STAF175-0916: Management by Position
Audio only: The lectures for this course will be presented in a predominantly audio format.
Please come prepared to listen.

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Instructor: Katherine Dobbs, LVT, CVPM, PHR
Course Open: September 28, 2016-November 5, 2016
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Wednesdays, October 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2016; 9:00-10:30pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Practice Sessions: In order to prepare you for a successful experience in your CE course, we request you attend a Practice Session prior to the first Real Time Session. Please arrive promptly at the start time; each Practice Session is up to 1 hour in length. For more information, please visit the CE Practice Area.

*The instructor for this course will be using audio which will require you to have a headset or speakers to listen. If you have any concerns regarding your computer's audio capabilities, please be sure to attend one of the Practice Sessions.

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course wis focused towards supervisors in the veterinary clinic.
VSPN CE Course: This course has been RACE approved for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists.(22-26299) This course has been approved by the VHMA for CVPM credits. (VHMA #16-12)

Course Description:
The veterinary practice team is composed of smaller teams who share the same job description, notably the 1) client service team, 2) the technician team, 3) the assistants and kennel team, and 4) the supervisor or leadership team. Each separate team can be managed similarly in some ways, but they also each have their own unique challenges. Recruiting and hiring is slightly different, from where you look for potential candidates, to how you promote from within. The client service team struggles with trying to feel like part of the healthcare team even when they are often isolated in the front section of the practice. The management challenges for the medical support staff start with the nomenclature and credentials for the different position titles, and how to set up a fair pay scale that takes into consideration expertise, education, and experience. For the assistant and kennel team, it is more about how to motivate high schoolers in your boarding area, and how to inspire those assistants who want to grow within their position. The supervisors, or middle management, comprise the leadership team within your practice, even though some of them do not have official management titles! They have a direct impact on how you manage these separate teams, and their buy-in and training is paramount to the overall success of the practice. We will cover these topics and more in the four sessions on Management by Position.

Week 1 (Real Time Session October 5): Managing the Client Service Team

Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• Understand the recruiting and hiring process for the client service team
• Identify all of the important roles occupied by the client service team
• Discuss why inclusion is an important part of gaining and keeping respect for this team
• Identify ways to include this team in the larger practice team
• Understand the importance in involving the client service team in new and revised protocols
• Realize that setting up task forces with a representative from every team can be constructive
• Learn how to involve the front office team in developing their area and their positions
• List the types of CE that would be appropriate for client service team members to attend
• Identify how to help the client service team feel like part of the healthcare provided by the practice

Week 2 (Real Time Session October 12): Managing the Team of Technicians, Technologists, and

Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• Understand the recruiting and hiring process for the medical support team
• Explain the roles of expertise, experience, and education on the position hired for
• Learn how to develop a pay scale based on these differences in expertise, experience, and education
• Understand the importance of skills, knowledge, and abilities, and how to define different levels
• Understand the dynamics about the different titles on the medical support team, including technician, technologist, and VTS (Veterinary Technician Specialist)
• Discuss the qualifiers for those different titles, i.e. education, expertise
• Understand the role of the state�s practice act on job duties, and where to find the state acts
• Identify the importance of the job description for each medical support position
• Identify the training process for both new hires and existing staff

Week 3 (Real Time Session October 19): Managing the Assistants and Kennel Team

Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• Understand the recruiting and hiring process for this support team
• Develop an understanding of the transient nature of these positions and how to balance turnover
• Identify the necessary parts of a training program to help maximize their contribution during their employment
• Discuss how to establish boundaries for younger employees in regards to safety
• Identify ways to motivate part-time employees
• Understand the AVA (Approved Veterinary Assistant) certification through NAVTA
• Learn how to use this AVA certification to motivate promotion within your assistants team

Week 4 (Real Time Session October 26): Managing the Supervisors and Leadership Team

Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• First, identify who is on the Supervisor and/or Leadership team, including �silent leaders�
• Learn how to use the �silent leaders� in their important role on the team
• Understand the recruiting and hiring process for this team
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of promoting from within versus bringing someone in from outside the practice
• Learn how to develop this team to provide ground level management in the practice
• Discuss appropriate training for this team, both in-house and external events
• Identify the steps in mentoring a new supervisor or leader

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

*The lecture portion of this course will be an audio presentation, please be prepared to listen.

*To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Instructor:
Katherine Dobbs, LVT, CVPM, PHR is a graduate of Tomball College with an Associates of Applied Science; Veterinary Technology. She earned certification as a Certified Compassion Fatigue Educator in 2013, Professional in Human Resources in 2008 and Certified Veterinary Practice Manager in 2006. Katherine has written three textbooks in practice management that are published by AAHA Press, is an online blogger for Veterinary Practice News, and has had articles published in Veterinary Team Brief, Veterinary Economics, Veterinary Practice News, AAHA Trends and TechLife in Canada. She has presented at the International Veterinary Emergency Critical Care Symposium, American Animal Hospital Association, North American Veterinary Conference, Western Veterinary Conference, Association of Veterinary Technician Educators, and Wild West Veterinary Conference, among others.

Total CE Credit: 6

Tuition: $120 ($108 early bird special if enrolled by September 14, 2016)
All prices are listed in US dollars.

* Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CAAHT approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status).
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5pm ET on October 5, 2016, or when the maximum number of participants is reached.
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
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1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 792 or email VSPNCE@vspn.org. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

*Note: "This program 22-26299 is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 6.00 CE Credits (6.00 max) being available to any one veterinarian: and/or 6.00 Veterinary Technician CE Credits (6.00 max). This RACE approval is for the subject matter categorie(s) of: Category Three: Non-Scientific-Practice Management/Professional Development using the delivery method(s) of: Interactive-Distance. This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements"

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VSPN office 800-846-0028 ext. 792 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VSPN office at 800-846-0028 ext. 792.

*For more information on VSPN's upcoming CE courses, check the VSPN Course Catalog.

Charlotte Waack, RVT, CVT
VSPN Director/VSPN CE Interim Director

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 792
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357

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