Is Remote Work Possible in a Veterinary Practice?

VHMA Manager to Manager

The last few years have made remote work a reality for many industries. But is it really possible in a veterinary practice? Today’s guest says it is possible! In this episode, you’ll learn how we can apply remote work to this industry and find ways to be flexible enough to keep employees while being good stewards for the practice as a whole.

Today’s guest is April Allen who started her career as a zookeeper before transferring into the vet world in 2007, into her current practice in 2010, and as a practice manager 9 years ago. Then, she didn’t know the challenges we would face amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Now she has found that her focus should be to facilitate further education and to provide a positive work environment for team members. For her practice, this includes work from home opportunities and that has been a game changing idea especially during our current hiring crisis.

Show Notes:

[2:27] - If it hadn’t been for the experience with Covid, April’s practice would not be equipped for work-from-home opportunities.

[3:42] - April describes the game changer when it came to the phone ringing off the hook during the first year of the pandemic’s changes.

[5:07] - April shares a story of a team member that originally started remote work as a receptionist using the new phone system.

[6:37] - Give it a shot! If we wait till we understand how something works completely, we will never take the opportunity to try something new.

[8:20] - Through trying this new remote position and experiencing its success, April and her team are more open to finding new innovative ideas for remote work.

[10:25] - One of the concerns for remote work is making sure that tasks get done and people don’t get distracted at home. The key is developing a relationship with trust.

[12:03] - How do other team members feel like coworkers working from home?

[14:51] - Having a consistent person working on specific tasks and phone calls takes a lot of work off other team members and creates continuity with clients.

[16:25] - April explains how they stepped into the new phone system and what solutions they found, including things they already had that were being unused.

[19:04] - April’s practice is now utilizing technology more and more and in a way that they never considered before.

[20:10] - Being open minded makes the biggest difference.

[21:05] - We need to consider this option to retain people. This can be a game changer during the current hiring crisis.

[22:56] - There is also still a stigma and misunderstanding around remote work options.

Thank you for listening. Remember you are not in this alone. Visit our website for more resources.

Links and Resources:

• VHMA Web Page
• VHMA Coronavirus Resources
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• VHMA on Linkedin