by Jack Sommars

Less than 9 months after being accredited by AAHA, Bayview Animal Hospital surprised almost everyone, including itself, by receiving second place in the associations 2010 Practice of the Year award.

How did the Canadian practice do it?

Owner Hilary Mellor, DVM, says the turning point came when she took a mentors advice to heart.

“Ive been very fortunate to have a wonderful coach,” she says. “Dr. Jim Stowe, cofounder of Lifelearn, taught me to seek feedback constantly to improve myself and to not take [feedback] personally.

“Jim pointed out that after having been an owner for several years, I was working in the business but I wasnt working on the business. He encouraged me to take the time to work on the practice,” she adds.

So Mellor assembled her small team in Ottawa, Ontario, and they rolled up their sleeves. Before long, they articulated a vision, discovered their core values and established their short- and long-term goals.

One of those goals was to become AAHA accredited.

“Working towards accreditation focused our team on a common goal,” she explains. “It really improved our teamwork and gave us a sense of accomplishment.

“By applying for the award, we thought we could continue the momentum. Plus, our team is very proud of what we do and this was a chance for us to showcase that.”

The full version of this article will appear in the July/Aug issue of Trends magazine.