Smith Veterinary Consulting: Business Books for Veterinarians, Pet Care Guides

Books
Business books for veterinarians and technicians; pet care guides. Find success and enrich your career.

Veterinary Management and Career Books
Pet Care Guides (101 Training Tips for Your Cat)
Book Contributions

Veterinary Management and Career books

Team Satisfaction Pays:
Organizational Development for Practice Success

FlexVet: How To Be One, How To Hire One.
     The Comprehensive Practice Guide for Relief & Part-time Veterinarians
     (Looking for The Relief Veterinarian's Manual? It's been
     integrated into FlexVet.)

The Housecall Veterinarian's Manual New 2007 Edition with CD!

The Relief Veterinary Technician's Manual

Career Choices for Veterinarians: Beyond Private Practice

Client Satisfaction Pays: Quality Service for Practice Success

GuideToOnlineSchools.com
Earn a distance learning degree from one of many accredited online universities and get a job as a Veterinary Technician at a local veterinary clinic.

Coming in 2009:
Veterinary Technician Careers.
Rebecca Rose & Carin Smith

Quick Links for Librarians and Bookstores

Team Satisfaction Pays:	Hot Off the Press!
Organizational Development for Practice Success

A years' worth of consulting advice in one book!

The definitive resource for organizational and
team development in veterinary practice.

Action lists and team exercises
included in every chapter.

CD provided with all team exercises.

How to:

Create business structure while honoring relationships
Define 'good attitude' and get it
Conduct global reviews
Create a plan for diversity management
Involve team members in growing your practice
Give effective feedback through coaching
Create your vision, mission, and core values
Address ethical issues with your team

Develop leadership
Recruit and retain the 'best and brightest' doctors and team members
Improve teamwork & efficiency
Hold people accountable
Facilitate productive meetings
Provide flexible work (and still cover needed hours)
Help doctors and team members talk with clients about money issues
Address issues of family, friends and work
Use facilitative, evidence-based management

Team satisfaction does pay

Satisfied, engaged team members
Lower turnover decreases costs
Experienced team members are more efficient
Clients receive a consistent message about your hospital
Positive, clear client recommendations increase compliance
Clear priorities increase productivity
A positive focus on team goals increases productivity
Team members are "cheerleaders" for the practice in the community
People line up for the opportunity to work with you

"Good communication is vital in any practice, and this book is an excellent resource for improving your hospital—great information!" — Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM

"Content is excellent and long past due for our industry." —Patricia Rutherford, CVPM, Rutherford Resource Consulting

"This achievement in 'putting it all together' is unprecedented in our profession. The recommendation to evaluate and measure based on clear goals and measured 'deliverables' is right on target. The section about 'defining friendship-work place relationships' is excellent—I have yet to ever see these subjects in print! Team meeting information may be one of the best chapters in the book. Finally, Dr. Smith's points about communicating with clients is the best perspective in the industry." —Pamela Cole, Owner, Irvine Veterinary Services

"Dr Smith has created a wonderful resource for the veterinary profession. It has value for every person, with every job function. I will keep it handy as a practical tool that I will refer to often as I consult with veterinary hospitals." —Philip Homsey, Esq.

"One of the best 'Teams' books in the industry. Common sense, systematic approach to building quality teams in veterinary hospitals." —Lorna Parson, MSHR, SPHR, Insights Into Business

"This book is an excellent resource and training guide for all practice owners, managers and employees who truly care about growing in their roles in their practice. Dr. Smith does a fabulous job touching on the major challenges veterinary practices face today and then provides excellent solutions!" —Tracy Dowdy, CVPM, Management Resource Group

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FlexVet: How To Be One, How To Hire One.
The Comprehensive Practice Guide for Relief and Part-time Veterinarians

FlexVet includes information for everyone to better control their lives and schedules. Practice owners and practice managers can assess their needs and then find the appropriate person to fill those needs. Veterinarians who desire more flexibility or choice can determine whether relief or part-time work is best for their situation. No matter what your position, the tools in this book can help you find the right match.
FlexVet Fact Sheet

Includes CD with all checklists, forms, and assessments!

Employers
Self-assessment quizzes
Do I need a technician, a relief veterinarian, or a part-time veterinarian?
How to find the best match for your practice culture
Checklists for hiring relief and part-time veterinarians
Insurance needs for flex-vets (and who pays)

Part-Time Veterinarians
Part-timer scheduling: Coordinating your needs with theirs
(Useful for other part-time team members, too!)
Step-by-step guide for creating a part-timer’s contract
Variations of flexible and part-time work schedules
including job-sharing, flex-time, compressed work weeks, seasonal work, and more
What’s best for me—relief or part-time work?

Relief Veterinarians
Contract tips and samples
Guide to setting fees and policies
Pre-work checklists for relievers and employers
Independent contractor criteria

Tips for the Whole Team
Tips for enhancing teamwork with flex-vets
Checklists to improve consistency and continuity
Communicating with clients to increase their acceptance and trust of flex-vets
Crucial steps to develop seamless transitions between shifts

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Tips for Using Veterinarians with Flexible Scheduling:

For the Employer:
- Utilize part-time veterinarians to fill your long-term need for extra help. Use relief veterinarians on a temporary basis to fill your need when you are away at CE or vacations. (See book for tax tips on the differences.)
- Welcome your Flex-Vet as part of your team. Express enthusiasm to your entire team about the role of the part-time or relief veterinarian.
- Provide pro-rated benefits to every part-time veterinarian.
- Make an effort to educate clients about time-availability of each veterinarian. Entire team must express positive support of every veterinarian so that clients feel confident about their pet's care, no matter who the vet is who sees them.
- Create standards for service and medical approaches to ensure consistency. Medical record keeping must be outstanding!
- Create a time to talk with your Flex-Vet, both individually and with the team (team meetings must be coordinated).
For the Flex-Vet:
- Help your employer with communicating about cases. Medical record keeping must be outstanding!
- Make an effort to attend team meetings.
- Help come up with ideas to ensure that everyone on the team knows what is going on, all the time. Ensure that you are working in a practice with standards and a culture that are congruent with your values.
- Clearly communicate with clients about your availability and hours; express positive support for team veterinarians.

THE RELIEF VETERINARY TECHNICIAN'S MANUAL

The "Temp Tech's" guide to creating a relief technician business, developing a business plan, estimating costs, setting fees and policies, generating work and increasing profitability. Business forms, invoices, and letters are included. Tax strategies and the effects of being an independent contractor are discussed. Case examples describe various difficulties that may arise, giving the technician an opportunity to set policies and avoid problems. Written by Carin Smith, DVM, with Contributing Editor Rebecca Rose, CVT.

Topics include:

Setting up your business:
- Estimating your costs of doing business.
- How to charge for your work - by the day, hour, or job.
- Charging for mileage, hotel, meals, and more.
Getting work:
- Let your professional attitude set you apart from the rest.
- How networking can help you get clients.
- Using agencies.
- How to get free advertising.
Preparing for the job:
- Learn what you're legally allowed to do, whether certified, registered, or not
- Gauging practice quality
- Learn to use new equipment
- What to ask before every job
- How to turn down work
Tax and insurance tips:
- Determining your insurance needs.
- Tax deductions you can and can't take.
- How to be sure you're correctly identified as an independent contractor - or employee.
Contracts, letters, and forms:
- Essential items for every contract.
- Sample contracts and letters - and how to customize them for your service.
- What a contract can - and can't - do.
Avoiding hassles:
- Special policies for special situations.
- How to evaluate practices before you work.
- When to turn down work.
- What to do when the facilities are inadequate
- How to educate veterinarians who under-utilize their technicians and staff

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CAREER CHOICES FOR VETERINARIANS: BEYOND PRIVATE PRACTICE is a career guide written for two groups:

For veterinarians;
For those considering a veterinary career, who want to know about all the options that will be open to them upon the completion of their education.

Whether you're a new graduate or a seasoned veterinarian, this book will guide you through a wide array of career choices. The careers listed here focus on those that don't require any degree beyond that of DVM.

Some of you may be new veterinary school graduates who are exploring all your options before you select a job. Others are thinking of applying to veterinary school, and are evaluating their potential future career.

Many readers are veterinarians who are searching for choices. After 4 years of schooling, and perhaps several years of practice, you may find that private practice does not fill all your needs. Perhaps you've enjoyed practice for many years but now want a change. Others are new graduates who want to fully explore the possibilities before settling on a job. For some, the cost (in both time and money) of buying a veterinary hospital is beyond what they wish to pursue. For others, the realities of small business management aren't what they had in mind when they envisioned their veterinary career. The choice needn't be "either / or " when it comes to making a good living and having a job you enjoy.

CAREER CHOICES FOR VETERINARIANS: Beyond Private Practice includes:

Detailed descriptions of hundreds of job choices available to veterinarians—without going back to school.
Basic requirements for change.
Questions to consider with any career change.
How to assess your skills and knowledge.
How to apply for a job in any new field.
References for further information, including Email and web addresses.
Answers the questions: Aren't I wasting my veterinary schooling if I change jobs, or if I'm not in private practice? What about going back to school? (Why don't I need another degree?); tips for those who want to get further education beyond their DVM degree; a list of veterinary specialties.

Career Choices for Veterinarians: Beyond Private Practice. 1998.

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HOUSE CALL
The Housecall Veterinarian’s Manual
Carin A. Smith, DVM
Smith Veterinary Consulting

Dr. Smith’s classic resource has been updated for 2007. Our new book includes a CD with essential checklists for housecall veterinarians to set up their practice and their home office. The great information from previous editions has been updated to reflect today’s working environment. Housecall practice continues to offer a successful alternative to standard private practice. Veterinarians choose housecall practice because it offers a variety of benefits:

Set your own working hours and days.
Develop closer relationships with your clients.
Appreciate a deeper understanding of the pet’s environment on its health and behavior.

Your clients, pet owners, also find housecall veterinarians to offer a unique service that fills special needs:

Busy professionals can more-easily fit in pet appointments
Seniors and others with limited transportation get the service they need
Pets that are shy or anxious get health care without upset.
Pets with behavior problems or those that need hospice care can receive the attention they need.

The Housecall Veterinarian’s Manual contains the information you need to start or improve your housecall practice, with a wide array of choices to accommodate many styles of practice.

If you're a new business owner you want to know how to get clients, how to set up a home office, how to arrange your schedule, and what to charge. You may be interested in how other housecall DVMs manage to restrain pets without help, or how to coordinate with a full-service hospital for those procedures that can't be done at the client's home.

If you're an experienced practitioner you may wonder how other housecall DVMs run their practices, and how they handle some of the situations that are unique to a housecall practice. You may have questions about hiring help, changing your schedule, or limiting your work. Even if you have had a housecall practice for many years, you can take a new look at old habits and perhaps improve your business management. The Housecall Veterinarian's Manual is packed with useful ideas for any housecall veterinarian, including:

Setting up your business:
- Advantages and disadvantages of housecall practice.
- Uncover your hidden costs of doing business.
- Find funds to start your business.
- Vehicle tips.
- Scheduling your time.
- Hospital connections and relationships.
- Hiring employees - office help, technician, or another veterinarian.
- Setting your fees and taking payments.
- Practice tips and practice philosophy.
Marketing:
- Target your potential clients.
- Advertising: when to pay for it, and how to get it free.
- How to use a press release to your advantage.
- Your yellow pages ad.
- Getting referrals from established hospitals.
- How community involvement increases your client base
Taxes, insurance, and paperwork:
- Determine your insurance needs.
- Find often-overlooked tax deductions.
- Record keeping for your business.
- Tax paperwork you should fill out.
- Record keeping for employees.
- License and registration requirements for your area.
- Evaluating your insurance needs.
Your home office:
- Find a place for your office.
- Furniture and computer tips.
- Telephone tips (services and equipment).
- Solutions to home office hassles (family interruptions, scheduling, getting help, organizing).
- Keeping in touch with the profession in spite of working alone.
- Inventory and drugs.
- Security.
- Paperwork: client records, business papers, brochures.

HouseCall
ISBN 1885780184
112 pp ringbound $129 + S&H

NEW 2007 Edition with CD — Click here to order

CLIENT SATISFACTION PAYS: Quality Service for Practice Success
Adapted by Dr. Smith from a similar book written for human doctors, Client Satisfaction Pays helps you understand the client experience and teaches you ways to make it more pleasant, even exceptional. Happy clients mean a happier staff and a more successful practice. Getting it right comes from getting your entire staff to participate in the client satisfaction process.

The book is divided into three sections:

Your Client Comes First. Find out why client satisfaction is the most important concept of service. Learn about your clients' expectations and find out what they want to know.
Teamwork Improves Client Satisfaction. Learn how to be a leader and keep your staff satisfied, empowered, and educated. Includes a section for practice managers only.
Let's Get Specific: Service Improvement for Client Retention. Understand what clients want and how to provifde it so that they keep coming back. Includes specific tips for the telephone, scheduling, client retention, and service recovery (how to recover when you goof).

Order Client Satisfaction Pays directly from the American Animal Hospital Association (1-800-883-6301).

Award-Winning
Pet Care Guides

Click on a Guide:
101 Training Tips for Your Cat

101 Training Tips for Your Cat

This practical guide to good manners and fun tricks is a must for every cat owner. It is conveniently organized into short sections that concentrate on specific issues. 101 Training Tips for Your Cat is a recipient of the Cat Writer's Association "Alpo Responsible Pet Owner Book Award."

Topics covered include:

Avoid problems:
- How to choose a kitten or adult cat.
- Adding a second cat (or more!).
- Can your cat get along with a new puppy?
- Can your dog get along with a new kitten?
Teach Good Manners:
- Teach kitty to use a scratching post.
- Curtail litter box problems.
- Stop that early-morning meowing.
- Prevent your cat from biting or scratching.
Stop bad behavior:
- Get off the counter!
- Introducing new cats so they won't fight.
- Stop furniture scratching.
- Find out why kitty is peeing in the bathtub, on your clothes, or in the living room!
Get Used to Change:
- Ease your cat's consternation about your new boyfriend.
- Prepare your cat for your baby's arrival.
- Relieve your cat's distress when you move.
Teach fun tricks:
- Use the toilet, instead of a litter box.
- Heel, come, stay, fetch.
- Sit up, or sit.
- Guidelines for teaching many other tricks.
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Book Contributions by Dr. Smith

Associate's Survival Guide. AAHA Press 2005. Several chapters written by Dr. Smith.

KPMG LLP Study Report: Abridged Version. Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medical Services in the United States. National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, 2000. Carin Smith, Editor.

Mastering the Marketplace: Taking Your Practice to the Top. Ross Clark, Veterinary Medicine Publishing Group 1996. Dr. Smith's material is included in Chapter 2, Human Resources, and is titled "What staff members say about owners."

Animal Rescue in Flood and Swiftwater Incidents. Slim Ray, CFS Press Floodfighters Series, 1996. Forward by Dr. Smith.

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Quick Info for Librarians and Bookstores

All titles available now
Shipment is upon payment (VISA, MC, Check)
Discounts only on orders of 10 or more books (any combo of titles)
No returns unless damaged
For details about book content, price, and ordering, return to top

Team Satisfaction Pays: Organizational Development for Practice Success
Carin A. Smith
Peshastin, WA, Smith Veterinary Consulting
355 pp., paperback with CD
ISBN 978-1-88578-019-5

FlexVet: How to Be One, How to Hire One.
Carin A. Smith
Peshastin, WA, Smith Veterinary Consulting
156 pp ringbound
ISBN 1885780168

The Relief Veterinary Technician's Manual
Carin A. Smith
Revised and updated
Peshastin, WA, Smith Veterinary Consulting 2002
123 pages, Ring bound
ISBN 1 885780 12 5

HouseCall: The Housecall Veterinarian's Manual, 4th Edition. Book Plus CD
Carin A. Smith
Revised and updated
Peshastin, WA, Smith Veterinary Consulting 2007
ISBN 1885780184
112 pp ringbound

Career Choices for Veterinarians: Beyond Private Practice
Carin A. Smith
Peshastin, WA, Smith Veterinary Consulting 1998
251 pages, paperback
ISBN 1 885780 08 7

101 Training Tips For Your Cat
Carin A. Smith
Dell Trade Paperback, 1994
236 pages
ISBN 0 440 50567 4
Rights reverted to author, new ISBN (same book, now available from SVS)
Smith Veterinary Consulting
ISBN 1 885 780 14 1

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