Veterinary Practice Management:

Why and ways to get a degree in practice management

Veterinary Practice management is not identifiable as a specific degree track. The industry has not embraced the concept of practice managers in sufficient quantity to attract interest and investment of the university or advanced education institutions to this track.

What is available and currently respected in the industry, are credentials arising from 3 sources:

a) Applicable Weekend and short courses at the continuing education level
b) Certificate courses at Junior colleges such as Grant McEwan in Edmonton, Red Deer College, etc.
c) University level training either by correspondence through the Athabasca University, or with the Business Training Track at the University course level.

The types of courses you could accumulate:
 - Supervision Certificate
 - Management Development Certificate
 - Business Accounting Certificate
 - Human Resources Certificate
 - Health Sciences Management Certificate

Degree courses respected in the industry, which may lead to a management director position in large practices:
 - Business Administration
 - Certified Management Accounting
 - Communication and Human Resources

Veterinary Management Associations you could belong to, creating the network of information and future learning you will need:
 - American Animal Hospital Management Associate: offer courses specifically directed to veterinary practice owners and managers. The focus is business, but with information and directly applicable workshops using veterinary practice information. Networking with others in your industry proves to be the most powerful influence on the level of knowledge you have access to.
 - Veterinary Hospital Management Association: offer a guideline for certification as a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager [CVPM]. www.vhma.com
 - Canadian Payroll Association: if human resources is part of your job description where you would be hiring, terminating, and submitting or processing payroll.
 - Local Business Associations: they provide convenient access to information about Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Employment regulations, etc.

To start with, finishing your AHT/VT designation, getting employment in a practice with a manager on site, becoming proficient at being a team member of the veterinary hospital environment, can only serve you and the industry well on a long term basis. Once you have completed at least one to two years of employment at the clinic level, you will find yourself confident and aware of the management component of a practice environment.

Direct your continuing education in a planned format during this time and in the future should accomplish a successful integration of information into your daily activities with a maximum return on cost and time invested. What will be most valuable to you depends on your strengths and weaknesses in communication and business structure and management processes. Start with personal development courses; these give you great background to enter into supervision. Supervision gives you the organizational background you need to enter into business organization topics. This business information creates a need to excel in presentation and effective marketing of information.

  2008-02-12