We are so excited to be hanging our shingle and opening a veterinary practice management consulting business. Jay and I are both professionals in our chosen careers and love what we do. Throughout our life together we have gained a wealth of experience traveling the world together. We both come from entrepreneurial parents who taught us the value of hard work, good ethics and a stubborn will for success despite any adversity. We have a passion for small business owners trying to make a go of it. We support their efforts and strive to empower them to success with our ability to provide answers and systems to help get it all done!
Why do our new managers struggle so much?
My earliest management experience was at a small animal hospital in California. This was also my first experience with managing trial by fire or seat of your pants management. My practice owner was a fantastic Veterinarian but was just as stumped as I was when it came to knowing all there was to know about managing a team of veterinary employees. There was nowhere to go, that I knew of. I couldn’t talk to the other hospital managers because they were competitors. So what’s a manager to do?
Why do our teams struggle so much?
The veterinary team is equally frustrated if not more so when the boss isn’t able to effectively lead in the moment. Lack of guidance and training are leading reasons team members quit our practices and in many cases quit the industry altogether. I knew there had to be a better way. I was never “good at” reactive management. I’m a proactive manager. I like to prevent issues and predict outcomes based on my experience. New managers and staff members are just beginning that journey. It’s a lonely stressful path without colleagues to help guide you.
How I did it…
I plugged myself into training programs, online education opportunities, manager groups, vendor-sponsored industry meetings and more. So my education began slowly, painstakingly intense and easily distracted into the world of squirrels and pretty butterflies. One horrendous hurdle was the need to be in the hospital full time and then some. It was hard to find the time to develop my career outside of the hospital. I made it happen often at the expense of family and fun. I had a vision for what I wanted my career to mean.
Upon leaving the practice as a full-time manager I have focused on honing my “message”. I knew there is a better way. I work with owners to develop that way for them. Consulting full time affords me the great opportunity to participate more personally in teams. I have been privileged to collaborate in Training Symposiums where I along with my industry colleagues speak to managers and client service representatives. Our main focus is on developing skill sets that have an immediate impact on Client Retention, Excellence in Patient Care and ultimately the bottom line for the practice owner.
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