Books for Veterinarians and their Teams | Smith Veterinary Consulting & Publishing

Business books for veterinarians and their teams. Find success and enrich your career!

Veterinary Management and Career Books

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Now available in Kindle Format: FlexVet; the Relief Veterinary Technician’s Manual; HouseCall.
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Career Choices for Veterinarians

Private Practice and Beyond

Second edition, 2011 Carin A. Smith, DVM

Whether you are a veterinarian thinking about a change from private practice, or a student exploring your options, this book is for you. It's full of solid practical advice, including self-assessments, web links to hundreds of resources, and real-life examples of veterinarians working in unique career paths all over the world.

You will find:

Pros and cons of every job.
Pay ranges and benefits offered.
How to apply—officially, and unofficially.
Daily work—what it's really like—straight from the people who are actually doing the work.
The jobs most in demand, and challenges facing the profession.

Team Satisfaction Pays

Organizational Development for Practice Success

A year's 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.

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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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Client Satisfaction Pays

Quality Service for Practice Success

This classic has been revised, updated, and improved for today's veterinary team. 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 provide 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).

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FlexVet Guide for Relief/Part-time

FlexVet: How To Be One, How To Hire One 2019 Revised Edition!

The Comprehensive Practice Guide for Relief and Part-time Veterinarians

FlexVet is your essential guide for relief and part-time veterinarians! Be sure you understand your tax status, avoid costly audits over mistaken classification, and reap the benefits of hiring or being a flexible veterinarian! FlexVet includes information for relief vets, employees and employers 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.

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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Career Choices for Veterinary Technicians

Opportunities for Animal Lovers

Rebecca Rose, CVT & Carin Smith, DVM Every year, the variety of career choices for veterinary technicians expands to include more and more options that offer upward mobility, appealing challenges, and monetary rewards. This book is full of career choices for working and aspiring animal lovers like you, including positions in general practice, specialty practice, industry, higher education, and government. Learn about daily responsibilities, salaries, required qualifications, and pros and cons for each career. See quotes from veterinary technicians around the country, who offer advice and insight about the career moves that led to their success in the veterinary community. You'll also find resources to discover even more about the fields you're interested in.

House Call Veterinarian’s Kindle Edition

Carin A. Smith, DVM

Get your complete starting-from-from-scratch guide that every mobile veterinarian needs for success—don't start your practice without it! The great information from previous editions has been updated to reflect today’s working environment. The new Kindle edition has live links to all the resources and web sites mentioned in the book, plus access to worksheets directly from the author! The House call Veterinarian's Manual offers a wide array of choices to accommodate many styles of housecall and mobile practice. It includes essential checklists for housecall veterinarians to set up their practice and their home office. See sample chapters for more!

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Relief Veterinary Technician’s Manual

This is 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 Rebecca Rose, CVT.

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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