AAHA Bolsters Your Business

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?

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.

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

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?

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 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.

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

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.

Learn how employers and workers can create an effective workplace violence prevention plan—together

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Nonmedical skills are fundamental to the health of a practice’s team.

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.

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

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.

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?

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Refresh your practice’s brand and marketing strategy to ring in the New Year with helpful hints from Danielle Lambert, founder of Snout School.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Nowadays client interaction with your brand can happen before they even step through the door.

Effective mentoring is key to attracting and retaining veterinary professionals, and you can set your practice apart by making mentorship part of your culture. The 2023 AAHA Mentoring Guidelines show you how to implement effective mentorship strategies to improve your practice’s recruitment and retention and your team’s job satisfaction.

Leveraging social platforms effectively can be challenging for veterinary professionals, but in the right hands they can also be a powerful tool to combat false claims and provide reliable content to pet owners.

Mentorship is heavily discussed in academic settings, but what it means and how to find it can be daunting for budding veterinarians. There is a fear that asking for guidance equates to a lack of clinical competency, but there is also a deeply driven desire to provide the best care for our patients. This is the perfect place for quality mentorship to step in and bridge the gap. So, what do new graduates want when seeking mentorship?

Effective mentoring is key to attracting and retaining veterinary professionals, and you can set your practice apart by making mentorship part of your culture.

A Financial Safety Net Option for Your Furry Friend

Pet insurance helps ensure that you are able to say “Yes” to veterinary care without the stress and anxiety that can come with vet bills

Being an ally, an advocate, and committing to diversity are important steps toward making the veterinary profession a safer and more equitable place for everyone. This article outlines some ways to make that happen.

Is lack of compliance bugging you?

A conversation with Stacee Santi, DVM, founder and CEO of Vet2Pet

Successful preventive care requires a team effort

A conversation with Cherice Roth, DVM, MS

Moving client services into the future and decreasing stress for the front desk

Using Telehealth Can Help Decipher Behavior Issues

Veterinary practices tend to focus their educational and promotional efforts on puppy, kitten, and middle-life adult pet wellness, but often fall short when communicating with and marketing to owners of senior pets. Let’s fix that!