According to Dr. Peter J. Pekins’ research, warmer winter months increase the ability of ticks to acquire a moose host and survive winter months. While large numbers of ticks aren’t great for adult moose, they’re especially bad for moose calves, which can die from the onslaught. Source: New York Times, October 18, 2018. Link. The abundance of moose enables the ticks to … [Read more...]
Spending 5 hours a week learning can create amazing ROI
Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning, while others make excuses about how busy they are? The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who … [Read more...]
We’re terrible at planning our time. Here’s how to fix it.
The 40-hour work week is a myth, writes Jory MacKay. She describes our bias toward being overly optimistic when it comes to how much time is needed to complete a future task. In other words, we are notoriously bad at figuring out how long a task will take us. . . . most people typically have a window of about three hours where we’re really, really focused . . . we found that … [Read more...]
Coffee breaks don’t boost productivity after all
Citing the results of her own research on productivity at work, Charlotte Fritz says the findings on microbreaks is counterintuitive but real. Nearly across the board, microbreaks that were not job-related, such as getting a glass of water, calling a relative, or going to the bathroom, didn’t seem to have any significant relationship to people’s reported energy (what we called … [Read more...]
The top 10 risks your employees bring to your organization
Human resources leaders stand to benefit from seeing how their peers are overcoming challenges. HRE asked experts to weigh in on some of the biggest issues facing today’s HR leaders and consider solutions to these obstacles. We identified information from research done by Aon Risk Solutions that applies to businesses in our industry whether small or large. Your employees are … [Read more...]
Policing women’s anger
Gathering knowledge and experiences from a female star athlete, an NFL coach, a governor and conference speakers, Katie Sanders writes about defining a strong female lead. . . . speaking out . . . can be a challenge in the workplace, where women are disproportionately penalized for expressing emotions, especially when they are perceived as angry. Source: Fast Company, October … [Read more...]
4 ways busy people sabotage themselves
Self-sabotaging patterns maintain a cycle of always having too much to do, or at least feeling like that’s the case, writes Alice Boyes. She examines the problems and proposes solutions. You’ve left an important task undone for weeks. It’s hanging over you, causing daily anxiety. And yet instead of actually doing it, you do a hundred other tasks instead. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Sorry for the delayed response
You will find this satirical look at our communication challenges amusing. Whether purposefully or accidentally, the challenges of delayed responses will remain. You’ll recognize some of Susanna Wolff’s examples. After reading this, review previous posts and consider options to improve email and text communications. Source: The New Yorker, March 16, 2017. Link. Also see: … [Read more...]
Stop doing 7 things found in the worst managers
Animal health pros often lead projects, work in groups and work as managers. Marcel Schwantes reviews counterproductive behaviors that destroy team morale and performance. His perspective is focused on new hires. However, these examples are equally consistent with team and group performance. Source: Inc., September 18, 2018. Link. These behaviors are recognized as toxic: … [Read more...]
Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement
Ray Dalio believes we must appreciate and develop the art of thoughtful disagreement. In thoughtful disagreement, your goal is not to convince the other party that you are right. It is to find out which view is true and decide what to do about it, he says. It’s challenging because most people are instinctively reluctant to disagree. . . . it’s pointless when people get angry … [Read more...]
Go from good to great
There are a lot of bad bosses out there—that's no surprise. In fact, 65% of Americans (link) would choose to fire their boss over getting a pay raise. But what gets lost amid trying to stop an awful lot of bad behaviors is the fact that there are a fair number of good bosses out there as well. Source: Forbes, October 18, 2018. Link. Great bosses take it a step further - … [Read more...]
Moral distress is widespread among veterinarians
Sixty nine percent of veterinarians recently surveyed felt moderate to severe distress about not being able to give animals what they believe to be the right care. Nearly two-thirds were bothered by inappropriate requests for euthanasia. These were but two of the findings of a study published October 15 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Link. Study authors believe … [Read more...]
How to handle a stressed-out colleague (includes infographic)
Here’s a nice infographic that could easily be used on break room bulletin boards and during a wellness meeting on site. Source: Ascend. Link. Things not to say. Thinks you can say instead. INSIGHTS: Cliffs notes for supporting a stressed colleague. … [Read more...]
AHD – focused on you for three years
We’ve been honored to bring actionable information to animal health pros for three years. Using your feedback, we added resources that help us get along with each other and develop our own interpersonal skills. This edition of the AHD Bulletin focuses on challenges animal health pros experience in day-to-day interactions with human beings. We define animal health … [Read more...]
6 most read posts from the last 6 months
Providing you a way to quickly sift through industry media is the main objective of Animal Health Digest. We believe informed animal health pros create more opportunities when you’re up to speed on what’s out there. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business, Michael Hyatt. Link. We’ve captured a few of the most read posts from Q1 and 2Q … [Read more...]
10 Excel functions everyone should know
The title says it all. Take a look to see if you can add to your spreadsheet skills. Harness just a few of these ten items, and you can transform your typical work day. Source: Harvard Business Review, October 10, 2018. Link. Whether you want to help justify data-driven business decisions at a high level, or simply get home to your family earlier, mastering the right Excel … [Read more...]
Career peaks can happen at any time
If you think you may have peaked in your career or worry that you may already have, take heart. A recent study published in Nature shows that we can peak at any age. Researchers examined the careers of 30,000 scientists, artists and directors and found that almost everyone is likely to experience a hot streak, but its timing is completely unpredictable. Source: SLATE, … [Read more...]
New resources can help handle negative conversations
Three resources about dealing with negative interactions from HBR caught our attention. It’s not easy to stay cool and engaged when things get heated in meetings, negotiations, or difficult conversations. We’ve all been there. Consider using these three quick reads at a team meeting before the holiday season heats up and tensions rise. Source: Ascend from Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Refine receiving protocols to assess morbidity risk
At the recent Academy of Veterinary Consultants conference, John Richeson, Ph.D., discussed how the use of new chute-side diagnostic tools have potential to help cattle feeders assess morbidity risk for individual cattle upon arrival. This could potentially reduce antibiotic use in mass treatments while improving health outcomes. Citing Kansas State University research, … [Read more...]
Beef industry is based on discounts more than anything
Discount risk avoidance is a compelling way to consider the economics of the beef industry and its value programs. Jared Wareham shares a perspective that can help veterinarians and salespersons maintain preventative programs while helping producers avoid costly discounts. Value-added programs don’t necessarily add value to a set baseline price. Rather, they begin by removing … [Read more...]
Cool stuff seen at World Dairy Expo 2018
The 52nd World Dairy Expo ended October 5. By all accounts, it was successful and full of promise. The Progressive Dairyman team assembled a collection of cool stuff from their experiences there. Some of these advancements may interest dairy clients and veterinary teams that service dairies. Source: Progressive Dairyman, October 9, 2018. Link. … [Read more...]
Brush up on measuring blood pressure
Whether in general practice settings or emergency or critical care environments, blood pressure measurement is used as a diagnostic tool. Oriana D. Scislowicz, LVT, provides an opportunity for veterinary nurses and clinic staff to brush up on their skills. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, October 2018. Link. Take action notes: Include blood pressure measurement as a … [Read more...]
Human nurses take exception to using ‘nurse’ in veterinary medicine
The debate about the veterinary nurse initiative continues. Rachael Zimlich explains some of the objections from the human nurse perspective. We are not suggesting any pet owner will confuse a staff member in a veterinary clinic or hospital as a human healthcare practitioner. The issue at hand is the title 'nurse' and the connotations and respect that come with that … [Read more...]
Go ahead. Talk to yourself; its normal and good for you
Our AHD team members are remote. We occasionally reference times when we catch ourselves talking to ourselves out loud. Talking to yourself is normal and is good for your mental health. That is, if you have the right conversations, writes Wendy Rose Gould. If we speak out loud, it forces us to slow down our thoughts and process them differently because we engage the language … [Read more...]
Failures are essential to success
One of the hardest things for effective managers to do is to let one of their direct reports fail. The natural inclination is to jump in and save the day. But, you would never learn to ride a bike if you didn’t fall off a few times. So, failure is an essential part of success. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 1, 2018. Link. Success is important as it tells you that, what you … [Read more...]
Keep pets safe during the holidays with these tips
Just in time for Halloween, candy and ghosts, here’s a nice resource from the American Veterinarian editorial staff. Use the Fast Facts Sheet in social media posts, e-newsletters and as handouts during pet visits. . . .this holiday season being a responsible pet owner means taking precautions to keep your pet happy and healthy well into the new year. Source: American … [Read more...]
Opinion – Pets are like family. But as health costs rise, few are insured that way.
Paul Sullivan takes a circuitous route through pet economics, market growth and the challenges of price versus value. References to pet owner attitude changes include contrasting the Snoopy generation of 30 years ago with the current Brian (Family Guy) generation. Sullivan’s perspectives are dashed with quotes, pet health examples, products and animal health companies. Two … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club celebrates veterinary techs every day of National Veterinary Technician week
The Bridge Club kicks off five consecutive days of technician-centric conversations focused on work/life balance on Monday October 15th. The schedule and links are below: OCTOBER 15, NOON CST – VET TECH WEEK: WORKING MORE THAN ONE JOB? YES, YOU CAN STILL BE SUCCESSFUL. Is work/life balance achievable? Hear from Julie Legred, CVT, and Beckie Mossor, RVT. <Register … [Read more...]
Beef’s quality revolution featured
Consumer preference continues to drive innovation and quality in all food protein markets. Three papers from Drover’s review changes in how consumers buy beef, the impact of the national beef quality audits (NBQA) and how stockmanship helps shape consumer perceptions. Source: Drover’s. Meat, millennials, meal kits. Link. A generation of quality gains. Link. … [Read more...]
19 veterinary practice managers earn prestigious CVPM designation
The Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) credential is recognized and respected by practice leaders and our animal health industry. Certification is provided by VHMA’s voluntary certification program that provides assurance of professional quality services. The exam is offered electronically to qualified CVPM candidates across North America. Source: VHMA, September … [Read more...]