Veterinary Voices

Continuing on from episode 100 is part 2 of Dr Francesca Brown's research about what vet clinic clients want.

The importance of training front line staff.

Regard staff training as an investment, not a cost.

A valuable strategy vet clinics can copy from dental clinics to help improve their bottom line.

How important (or not) is pet insurance?   

How the 20 / 80 Pareto Principal plays out in clinic and how you can implement strategies to get more clients like the 20% you currently have who’re bringing in 80% of your turnover.

The importance of putting the fee where it should be (intellectual property and capital) not with meds.

What to do when clients have referred to Dr Google.

The similarities between vet clinics and midwifery clinics that affect the bottom line and clients having a positive experience.

What would have been helpful for Dr Francesca to have heard / been taught, as a vet student.

What clinical auditing could look like to help improve vet clinic client satisfaction.

The importance of reverse-engineering what happens when things go wrong to ensure no repeat performance.

The difference between having values on the wall for all to see and those clinics that live their values.

How growing clinics use feedback – positive and negative - to propel them forward.

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

Dr Francesca Brown is a veterinarian who graduated from Massey University’s class of 1998.  

Since graduating and gaining experience in clinical practice she moved to education and then leadership in Allied Veterinary Professional education, at both Otago Polytechnic, as the Head of the School of Veterinary Nursing and nationally as the Chair of the Educational Standards committee for Allied Veterinary Professionals. 

Over her career Dr Francesca’s seen first-hand, and through her network of colleagues in the industry (both vets and allied veterinary professionals), the significant challenges faced to personnel. 

Today she talks about one of her most recent research projects – which she expects to publish in early 2023 – Veterinary Client Storytelling.

Dr Francesca wanted to know “what’s important to clients when they visit a vet clinic”.   

Dr Francesca discusses the following questions and top level ‘more research required’ topics:    

What can clinics do to improve the clients’ experience when they visit?

Are clinics relying too heavily on the sale / inclusion of medication as a revenue generating component?

What steps can veterinary staff – from front of house through to the veterinarian – do to greatly enhance the clients’ experience?

How to recognise the critically important human-animal bond to each individual client

Listen to what the client has to say – explain the rationale for discounting Dr Google’s diagnosis

Offer professional guidance when giving clients choices around future treatment option(s)

The importance of partnership clinic+client+pet

Would clients pay extra to have more time to settle their pets?

Would slowing things down and allowing more time be beneficial?   What would the benefits look like?

How important is always seeing the same vet to the client?

What needs to happen is this standard practice in a clinic?

How can the clinic + client relationship be maintained?   

How can feedback become a gift?

What can clinics / people do when a blind spot is exposed?

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

EVP – Employee Value Proposition – the tacit understanding about how an employer treats its employees

What an employer promises its employees goes beyond the legal requirements of being paid for the work done (by the employee) and the health and safety obligations employers have.

It’s about whether your clinic allows a blind eye to be turned when someone’s bullied … or a sexist, ageist or racist comment is made … it’s about whether you might experience an eye-roll because you’re taking your break but no one else does …

In addition, your clinic’s EVP covers the monetary and non-monetary benefits it provides to its employees.

5 components of EVP – Employee Value Proposition

1. Remuneration (or compensation) package
2. Benefits
3. Career Development
4. Clinic Environment
5. Clinic Culture

6 steps to EVP development and implementation at your vet clinic

1. Identify what your clinic currently offers
2. Get feedback from employees (past and present)
3. Identify and define the key points to include in the EVP
4. Draft your EVP –  Check it out with your team (rinse and repeat if necessary)
5. Start using it
6. Test, measure and re-evaluate your EVP

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

When you – or your team – show up for work at your vet clinic, what is it you want them to feel and think about working at your clinic?

Do you – or they - feel excited or exhausted?  Delighted or filled with dread?  Full of optimism or cynicism?

Culture exists whether you like it or not.   

Whether the culture at your clinic is positive or negative, you’ve still got a cultural vibe happening.

Signposts indicating whether the culture at your clinic is positive or negative include employee turnover, absenteeism (eg, sick days), productivity and engagement levels.

A positively-cultured vet clinic will have low employee turnover and absenteeism and high productivity and engagement levels.

A negatively-cultured clinic will have the opposite – high turnover and absenteeism and low productivity and engagement levels.

People leave workplaces because of the people.

Before you can start working on the four steps to celebration-worthy clinic culture though, you need to answer five preliminary questions first.   

These questions are:

1. How well does your team enjoy their work?   You want them to be excited about turning up for work on Monday mornings – not dreading the end of the weekend.  
2. Are there levels of accountability and responsibility in place for each team member?  Allowing individual team members to take a level of ownership helps them feel connected.
3. How engaged is your team – collectively and individually?  Do they believe that what they do matters to the clinic they work at – not just the lives they save?   Is your clinic’s mission one that is inspirational and commit-worthy?  
4. What is your team’s sense of camaraderie and respect? People like to be involved and know their word and work are trusted.
5. How does your clinic invest in your employees?  How do you show recognition for jobs well done and people who’re valued?  

Four Steps to Having Culture Worth Celebrating

#1 - Lay the foundation - determine your clinic's

• Your clinic’s MISSION statement: This tells the entire world – yes, everyone – your employees, your clients and your suppliers – why your clinic’s in business. It’s a brief statement.
• Your clinic’s VISION statement: This is an aspirational statement of what your vet clinic envisions to be down the road. It should be emotional and motivation.
• Your clinic’s VALUES: These are what everyone on your team believes and wants to uphold.  Your clinic’s values hold everyone to the highest, or let everyone get away with the lowest, acceptable behaviour.  These are the foundation of your clinic’s culture.  

#2 - Take your clinic's culture temperature

• culture / engagement survey

#3 - Get Buy-in

• focus groups
• Do you have the right leadership team in place that models your clinic’s values?
• When you recruit, does your clinic naturally attract like-minded, high calibre veterinary professionals?  People you want on your team?
• Do your values challenge everyone to perform at their very best? 
• What opportunities are there to be more involved with your employees?

#4 - Roll it out / implement

VET NURSE AWARENESS WEEK - LEADERBOARD WEEK #4
1st:  Companion Vets

2nd:  Hamilton Small Animal Veterinary Centre

3rd + 4th equal:  Te Aroha Veterinary Centre + Levin and Horowhenua Vet Centre

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

Here are six make-sense steps to help increase staff retention at your clinic by 82% and increase staff engagement by 70%

Onboarding is the bridge between the final stage of recruitment and the first step in employee engagement.

Onboarding is more than asking your new hire to fill out a whole bunch of forms on their first day.   

Onboarding is a systematic process to ensure your newest employee believes they've made the right decision to accept your job offer!

The 6 Cs of onboarding (reference Dr Tayla Bauer) are:

•  Compliance
• Clarification
• Confidence
• Connection
• Culture
• Checkback

#LoveYourVetNurse 2022 competition results - Leader Board Week 3:

3rd place - Levin and Horowhenua Vets
2nd place - Te Aroha Vets
1st place -  Hamilton Small Animal Vet Centre

https://www.vetstaff.co.nz/news-media/vet-nurse-awareness-week-2022/

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

What is "constructive dismissal" - 101 employment law overview with Julie South.  

Dr Cath Watson - Chair of Healthy Pets NZ talks about ways supports can get involved in fundraising.   

Cath talks about "Dogs Day Out" and Kerikeri artist Tessa Smith. Julie South announces last week's leader board in the VetStaff annual "Love Your Vet Nurse" competition in honour of Vet Nurse Awareness Week 2022.  

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

Part 2 of 3 chats Julie South had with Companion Animal Veterinarian and Chair of Healthy Pets New Zealand, Dr Cath Watson.

This week Julie and Cath chat about some of the research that Healthy Pets NZ has undertaken.

#LoveYourVetNurse annual competition in honour of Vet Nurse Awareness Week - Julie announces the leader board results after the first week of competition.

It's the best competition VetStaff has ever run - the enthusiasm from clinics has been almost overwhelming!

Kotahikanga (unity/togetherness)

Matautanga (continuous drive to learn)

Manakitanga (human:animal bond)

Haporitanga (family community bond)

Kaitiakitanga (we are the voice, we are their guardian)

Enter the LoveYourVetNurse competition today!

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

Dr Cath Watson, BVSc - Companion Animal Veterinarian - has worked in a range of practices, both in here in Godzone Aotearoa New Zealand and in the United Kingdom.   She’s been a locum, an employee, and a business owner.

Right now, Cath’s based in Central Otago but travels the country as a locum. 

The reason Cath and Julie South of VetStaff are talking today is because of Cath's involvement in Healthy Pets New Zealand – a really special New Zealand research charity.   

In her spare time, Cath has a passion for anything outdoors and loves exploring New Zealand's back-country by foot, bike, kayak or skis.   

Healthy Pets New Zealand

Healthy Pets NZ is a registered charity that supports research into improved health and welfare for kiwi pets. 

Established by the Companion Animal Branch of the New Zealand Veterinary Association in 1998, Healthy Pets is a team of volunteer veterinary professionals consisting of veterinarians, researchers, veterinary nurses and educators. Each is passionate about outcome focussed research that assists companion animals in New Zealand. 

Fundraising at Healthy Pets

Healthy Pets doesn't receive any government grants so fundraises through sponsorships, bequests and donations for outcome-focused research. This research makes a difference to the lives of kiwi pets and their owners. 

Over the last 20 years, Healthy Pets research has resulted in new diagnostic and treatment options becoming available to the veterinary profession in New Zealand. 

They recently began funding research into the value of pets to society and the human-pet bond. 

Healthy Pets research continues to help improve care, results in new and better diagnostic investigation, and explores new treatment options for a range of issues affecting kiwi pets.

Healthy Pets researchers seek to publish their results and communicate important findings to the public.

Healthy Pets Research

Research Objectives

• To promote better public understanding of companion animal welfare, breeding, nutrition, management, health, diseases and performance.
• To encourage the study and understanding of companion animals in New Zealand.
• To foster project or welfare work in connection with companion animals.
• To assist with projects related to advancing the wellbeing of all companion animals.

Healthy Pets New Zealand research.

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

Before you start looking for your next vet or vet nurse job – there are some things you need to do first – to avoid heartbreak and stress further down the track.

In summary

Get clear on why you’re considering a new job.   If you like where you are, give your current clinic the opportunity to meet you in the middle.   If you’re a good vet or nurse and you match the culture and vice versa, they’ll want to keep you.   

Giving them the opportunity ahead of you looking elsewhere is the right thing to do.    

If that doesn’t work and you end up in a counter-offer situation then here’re the six Qs to ask yourself:

#1 - Why the counter offer now?

#2 - Will earning more money fix what’s wrong?

#3 - At face value is staying at your current clinic, the best clinic for you?    

#4 - Is accepting the counter offer the best decision for your career – in the long run?

#5 - How will your relationship with your co-workers change?  

#6 – Why are you leaving?   Really?   Revisit your list – why are you leaving?   What is going to change?

Do you want to stay?

Staying is the easy way – especially if/when your current clinic presents you with a counter offer.

In your mind’s eye, I want you to fast forward when considering whether you want to stay.   

Ask yourself:  

·       Are you prepared to step into your challenge zone  – ie, out of your comfort zone – and negotiate something better today?  Without looking for another job?

·       Do you feel ‘brave’ enough that you’ll be well received?    That doesn’t mean that your requests will be met, but that you won’t be ridiculed or bullied simply because you asked.   

·       What will it take for you to stay?

·       If they say no now, and then make you a counter offer down the track, what will you do at that point?  Will you remember they weren’t willing to do this until backed into a corner?

Because maybe, just maybe, you can negotiate with your current clinic terms that make you want to stay.  

My recommendation is to do that before you start looking for another job.   Not in a counter offer situation.

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics

7 attributes of great team players

1.     Understand their role

2.     Embrace collaboration

3.     Hold themselves accountable

4.     Committed to their team

5.     Flexible

6.     Optimistic and future-focussed

7.     Can be relied upon and trusted

Johari Window + 56 adjectives

5 things to compare yourself to every day

Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?

A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.

Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.

Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics