7 Stellar Habits Of Super Successful Veterinarians
We know the last thing anyone wants to think about anymore let alone discuss is the pandemic, but the truth is, it's really shown us a lot about who veterinarians are. It’s highlighted the areas in which they were strong and the areas in practices that weren’t ready for a crisis but, most importantly, it’s shown us the importance of adapting to the ever-changing needs in the field. A lot of that falls to organizational skills, time management, and communication within their practices, and just how important these things are to keeping the wheels turning.
And while much of this can be seen as crucial attributes to any profession, keeping a hold on these things is all the more crucial in the hustle and bustle of veterinary life. As we’ve had the opportunity to interview several elite figures in the veterinary field, it turns out that many of them have some habits in common. Below, we’ve shared seven practices that have helped these veterinarians to stay hyper-organized even in the face of adversity, including some specific suggestions from well-respected professionals in the veterinary community.
1. Keep a Schedule, and Remember the Early Bird Gets the Worm
One thing we noticed when interviewing these key veterinary figures is that they’ve kept a schedule in the face of chaos. Not only have they done so, but they’ve also found solace in the continuity.
Executive Director at Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA) Dr. Peter Weinstein calls himself a “creature of habit”, saying during his Webinar Wednesday episode, “I try to stay within a schedule, and, in doing so and being able to go on autopilot, it allows your brain to kind of not be stressed in the morning so that you have some freshness for the rest of the day.”
Chief Veterinary Officer of dvm360 Adam Christman is also strict with his schedule, and he advocated during his webinar doing something you love first thing in the morning:
“My number one thing that I say to everybody is to do something that you're most passionate about in the morning. To me, it's working out. If I don't work out at 5:00 AM, I know that sounds crazy, but that's how I start my day. And I make my bed. I make sure the dogs are taken care of. All that stuff is done, so that way it's organized. It may seem small, but it's a big accomplishment...making your bed, making sure the dogs are walked and fed, and taking care of yourself. Even though we're in a pandemic. I still get dressed and showered up and ready to work.”
Even that early hour seemed to be a theme. It’s no surprise that those in the veterinary industry have found positives in waking up before the sun, as getting up very early is a common trait among some of the most successful people in our country. As this CNBC article notes, you can count Apple CEO Tim Cook, Oprah, and Michelle Obama among those who rise before 5 AM! And if you read any of the articles about these early risers, you know that it didn’t necessarily come easy. They trained themselves to do it by gradually going to bed earlier and then setting the alarm earlier and earlier until it became second nature. Most of them note that when they see how much more they’ve gotten done, the productivity and peace that come with that early hour are almost addictive.
Each of the veterinarians we spoke to also couldn’t tout the benefits of keeping a tight schedule enough. In fact, Dr. Christman said, “Right now my supplements for tomorrow morning are already on the counter, my breakfast bowl is there. I know what needs to be done. I always look ahead for the next day to see what appointments I have or what meetings I'm supposed to be in. So I mentally get myself ready for the next day.”
2. Pay Particular Attention to Staffing and Culture
Focusing on staffing and culture now more than ever. It’s been highly suggested that the practices that didn’t have a solid culture when Covid hit are the ones that have been struggling, while those who took the time to not only form and adhere to a culture beforehand are the ones thriving among the chaos.
There is also a huge shortage of qualified professionals in the veterinary field right now, but that doesn’t mean you should hire the first person with a decent resume. If you do that, you’ll be hiring a new person in 90 days, and that’s a costly mistake. You need to have a defined culture within your practice, and anyone you bring on board should match not only this but your collective goals as well.
As Dr. Michele Drake noted during our "Coming Back From Covid" Webinar: “This could be a time to reevaluate your hiring process. As I mentioned, we have survived and thrived because our culture was strong to begin with. If you’ve found during this crisis that yours is not, it’s time to shift your hiring process. Look outside the industry, too. I read the Wall Street Journal every day and learn a lot about technology and where our country is headed.”
Strategic hiring is also crucial during this shortage. Dr. Weinstein pointed to a study that he recently read about, and he said that, although he didn’t have the numbers in front of him, the study found “that it would actually be better for many practices to hire one or two technicians - licensed and unlicensed - than it would be to hire a doctor—that's by learning how to leverage your team. So do we have a shortage of doctors? No, we just have a shortage of the utilization of the doctor and the team to deliver veterinary medicine.”
Even beyond hiring, Dr. Weinstein talked about the fact that veterinary practices are notorious for throwing people right into their positions without the proper training, giving the following example:
“In the case of Ritz-Carlton, it’s six months from the time of hire to the time that they actually connect with a client. With veterinary medicine, it’s six minutes from the time that they're hired to the time they connect with the client.”
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3. Open the Lines Of Communication With Your Staff And Your Clients
The webinars we’ve held so far have essentially been master classes in communication, as these veterinarians know that now is not the time to fall off the face of the earth, even though they are busier than ever. Clients and employees want to know what is going on and what their futures look like, so there is no such thing as too much communication. If you really want to delve into the art of using social media to communicate with your clients, you have to listen to Dr. Christman’s webinar.
Dr. Drake also discussed this concept during her post-Covid webinar, noting:
“Communication is key! We began with email bulletins immediately to keep everyone aware of what was going on and to keep everyone on the same page. This along with Zoom calls has helped us to avoid people taking on their own narratives. We hold Zoom calls with our receptionists, techs, vets, and also an entire-staff meeting.”
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4. Make Time For Yourself and Your Family
In the busy life of a veterinarian, it can be easy for that work/life balance to get skewed towards the former and not the latter. It’s imperative to take care of yourself, and part of that means spending time with the ones you love. When we talked to Dr. Drake a few months ago about some of her habits, she said she actually schedules time with her boys into her daily calendar. When one considers that the rate of suicide among veterinarians is exceedingly high compared to other fields, making this priority all the more important.
Dr. Weinstein ended his webinar by advising those new to the field, “Don't forget your family, don't forget your friends. I spoke earlier this week to my aunt. She's 96 years old, she lives in Israel. We did a Zoom call. She sounds like she did 30 years ago. Pick up the phone, reach out to family and friends, and just say, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ That's my message.”
5. Squeeze in Education When You Can
While the veterinary field offers some amazing conferences for continuing education, many of the people we’ve spoken to go above and beyond to make sure they are in the know. They’re eternal students, making sure to observe what’s working and not working, and not just in the veterinary field. They also squeeze in time for education whenever they can, pointing out that you don’t need huge blocks of time to expand your knowledge.
As Dr. Weinstein noted, “I tend to listen to books or podcasts on the way to work so that I'm picking up information whenever I can, and I would do the same thing at the gym when I go and work out or any other time that I can tune into something. It is trying to use time effectively and efficiently as much as I can.”
Dr. Heather Loenser - Senior Veterinary Officer at the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) - told us that she also listens to podcasts during her 8 to 9-mile runs with her dog, Calvin. It’s not always veterinary information, however, as Loenser noted she is addicted to anything put out by self-help guru Brene Brown. “I'm focusing a lot on books, authors, and resources that help me be a stronger and healthier person,” she noted during her webinar episode.
6. Make Exercise a Priority
It’s certainly not cutting edge news that exercise offers plenty of mental benefits to everyone, but veterinarians, in particular, need the opportunity to unplug. Or perhaps, as we mentioned, they like to actually plug in while they run to use that time for education. Either way, the benefits are plentiful. Many of the veterinarians we’ve spoken to exercise first thing to make sure that life and all that accompanies being in this line of work doesn’t get in the way...such as Dr. Christman with his 5 AM workouts and Dr. Loenser with her education-filled long runs with her pup.
7. Delegate and Strategize
If you’re trying to do everything yourself because you’re afraid no one will do the job as well as you, you’re not only selling your employees short, but you’re also setting yourself up for failure—no matter how Type A you are. This is true in any industry but possibly even more so in the veterinary industry as, at any given point, there are a seemingly endless amount of balls in the air. If you’re not able to delegate, you’re not giving yourself the time to sit back and get an overarching view of how your practice is doing.
Dr. Christman discussed the need for a new position that was created during the pandemic, and this “floater” is the perfect example of delegation borne of necessity:
“It's a full circle of communication,” Dr. Christman explained. “I let this person know that invoices are in, charges are in, we're ready to go, meds to go home, and discharge instructions are written up. All we need to do is I tell reception to get them checked out, and this floater will say, ‘Okay, check it. Done, next. Who else? Who is staying? Who is getting admitted into ICU? Who needs a catheter placed in?’ And then that way this person can delegate that to someone on the technician team.”
Dr. Scott Loepp partook in our “Coming Back From Covid Webinar” and he also talked about not only the importance of delegation but how much this pandemic has shown him who is ready to roll with these incredibly hard punches. “Freeing people to do what they’re best at really works,” he noted. “We have our boots on the ground so, as a practice owner, I’m free to think about what’s coming next.” He also pointed out that his practice had 40 computers go black just before the pandemic, so he was already learning who was ready to hit the ground running. “Give people the spotlight and you realize some people are just wired this way,” he said. “I’ve seen some employees grow in real-time. When the pressure is on, you see the performers.”
Dr. Weinstein said he loves to delegate, as it allows him to be the “windshield” for his practice. When asked about tasks that he takes on versus tasks that he delegates, he said, “What I want to delegate is everything. What I want to take on is more of the visionary type of ideas. I want my team to be able to pick up and handle the day-to-day operational things, as I would really like to be focusing down the road."
Just as the veterinarians we advise have done, we at GeniusVets have seen the need to ramp up our staff in order to better serve you. Not only have we nearly doubled in size in the past year, but we added two new team members in the past week to be able to meet your growing needs.
Profound wisdom on how to navigate this pandemic and how to thrive in the veterinary field, in general, comes out of these Webinar Wednesdays each week, so make sure to check out who we are interviewing next! And if you'd like help establishing your mission and culture, ramping up your staff, or extending your online presence, please reach out to one of our Geniuses today!