BUSINESS OF PRACTICE: MOTIVATING STAFF, RETENTION, AND TEAMWORK
Fig. 4. Veterinarian’s income based on number of staff members in a practice.3
veterinarian is not physically on site where care is being provided to a patient, but the veterinarian has given direct orders for patient care. Remember that each state’s veterinary medical board has a different policy for appropriate direct and indirect supervision of tasks. Consult with your veterinary medical board for state-specific guidelines.7 Technician appointments have the mutual benefit
of improving employee satisfaction for support team members who now have a more integral role in patient care and doctors who have additional time to completemedical records, seemore advanced cases, or take an afternoon off. The following section will detail how a practice can better utilize support team mem- bers and implement technician-driven appointments.
4. How-To
• Gain buy-in from doctors and practice owners. Remind them salaries for veterinarians increase as the team grows (Fig. 4).
• Consult with your state’s veterinary medical board to determine tasks that licensed and unli- censed team members can perform with direct or indirect supervision.
• Assess your practice’s current use of technicians and assistants. How do you compare to partici- pants of the 2019 AVMA-AAEP Equine Economic Survey? Are support team members performing all the tasks they can legally? Figure. 5 can be used as a talking pointwith your team.
• Educate clients on the benefits of technician appointment slots (more accessibility, financial savings, etc.).
• Enhance client comfort with nondoctor visits. Writing a blog post or presenting at a client edu- cation seminar are both ways for technicians to gain confidence fromclients.
• Commit to improving technical skills during doctor appointments so technicians can con- tinue offering a wider range of services.
• Negotiate a pay increase that reflects the added doctor efficiency or solo revenue produced by the technician. As a basic rule of thumb, revenue should increase by 1.5 times the pay increase for the practice to break even. This suggestion accounts for the cost of goods sold, payroll tax, worker’s compensation, etc.
• Share the following excerpt from the October 2020 Equine Veterinary Journal with your owner or practicemanager:
• Agree upon communication flow should a con- cern arise during a technician visit. A doctor should be available remotely to field any ques- tions. Video chat is a great way to receive real- time feedback if something unexpected occurs.
• Schedule dedicated time for solo appointments or “double up” on patient visits at the same location.
92 2022 / Vol. 68 / AAEP PROCEEDINGS
How do you know if you can afford a technician?Some simple numbers can get you started: The nationwide average salary according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for a registered technician in 2020 was $17.43/hour, with a range from$12/hour to $25/hour. A2019 report fromtheVeterinaryHospitalManagers Association reports a range of $16.85–$21.93 for cre- dentialed technicians. Data specificto equine techni- cians was collected by the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians in 2020 and is shared in Figure 3. Self-reported wages were predominantly in the $15–20/hour
range.This report is also broken down by state and time in the industry for easier comparison of wages. Since registered techni- cians are licensed individuals, continuing educa- tion and licensing fees are something to consider. Additional benefits are clinic and location-
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