February 2024

What Can We Learn From Equine Veterinarians?

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.

5 Ways to share One Health concepts in veterinary clinical practice

NEWStat

5 Ways to share One Health concepts in veterinary clinical practice

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.

Telehealth After COVID

Trends

January 2024

Telehealth After COVID

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.

Stay, Please
An illustration of a fish in a small fish bowl jumping over to a larger fish bowl to represent poor staff retention efforts

Trends

January 2024

Stay, Please

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.

In Practice

Trends

January 2024

In Practice

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.

New study offers promising results for both shelter cats and older adults

NEWStat

New study offers promising results for both shelter cats and older adults

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.

Making It Stick
A veterinarian engaging her client by telling a story

Trends

November 2023

Making It Stick

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.

Techs Take Wellness Online
TikTok memes of 3 vet tech social media influencers: Emily Ahsan, CVT, Shena Humbert, LVT, and Sarah Parsons, LVT

Trends

October 2023

Techs Take Wellness Online

Compassion fatigue and burnout are rampant among veterinary technicians. Some techs are taking to social media to promote wellness and spread encouragement to others.

Technician Retention and Leadership
Stills of Natalie Boursiquot, BS, RVT, and Liz Hughston, MEd, RVT, LVT, CVT, VTS (SAIM, ECC), during an episode of Central Line

Trends

October 2023

Technician Retention and Leadership

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.

Managing Pain in a Community Clinic
Technician going over treatment options with her client

Trends

October 2023

Managing Pain in a Community Clinic

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.

Noncompete Clauses and Veterinary Practice
Closeup photo of non-compete clause paperwork on a clipboard with a pen on top of it

Trends

September 2023

Noncompete Clauses and Veterinary Practice

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.

The Cat-Only Practice
Closeup photo of a cat's face with a curtain partially covering her face

Trends

August 2023

The Cat-Only Practice

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.

Cat Champions
Closeup photo of a veterinarian holding a kitten

Trends

August 2023

Cat Champions

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.

A Better Cat Visit
Photo of a cat coming out of a carrier

Trends

August 2023

A Better Cat Visit

Millions of pet owners are experienced with veterinary care, and already have a relationship with a veterinarian. So, where are the cats?

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