Veterinary Financial Podcast

We asked Andrew Rotz, Certified Financial Planner and the Director of Personal Finance and Financial Literacy at North Carolina State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, about working with vet students, their biggest financial concerns, and veterinary employment contracts.

- What Andrew’s day to day looks like working at NC State

- What are the biggest financial concerns of interns and residents?

- What are some common mistakes vet students and early career vets make?

- What are the most common student debt questions Andrew gets from students?

- When is the ideal time to pursue a student loan consultation?

- What trends is Andrew seeing with veterinary job offers and contracts?

- What should new grads keep in mind when receiving their first job offers?

- What are the most overlooked benefits in contracts?

- What are some pitfalls to watch out for in contracts?

Ways to connect with Andrew:

Tide & Tempest Financial: https://tidetempestfinancial.com

Andrew’s email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-rotz/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Cyndie Courtney, small animal veterinarian, a speaker, consultant, and The Jerk Researcher about jerks in the veterinary practice, how much a jerk costs veterinary practices, and what can be done about them.

- How Cyndie became The jerk Researcher

- Why Cyndie chose the word ‘Jerk’ and what it means to her

- What are other ways one can be a jerk outside of behavior?

- How do jerks affect the bottom line of a practice?

- Advice on how to deal with jerks

- How to know if you are the jerk

- How can a practice prevent becoming a systemic jerk?

Ways to connect with Cyndie:

https://www.thejerkresearcher.com/

Instagram: @TheJerkResearcher

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejerkresearcher/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejerkresearcher/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Meagan Landress, student loan consultant for Student Loan Planner, financial coach, and a Certified Student Loan Professional about what a student loan consult entails, the changes occurring with student loans, determining the best route of repayment, and common mistakes vets make with student loans.

- What does a student loan consult with Meagan entail?

- What do vets need to keep in mind for when payments resume?

- What does Meagan recommend if the government extends the pause again?

- How do you determine the best route of repayment?

- What are the most common mistakes vets make with student loan repayment?

- Has Meagan seen an increase in the number of vets able to pay their loans off in full with the increase in salaries?

- What are some student loan tips the class of 2022 should know?

***This episode was recorded before the recent changes made to federal student loan forgiveness. You can learn more here: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/major-reform-idr-plans/

Student Loan Resources:

Student Loan Planner Calculator: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/free-student-loan-calculator/

VIN Student Loan Repayment Simulator: https://www.vin.com/studentdebtcenter/default.aspx?pid=14352&id=7578014

Ways to connect with Meagan:

https://www.financialcoachmeagan.com

https://www.studentloanplanner.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meaganlandress/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financialcoachmeagan/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Stacey Cordivano, equine vet, practice owner, and host of The Whole Veterinarian Podcast about becoming a practice owner, focusing on physical and mental wellbeing, meditation, and creating sustainability in equine practice.

- What was the shift in thinking Stacey had about her career?

- How did this change how she practiced?

- How did Stacey get started with real estate investing?

- What is The Whole Veterinarian about and what is its mission?

- What are some good wellbeing habits?

- What is a life plan and how do you make one?

- What is the Sustainability in Equine Practice Seminar & Retreat?

- How do we create more sustainability in equine practice?

- What advice does Stacey have for vet students or new grads who want to pursue equine practice?

Create Your Own Strategic Life Plan:

https://thewholeveterinarian.com/freeguide/

Ways to connect with Stacey:

https://thewholeveterinarian.com

Instagram: @thewholeveterinarian

Email: [email protected]

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Sam Morello, board certified large animal surgeon, speaker, and researcher on veterinary compensation, about her recent study on intern and resident salaries, financial strain among postgraduate veterinary trainees, and how she became interested in demographics and salaries in the veterinary profession. 

- What is Sam’s recent study about?

- Are interns and residents being paid a living wage?

- How are house officer salaries being determined?

- Is there any correlation between cost of living and salaries?

- How well are they being paid based on how many hours they are working?

- What other financial barriers do vets in training programs face?

- What are Sam’s thoughts on the link between financial stress and lower well-being scores?

- What advice does Sam have for vet students looking to start their careers?

- Are there differences between benefits given in academic settings versus private practice?

- Is there a difference in the gender gap with surgeons on production pay versus salary?

- Should we talk about compensation more openly?

Sam’s research studies:

Compensation: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/260/1/javma.21-07-0336.xml

Wage gap: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/255/11/javma.255.11.1270.xml

Merck Well-being study: https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2022/02/2021-PSV-Veterinary-Wellbeing-Presentation_V2.pdf

Ways to connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-morello-956a9525/

Email: [email protected]

ACVS: https://online.acvs.org/acvsssa/rflcustomdisplay.detail_page?p_vendor_serno=104366

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

Episode 14 marks the one year anniversary of the Veterinary Financial Podcast! It also marks a transition for both the Veterinary Financial Summit and the podcast as Dr. Phil Zeltzman steps away from his executive role to focus on his surgery practice and other projects. 

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Willie Bidot, a board certified lab animal veterinarian, co-founder and president of Veterinarians for Puerto Rico, and a huge money nerd, about how he will be stepping up to be a part of the Veterinary Financial Summit leadership team.

• What has Willie’s career trajectory been like?
• How did Willie and Meredith meet?
• How did Willie first become interested in personal finance?
• What is Willie’s experience in the financial education space?
• What advice does Phil have for Willie as he steps into this leadership role?
• What is Willie most excited about as he joins the Veterinary Financial Summit leadership team?
• What are some of the highlights from 2021?
• What can you look forward to from VFS in 2022?

Resources: 

Debt-free Vets Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1220774971268317

VIN Foundation Student Debt Repayment Simulator: http://vinfoundation.org/loansim

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

We asked Dave Nicol, veterinarian, business leader, and founder of VetX International, about his recent leadership study, the importance of having a vision statement in veterinary practices, tackling toxic practice cultures, and how culture affects a practice’s bottom line.

- What were the goals of the Leadership Actions and Their Effects on Veterinary Practice Culture study?

- What were the main findings of the study?

- What makes a clearly defined vision statement?

- How do practice leaders begin to craft a vision statement?

- How much time should veterinary leaders devote to leadership priorities versus clinical versus administrative tasks?

- What factor in the study has the biggest impact on culture?

- How do we tackle toxicity in veterinary practices?

- What are some tips for effectively attracting and hiring veterinarians?

- What factors contribute to overall happiness in the workplace for vets and team members?

- How does culture affect the bottom line in a practice?

Ways to connect with Dave:

Instagram: @drdavenicol   

www.vetxinternational.com

Leadership Actions and Their Effects on Veterinary Practice Culture Study: https://www.vetxinternational.com/new-study-reveals-link-between-specific-leadership-actions-and-veterinary-practice-culture/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

Thank you to our Partners:

CareCredit: https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed

TeleVet: https://televet.com

Royal Canin: https://www.royalcanin.com

Galaxy Vets: https://galaxyvets.com

Eckard Enterprises: https://eckardenterprises.com

VetX International: http://vetxinternational.com

We asked Ivan Zak, veterinarian, founder of Smart Flow, Veterinary Integration Solutions, Galaxy Vets, and passionate advocate for the wellbeing of veterinary professionals, about his newly released Burnout Study in the Veterinary Profession, the correlation between goal setting and burnout, how employers can help teams improve work/life balance, and why he founded Galaxy Vets.

- What the main findings of the Burnout Study in the Veterinary Profession are

- How employers can help their teams improve work/life balance

- How Ivan recommends to set goals

- What Ivan learned consulting with veterinary consolidators

- Why Ivan decided to start Galaxy Vets

- How does the equity program at Galaxy Vets work?

- What should a practice owner ask a potential buyer when they are looking to sell?

- Is there a solution to the increase in caseload combined with the veterinary workforce shortage?

- What is Ivan’s opinion on commission-based compensation?

- What is the long-term vision for Galaxy Vets?

- What are some elements in Galaxy Vets’ strategy to prevent burnout?

Ways to connect with Ivan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ivan-zak/

https://vetintegrations.com/

https://galaxyvets.com/

Burnout Study in the Veterinary Profession: https://vetintegrations.com/insights/burnout2021/

Webinar on the Burnout Study: https://galaxyvets.com/burnout-and-work-life-balance-study-2021/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

Thank you to our Partners:

CareCredit: https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed

TeleVet: https://televet.com

Royal Canin: https://www.royalcanin.com

Galaxy Vets: https://galaxyvets.com

Eckard Enterprises: https://eckardenterprises.com

VetX International: http://vetxinternational.com

We asked Eve Harrison, full time house call vet, owner of a concierge veterinary practice, and founder of the House Call Vet Academy, about how she decided to become a house call vet, her experience in concierge medicine, and why she started the House Call Vet Academy course.

- How Eve became a concierge vet

- What is the difference between a house call vet and a concierge vet?

- How someone becomes a concierge client

- How Eve sets boundaries with her clients

- How Eve has managed risk during the pandemic

- What motivated Eve to start the House Call Vet Academy course

- Resources Eve has used to manage her practice better

Ways to connect with Eve:

http://www.thehousecallvetacademy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseCallVetAcademy

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com/

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

Thank you to our Partners:

CareCredit: https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

TeleVet: https://televet.com/

Royal Canin: https://www.royalcanin.com/

Galaxy Vets: https://galaxyvets.com/

Eckard Enterprises: https://eckardenterprises.com/

VetX International: http://vetxinternational.com

We asked AmyJo Mattheis, CEO of Pavo Navigation Coaching, about toxicity in the workplace, how toxicity affects the financial health of a practice, where this toxicity comes from, negative and positive energies, and how we can help our team members in creating a more positive environment.

- How prevalent is toxicity in the veterinary workplace?

- If everyone wants to be happy, why is there so much toxicity?

- What are the 3 negative energies?

- What are the 3 positive energies

- If someone realizes they have been responsible for a toxic environment, how do we help that person?

- How can we help a toxic team member see how their behavior is toxic and help them?

Ways to connect with AmyJo:

https://www.pavonavigation.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajexeccoach/

Ways to connect with Veterinary Financial Summit: 

https://VetFinancialSummit.com/

Instagram: @vetfinancialsummit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VetFinancialSummit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vetfinancialsummit

Email: [email protected]

Thank you to our Partners:

CareCredit: https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

TeleVet: https://televet.com/

Royal Canin: https://www.royalcanin.com/

Galaxy Vets: https://galaxyvets.com/

Eckard Enterprises: https://eckardenterprises.com/