At first I thought that this space would be best served with a blah, blah, professional sounding explanation of the difficulties faced by veterinary managers, but we already know that don't we? We already know how difficult veterinary hospitals are to manage. We all know how family-like teams can become and the good, the bad, and the ugly that can develop in such families.
We all know how many plates are spinning at any given moment, how we need to remember to update Facebook, and check the backorder status of a drug and help with a fractious cat, and remember that payroll is friday, and talk to a distressed client and an upset staff member. We all know that we need to do all of these things and still, somehow find the time to grow the practice and create programs and marketing that will help us achieve those means.
We also all know we need help sometimes. All veterinary managers need to reach out to others who are facing the same disasters. Maybe we need help, maybe just feedback, maybe just a pat on the back.
That's all I want to be. I've run veterinary hospitals. I've been team leader, I've owned a horse training barn, and in all of these there was always a day when I had a brilliant idea that was radical and that I just knew would help my hospital or team, or business. But then I would look around and there was no one to hear me out. No one who knew the specific challenges I was faced with. I was alone. And my brilliant idea? It was scary, and honestly, maybe one-third of the time it worked, and the other two-thirds, not so much.
Then I became team leader at a fantastic, progressive veterinary hospital in Southern Arizona (Animal Care Center of Green Valley - in case you are looking for a veterinarian). There I met the most wonderful hospital manger ever. She provided me the feedback I needed to hear when I would have my brilliant ideas. She backed me when the odds were against me, and helped me come to my senses when my ideas were too crazy.
When I left ACC, I took her lessons with me, and when I needed help as a manager at a hospital facing issues totally foreign to those faced at ACC, I called her up.
I had more 'brilliant' ideas at Ventana Animal Hospital. Some worked some did not, but because of the tremendous advice of a knowledgable mentor, many more were successful than not.
Ventana Animal Hospital provided unique challenges and demanded unique answers. I achieved a great deal at my brief stint at VAH. I knew the battle was uphill, and I knew my time was short. I was able to do fantastic things, not because I am inherently brilliant (in spite of my personal beliefs to the contrary) but because I could bounce my crazy ideas off someone I trusted.
At VAH I achieved fantastic success. Our Wellness Plan made the veterinary national press at Veterinary News Network and Veterinary Economics, and one of my teammates put me up for Veterinary Economics Veterinary Hospital Manager of the Year. That alone was fantastic.
Except that it was just window dressing to the real changes taking place at VAH. The whole point of a veterinary hospital is patient care and employee care (including owners). My mandate from day one at VAH was to help the owner pay herself and the staff better and provide superior care and value to patients. I wanted to create a hospital where clients could get excellent care at a fair price, techs and staff could make a living wage, and the owner was compensated fairly for all of the risks she took to put her name on the door.
The fact that I achieved all of these goals I consider to be my greatest achievements at VAH. That is what veterinary managers are paid to do. Anyone can order supplies and make a technician schedule. Managers need to look forward, they need to build value for clients, staff, and owners.
Veterinary Economics named me a Top 10 Veterinary Manager of the Year for 2014. That is an unbelievable honor, especially when I think of all the hospital managers out there doing everything all by themselves. I always had my outside team for advice, I never did anything alone.
That is what I want to offer my fellow managers and practice owners. I don't want to run your hospital, I want to help you run your hospital. And whatever you need, from marketing help to feedback on an idea, to help moving your hospital forward, that's what I will provide.
In the end, all I care about is the value that we provide for our patients, our staff, and hospital owners.
Liane Ehrich, CVT
4 Dogs Veterinary Services, LLC
4dogsvet@gmail.com
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