Veterinarian in Society

What makes good veterinary practice management?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD VETERINARY PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

• A good veterinarian requires both technical and personal skills to succeed. The veterinarian may have the technical skills and academic qualifications to manage, but without good people skills they will struggle to be successful or effective. Veterinarians’ behaviour determines how ‘good’ they are. Some veterinarian have naturally good people skills, others have to work hard to develop these skills. It is important to have good relationship with staff and clients for which we need to approach the job with an open mind. Also the veterinarian should possess the following qualities to maintain high standards and to be called as ‘good’
  1. Confidence
  2. Assertiveness
  3. Responsibility
  4. Standards
  5. Visibility
  6. Motivation
  7. Praise and thanks
  8. Constructive criticism
  9. Pride in the job
  10. Tact, diplomacy, patience and understanding
  11. Communication and listening
  12. Fairness
  13. Self-awareness
  14. A sense of humour and
  15. Support network
• Confidence
  • The staff and clients expect their veterinarians to take the lead, to have the answers to the problems and to sort out difficult situations. Confidence is all about being sure of one’s self and one’s own abilities. The golden rule is to look confident at all times regardless of how they may be feeling inside. The following stops us from being confident
    • Lack of job knowledge
    • Lack of self-belief
    • Lack of self –esteem
    • Insecurity
    • Lack of assertiveness
  • Good veterinarian has to have a thorough knowledge of their job and the job of his fellow staff and believe in their own abilities
• Assertiveness
  • A veterinarian needs to be assertive. Assertiveness may not come naturally but some techniques can be learnt. Being assertive will enable the veterinarian to
    • Handle confrontation more easily
    • Avoid stress
    • Be able to say the right thing at the right time
    • Have greater self-confidence and self-esteem
    • Leave people with a positive impression of them
    • Prevent others manipulating them
    • Stay in control
  • It is important to decide what you want from a given situation. Be open and honest and always listen to others and their opinions, appreciate their feelings and aim to find mutually acceptable solutions. Aim for win-win outcome. Assertiveness is needed for dealing with conflict, when negotiating and when leading teams and motivating staff
• Responsibility
  • Responsibility does not end with the title of a manager. Managing a veterinarian practice is a big responsibility. They have to carry out their role in the very best of their ability. Avoiding responsibility may be due to fear or lack of knowledge or even laziness or sometimes veterinarian feel imposing rules or discipline may not be liked by their colleagues. But when veterinarian takes responsibility they gain far more respect.
• Standards
  • All veterinarians must have high personal standards, their actions establish the standards that their staff will be expected to reach. A veterinarian with poor standards means that they practice with poor standards. High standards will be needed in
    • Attitude to the job - always positive and enthusiastic
    • Willingness - always doing the extra mile at all times
    • Time keeping - always there at least 10 minutes before they are
      due to start work
    • Dress - always smart and tidy
    • Politeness/manner/mood - always friendly and polite
    • Organization - always tidy and organized
• Visibility
  • The fellow staff must be able to see veterinarians in top level as managers or administrators in their respective organisations. Administrators who hide away in their office will never achieve any kind of empathy. It’s important to visit to all areas on a regular basis, be seen by all staff, talk to them, ask questions, find out what is happening that day and show an interest in everything that is going on. Having an ‘open-door policy’ will encourage staff to visit their administration and discuss their problems. This will help to learn what is really happening and understand the staff feeling.
• Motivation
  • A good veterinarian as manager or administrator must be able to motivate their staff. They must create an environment in which people do thing because they want to and not by force. The starting point for a good motivator is being motivated themselves. Motivation is infectious. Motivated staff are more productive, work better together, have more commitment and motivate each other. Veterinarian need to ask themselves the following questions:
    • Do I look forward to going to work each day?
    • Do I enjoy my job?
    • Do I believe in what I am doing?
    • Do I show this to my staff?
• Praise and thanks
  • It is important for veterinary managers to help their staff develop and grow. It is important to praise staff if they do a good job and thank them if they do the extra work. But never over do this as too many thanks or praise will become meaningless
• Constructive criticism
  • Veterinarian has to discipline their co-workers and staff for which constructive criticism is essential. The co-workers or staff needs to take up such criticism in a positive frame of mind. They need to help and understand the change situation to improve standards
• Pride in the job
  • Veterinarian need to show pride in their job, practice and pride in their staff. They need to instil this pride in all staff members. It is necessary to show each other, client and the society.
• Tact, diplomacy, patience and understanding
  • All these qualities are needed in abundance, for dealing with partners, staff, clients, suppliers, media etc.
• Communication and listening
  • A successful manager must have good communication skills and techniques. They need to communicate at personal level and listen to what their staff has to say. Listening exhibits care and improves relationship building
• Fairness
  • Veterinarians as managers or administrators must have no ‘favorites’. They must be seen to be fair at all times, setting same rules for all and not making exceptions for some staff or clients. Once credibility is lost in this area it will be very difficult to re-establish.
• Self-awareness
  • Veterinarians should know their own strengths, weakens and limitations and not be afraid to seek help if necessary. Veterinarian with little experience may also ask other staff to explain an unknown procedure than to pretend that they understand. This will help to earn respect.
• A sense of humour
  • A veterinary manager must have a good sense of humour. Becoming stressed or depressed will not help either the manager or the staff.
• Support network
  • Meeting other colleagues working in similar organization is important. It helps to know the working pattern and build confidence and motivation. It also helps to understand the functioning of various organizations, their management problems and solutions.