October 2017

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Road Map to Starting a Mobile Practice: Unique Benefits and Challenges 

Have you ever looked out your clinic window on a nice day and wished you could smuggle yourself outside for just an hour? Does it sometimes feel like moving a mountain to organize an hour to go to a doctor's appointment? Who doesn't want more time away from the office or crowded hospital? Who wouldn't prefer having more ability to make their own decisions when it comes to work schedules and how your practice conducts its business? Flexibility and getting away from the office are just two reasons why a growing number of veterinarians are making the jump to mobile practice, in some cases leaving the traditional brick-and-mortar practice behind entirely. Perhaps the rise of corporate consolidation, compassion fatigue and the need for greater work-life balance are additional factors driving a sub-set of the profession to consider a different way.

Hitting the road as a mobile practitioner can have a number of benefits but, like everything else, there are also downsides to consider: gas prices, lower revenues, longer days and, of course, traffic! Still, the practice model continues to expand, with a growing number of small animal veterinarians making the switch to a model previously dominated by large animal practitioners. This article will explore some of the complex issues and logistics - along with advantages and disadvantages - that come with this practice model. That's because, when considering whether mobile practice is the right next step in your career, or if it's a viable service to add to your existing practice, it's important to delve beyond the obvious. Now that you're daydreaming of hitting the road, let's examine things on a deeper level.

 
How to Conduct a Practice-Culture Audit
 
If you've owned, managed or worked at a particular veterinary practice for any length of time, you may be so used to the workplace culture that you can't effectively define it, much less analyze its strengths and weaknesses. If that's the case, it's perfectly normal.

Having said this, it makes good sense for your practice to conduct a culture audit in which you examine the assumptions, values and beliefs shared by people in the practice. This allows you to develop the healthiest culture possible for your practice, one in which the practice and individual team members can thrive and grow, and where the best service possible is offered to clients and their pets.

Organizational culture is composed of all the elements of the environment of your veterinary practice. This includes the life experiences of each employee, along with how these experiences blend and how they clash. Add to this mix the influence of the veterinarians' belief systems and life experiences, and the result is the practice's culture.


Originally featured in Today's Veterinary Business 
In This Issue
Politics in the Workplace - Navigating Political Talk in the Office with Tact
With the past year being so divisive in the world of politics, tensions are running high throughout the country - so it isn't surprising that political beliefs are a hot subject in and around the workplace. You may therefore have found yourself thrown into conversations or debates that got just a little too heated or left you feeling uncomfortable or even disrespected. On the other side of the spectrum, you may have been overly zealous when discussing such topics with co-workers because of your own passion. It isn't easy to navigate these types of situations, but here are a few practical tips to help make it easier.

Tip #1
 
In general, politics don't make for good workplace conversations. So, don't start them and, whenever possible, don't engage in them. Having said that, you spend a significant amount of time with your colleagues each week, so it's only natural to want to discuss something you feel very strongly about with the people you spend the most time with. If that resonates, then move on to the next tip.
 
Tip #2
 
Always weigh the potential consequences of inserting yourself into political conversation. If the subject at hand is highly divisive, you may risk damaging work relationships, and the chances of changing a colleague's mind about political points of view are slim. So, if you decide to enter a political conversation, don't do it with the idea that you'll change someone else's opinion. Instead, consider the discussion as an opportunity to learn about other points of view, as a way to gain more insight and improve your own diplomacy skills.  

Always Having People Problems?  
Human Resource Concierge Service 

Our concierge service allows you to have HR Services on an as-needed basis.  This flexibility enables you to grow and add our Professional Services when they make the most sense.  This cost effective model allows you to avoid taking on full-time commitments the Practice may not yet be ready for. 

Service will include:
  • 2 hours of HR service per month
  • VBA's monthly newsletter
  • VIP status - top of the priority list when you call for help
  • 10% discount on all additional HR Services and all VBA Products
$250/mo (paid in one installment up front)

 


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