Though women make up 51.5 percent of all managers, fewer of them than men rise to the executive level. According to the Harvard Business Review, having a male sponsor helps level the playing field for women. These male champions have learned that gender inclusiveness means both men and women should advance women’s leadership. Plus, gender parity is associated with improved … [Read more...]
The agony of defeat
Nobody bats 1.000%. Nobody wins 162 games in a season. Every MLB team will win 54 games and lose 54 games. Champions are determined by how they play the other 54 games. In business, how you deal with your defeats will ultimately determine your level of success. Source: The Nice Guy Blog, June 15, 2015. If passion drives you, you will stay in the game as long as it takes to … [Read more...]
Malware got his hospital data. He fought back.
Veterinarian Phillips Raclyn is a hospital owner and self-described computer geek. His crew had backup after backup after backup. Then the thinkable happened. His system was hacked with ransomware. From individual machines, all the way to backups, including the external hard drive, every file had been encrypted. Fortunately, Raclyn was allowed to pay a negotiated ransom and got … [Read more...]
A picture is worth 1,000 words
National Geographic just released its 52 best images of the year. They’re worth seeing. Source: National Geographic, December 2016. Here’s a gallery of National Geographic’s 52 best images of the year . . . … [Read more...]
Blood test basics video
One of my best veterinary hospital experiences included the use of an educational video. In an AVMA video, Dr. Joyce Ashamalla covers the basics of why blood tests are needed and what they help find. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, December 1, 2016. … [Read more...]
Strengths, Women vs. Men
All people have a unique combination of talents, knowledge and skills – strengths – that they use every day to do their work, achieve their goals and interact with others. Gallup has been studying the science of strengths for five decades. It has accumulated data from more than 14 million individuals worldwide who have completed the Clifton Strengths assessment. Source: … [Read more...]
Talk about feline heartworm limited
Veterinary technicians don’t talk about preventive care as much as they could, says Ciera Miller, CVT, VTS. Feline heartworm has been diagnosed in all 50 states. It was important enough that the American Association of Feline Practitioners crafted an entire campaign about it. But reluctance remains strong. Source: Vetted, November 22, 2016. Many veterinary staff members are … [Read more...]
2.6 million goats have special needs
Goats have special nutrition and care needs, according to Purina scientists. Two of them from the company’s St. Louis, Missouri, research farm recently shared information about goat nutrition. Others shared insight about youngstock, production costs, organic trace minerals and financial tools during a Clarissa, Minnesota, goat workshop. We’re sharing this information because … [Read more...]
Make local search engines work for you
One of the more common website recommendations is to optimize your local search engines for veterinary clinics. Here are a few tips to avoid overlooking the obvious, ignored or deliberate search engine tweaks. Source: Search Engine Land, December 5, 2016. Columnist Wesley Young of the Local Search Association looks back at 2016 to find the top 10 insights that local search … [Read more...]
Dr. Little talks disruption
Your AHD team enjoys sharing Dr. Adam Little’s Exponential Vet posts. His focus about disruptive technologies and their impact on the future of veterinary medicine continues. He expresses concerns about the lack of flexibility in the veterinary hospital model. Source: Veterinary Advantage, November Digital, 2016, page 16. Practices need to be able to adapt and that requires … [Read more...]
VFD, the law every DVM needs to know
The title,“VFD: The law every food doc needs to know,” is true. But, many suburban veterinarians will be affected by this law thanks to the many acreages and the increasing popularity of goats. Even beekeepers are subject to VFD regulations. Source: DVM 360, November 2016, page 18. The new regulations go into effect on January 1, 2017. INSIGHTS: The scramble to be … [Read more...]
AVMA report says veterinarian market still robust
The 2016 AVMA Report on the Market for Veterinarians, released in late October examined these categories: Employment, unemployment, and underemployment Income, present value of the veterinary degree Causes of negative well-being: debt, job/career satisfaction and income Expenditure patterns Burnout scores Health Source: Veterinary Practice News, November … [Read more...]
Commit to really listening
We are more distracted than ever. Whether you are a veterinarian, retail associate, hospital staff member or sales representative, listening skills take effort and development. Too often, we get so busy or pushed that even skilled listeners just go through the motions. Dr. Moffett shares how to manage listening. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, April 2015. Genuinely listening … [Read more...]
6 holiday horse care tips
The busy holiday season and winter’s short days directs much of our attention to families, friends and work. Remember the horses are not “out to pasture” and need winter care. Source: Ride with Equo, November 18, 2016. Equo shares various horse care tips to follow for this holiday season to successfully look out for horses in the busiest time of the year: Find time to … [Read more...]
Variable pig weight remains a challenge
Variability in pig weight at slaughter age is still a major issue in the swine industry. The challenge comes when trying to standardize the final product. We found this good article that can be used by veterinarians and salespersons when calling on swine producers. Consider it for targeted e-mails and posts as well. Source: The Pig Site, December 2, 2016. Big differences in … [Read more...]
B2B buyers want more than a discount
The mindset of B2C black Friday deals is pervasive. “This culture of cheap mindset also impacts the B2B world,” says Paul Reilly. “Buyers no longer request discounts, they demand them.” This culture-of-cheap mentality can make animal health pros believe they have little to no pricing control. They may believe that discounts are required to please customers. Source: … [Read more...]
Thank you AAHA!
Your AHD team thanks our colleagues at AAHA for their support and input over the last year as we have developed Animal Health Digest. AAHA is a member of our Founder’s Circle and has a long history of communicating value to AAHA practices. Source: AAHA NEWStat, December 1, 2016. One of the tools AAHA uses to communicate is NEWStat. It covers current events that matter to … [Read more...]
DVM 360 shares its Top-Ten lists
The Top 10 List was a regular segment of the television programs Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Our animal health colleagues at UBM Americas, Veterinary (DVM 360) have created their own versions of the top 10 lists from their readership. They sent the links for us to share. Source: DVM 360, December 2016. Top ten lists from UBM … [Read more...]
Why wellness plans?
"Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words.” That’s all that’s needed to introduce how a wellness plan program transformed Dr. Brandy Fraser’s practice. DVM 360 staffers turned her experience into a flowchart. Source: Firstline, November 30, 2016. Premier Veterinary Alliance veterinarian Brandy Fraser shared a wellness plan program that has changed the way they practice. … [Read more...]
Help keep pets safe during the holidays
There are never too many reminders to help keep pets safe during the holidays. Purina makes the effort simpler with a quick video, five tips and a downloadable template to mark hazardous items as “non pet-friendly.” There’s something here for clinic websites, blogs, counters and literature racks. Source: Purina, November 30, 2016. Purina vet, Dr. Zara, shares her tips for a … [Read more...]
Leadership myths muddy results
There is money to be made in the field of leadership and thus leadership is taking on an almost mystical mantle with words such as genuine, authentic and so on. We have strayed far afield from the base definition of leadership: the skill or ability to influence willing followers to achieve a desired result. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, November 19, 2016. The Marine Corps taught … [Read more...]
You’re probably a bad listener
Most people don’t think that they’re bad listeners — but they are. Are you? The first and most important step in overcoming bad listening habits is to become more aware of them. Source: Bottom Line Personal, September 15, 2016. Roger Flax, PhD, shares nine common bad listening habits, plus strategies for becoming a great listener. INSIGHTS: We especially liked how Dr. Flax … [Read more...]
High-tech horseshoes are here
It’s a new world in horseshoes as new materials and methods address hoof and lameness problems. Nail-free, glue-on, shock-absorbing padding, synthetics and the newest nail materials are reviewed by Elaine Pascoe. Source: Practical Horseman, December 2016, page 46. … [Read more...]
The latest from JAVMA
We have been linking to the table of contents for JAVMA for your convenience. It is also easy to access an abstract of one of the articles. Check the box next to the article Then at the bottom of the table of contents page – click this link: View highlighted abstracts on one page The abstracts matching your selections will be visible to you for your review Source: … [Read more...]
Lentivirus update for small ruminants
Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) is probably the most talked about and contentious disease of goats. CAEV is a lentivirus, in the same family as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which infects goats and sheep. Once infected, the goat remains infected for its lifetime and be a carrier even if it is not sick. Source: HoofPrint, Fall 2014. CAEV has five major … [Read more...]
13 things the mentally strong DON’T do
Whether applying to your personal, volunteer or professional life, Amy Morin’s list of things not-to-do can help us unlock our full potential. She says, “…letting go of the bad habits helps you work smarter, not harder.” Source: Veterinary Practice News, December 2016, page 33. We all have the ability to build up our mental toughness. Here are 13 things mentally tough … [Read more...]
Call groups help after-hours conundrum
Employees today don't want to work as many hours as they used to, points out Kyle Palmer, CVT. He thoughtfully discusses a call-group solution to after-hours service requests in equine practices. Source: DVM 360, October 11, 2016. Equine practitioners are stuck with whatever comes their way: colic, dystocia, traumatic injury and more. They’re often knee-deep in disaster … [Read more...]
Direct talk about discounts
Hilal Dogan, BVSc, doesn’t mince words. She calls for veterinarians to let their charges reflect their real value and quit discounting to receive warm fuzzies. Her approach and reasoning is direct and hits hard at self-worth. Source: Vetted, November 9, 2016. As a young new vet coming into this working world, I still have respect for the way things were done and greatly … [Read more...]
Approach conversations from your customer’s point of view
As veterinary professionals, we understand the importance of compliance and are committed to achieving that goal with every customer. Unfortunately, that perspective is often the biggest barrier to achieving our goal. Approaching these conversations from our customer’s point of view, rather than our own, will yield greater results. Source: Vet-Advantage, Livestock Edition, … [Read more...]
Effective strategies for winter calf raising
Winter weather is coming any day now. Luciene Ribeirio offers recommendations for improving results when raising calves in the winter. This content could be used in newsletters, blogs or websites. Veterinary clinic staff members and sales representatives can consider identifying a target group of customers where winter problems are well-known. Then, send the article by e-mail … [Read more...]