What Separates Veterinary Practices
Delegation is the key to being able to become successful and generate average transactions that are profitable, yet still providing the client with the time and service that they want and expect. How good are you as a veterinarian at delegating during the day? Or do you choose to do tasks that others can do and not let your technicians do what they are trained to do? The question remains: why do some veterinarians generate a million dollars a year in revenues and others can only produce $500,000? Given the same number of potential clients, the answer lies in one’s ability to delegate tasks.
As veterinarians, we seem to have an inherent belief that we can do things better than anyone else . With this attitude, I have seen veterinarians that I have hired insist on doing unnecessary tasks from wanting to draw blood from animals to starting intravenous fluid lines. They are spending their time doing the work of a technician, while another veterinarian is seeing 3-4 clients in the same amount of time simply because they are utilizing their techs properly. Veterinarians have to finally get the attitude that they are paid to diagnose and recommend treatments, not necessarily to do the treatments themselves. Until veterinarians start utilizing their resources, we will remain a profession of low producing professionals that are busy doing unnecessary tasks.
When I am working, I picture myself as the quarterback of a football team, and I am directing my offense. I may have three exam rooms filled with patients to be seen all at once, and I use my technicians to do everything from getting blood, taking x-rays, to starting IV fluids. I am just going into the rooms, doing a physical exam, ordering tests for my techs to perform, and then reading the results and working up treatment plans. I am getting paid for what only can do. Using this method, I did over $1 million in revenues last year; therefore, I know it can be done. To me, it is a lot more fun because I get to just be the doctor, which is what I want to be. Working this way as a veterinarian does require having good technicians, not necessarily certified ones, but very well trained with lots of experience. Try delegating and you will be surprised at how much more volume you will do and also how much better you will feel at the end of the day. Furthermore, watch and see what happens to your technicians as you empower them . We can keep the great service that we have always offered as veterinarians, yet see more people if we stop doing tasks that are not needed to be done by veterinarians.
Tags: dr dean severidt, Leadership, veterinary practice management
