January 2019

Wake up and smell the coffee: why first impressions count

Focusing on four main client contact areas – exterior, interior, vibe and virtual – could make all the difference to your practice enviornment, says Dr Ernie Ward.

34 mins
Building the dream: part 1 – starting from scratch

Starting a new business is daunting, but help is always at hand. Alan Robinson explains the early considerations in setting up your own practice.

32 mins

December 2018

Practice Profile: ChesterGates Veterinary Specialists

Running the referral division for one of Europe’s largest corporate practice groups can be a complicated business. VBJ discovered just how complex when we paid a visit to CVS referrals director John Innes at the ChesterGates Referral Hospital Veterinary Specialists.

2 mins
Being the boss: which partnership model comes out top?

Owning part or all of a practice is the dream for many veterinary professionals, but not everyone wants to go it alone or open something from scratch. Thankfully, there is more than one way to choose – here Tim Rayner looks at the alternative ownership options…

26 mins
Diagnostic imaging explained: the devil is in the detail

The explosion of computing power over the past 30 years has transformed the way we all lead our lives. It has also revolutionised diagnostic imaging in veterinary medicine and helped propel the science of animal health to unprecedented new heights…

26 mins

November 2018

Practice Profile: The Veterinary Practice

In these days of manic corporate consolidation, it is important to remember the benefits owning your own practice can bring. So when VBJ was asked to visit an independently owned practice that is positively thriving in the face of corporate competition, we jumped at the chance.

3 mins
Skills in short supply: how to mend the recruitment crisis

Adi Nell and Erwin Höhn consider stakeholders’ likely responses to the shortages before proposing a revolutionary workforce planning framework.

31 mins
Getting teeth into dental initiatives: it’s a team effort

Increasing the amount of dental work your practice performs can be a great way to improve pet health and drive revenue. Yet, without the engagement of the whole clinical team, these initiatives can often lack bite.

21 mins
Mum’s the word – part five: balancing work with school-age children

Liz Barton, in her fifth instalment, highlights the challenges of balancing being a practising vet and a parent to school-age children.

19 mins
Building an employer reputation online

Successful recruitment begins long before a vacancy arises. In an increasingly transparent profession, employer reputation is a vital tool in the competition for our most valuable resource: people. This will be a major theme at SPVS/VMG Congress in January.

19 mins
Playing the end game: putting your practice up for sale

The vet landscape is changing rapidly, and we find the profession, and ourselves, in an economy we wouldn't have imagined 20 years ago. It's a time of great change and opportunity for those looking to sell a practice.

20 mins

October 2018

Leadership: not just for the boss

Carolyne Crowe explains how this skill can be reframed by veterinary professionals to improve their personal lives, and make their roles in practice easier and more enjoyable.

28 mins
Practice Profile: Cromwell Animal Rehabilitation Centre

It is often said the best things come in small packages. For a branch of Cromwell Vets, that package proved to be a 9m by 4m prefabricated box. It’s not a lot, but, as VBJ discovered, it's already having a big impact ...

28 mins
Skills in short supply: deconstructing the recruitment crisis

Medivet senior partners Adi Nell and Erwin Höhn, in the first of two articles, look at the manpower problem as a precursor to delivering a framework for analysis and a strategic plan for all stakeholders in part two ...

36 mins
Complementary therapy: is your practice in need of rehabilitation?

James Westgate, VBJ editor, visits two practices using complementary therapies as a viable alternative revenue stream ...

21 mins

September 2018

Master the mind’s agenda: taking control of your inner chimp

“There are times when we are not in control of our minds. Why? Because part of our brain has its own agenda – we are the source and the solution to our own problems” – Leonie Lightfoot.

28 mins
Mum’s the word – part four: a guide to returning to work

Liz Barton discusses the issues and challenges surrounding returning to work in the fourth instalment of her groundbreaking VBJ series.

19 mins
Employment law for vets: what you really need to know

Employment law can be a minefield – especially for vets without formal qualifications in the area. Anne Harvey explains how to avoid the pitfalls.

21 mins
Technically speaking: modern medicine in the digital age

Nuala Summerfield explains that rather than being a cause for concern, technology provides real opportunities for anyone prepared to embrace it.

34 mins
Debtors – no credit for locking the stable door after horse...

While running a practice is one part of the commercial equation, getting paid is the other, as Adam Bernstein explains.

24 mins