I’m still getting used to this strange bedfellow of ours. What’s more, I’m not quite sure what to make of the fact I can’t manage to despise it yet. Never in a million years would I have predicted the relative equanimity I’ve experienced throughout this process. After all, as anyone who has caught any part of my decades-long writing career can attest, I’ve carefully nurtured a poisonous aversion to corporate takeovers in veterinary medicine.
Used car salespeople get a bad rap. We all know they are just trying to make a living, but that does not keep almost every young veterinarian from invoking this simile when faced with the prospect of proposing expensive pet care. They find it hard to shake the feeling price may determine whether a patient lives or dies—we all do.
Used car salespeople get a bad rap. We all know they are just trying to make a living, but that does not keep almost every young veterinarian from invoking this simile when faced with the prospect of proposing expensive pet care. They find it hard to shake the feeling price may determine whether a patient lives or dies—we all do.
While the FTC’s decision to ban noncompete agreements has already been appealed and the ban is by no means a certainty, veterinary practices have been widely contemplating the potential demise of this practice and what it means for both veterinary associates and practice owners alike.
Then there is the possibility of hanging your own shingle to consider. It is no stretch to claim there is still room in our profession for upstart strip mall practices and tiny, one-exam-room, hole-in-the-walls. There are plenty of nontraditional practice alternatives to consider, too.
Then there is the possibility of hanging your own shingle to consider. It is no stretch to claim there is still room in our profession for upstart strip mall practices and tiny, one-exam-room, hole-in-the-walls. There are plenty of nontraditional practice alternatives to consider, too.
While the ways in which we can morally and ethically stray can look vastly different depending on our role, it is undoubtedly true those with the most responsibility experience the greatest exposure to veterinary moral hazards. Dr. Patty Khuly addresses eight of the most common moral scenarios that put you behind the 8-ball.
Since independent clinics are small, we are nimble. We just have to keep thinking outside that damned box. With that in mind, here are six ideas Dr. Patty Khuly has been pondering with an eye toward spicing up how we think about independent small animal practice.
Since independent clinics are small, we are nimble. We just have to keep thinking outside that damned box. With that in mind, here are six ideas Dr. Patty Khuly has been pondering with an eye toward spicing up how we think about independent small animal practice.
To glean a proper appreciation of an industry’s dynamics via veterinary conferences I like to take a three-pronged approach: 1) Concentrate on the periphery of the exhibition hall. 2) Interview random veterinarians and do not skip the small talk with veterinary technicians and vet students. 3) Attend panel discussions on cultural issues or practice management.
