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Empower your veterinary team through professional development

By MWI Animal Health

Choose convenience with a subscription model
Woman using digital tablet in office setting

Thirty-eight per cent. That’s the number of veterinary professionals in the United Kingdom who are considering leaving the industry because they have become dissatisfied with their career opportunities.1 If you are a practice owner or manager that statistic should be of concern .Your team is, of course, compliant with the annual RCVS requirements for continuing professional development (CPD), but what if you could achieve  more than simply ticking a box? What if continual learning could improve efficiency, productivity, and your practice’s overall culture? 

If investing in team training is an investment towards the betterment of your practice, then it’s time to stop and consider how you approach CPD. 

More money, less time 


In the current model of veterinary CPD, you are likely to be processing requests on an ad hoc basis, making advance planning and budgeting difficult. The chances are your practice is working with a variety of training providers, which leads to inconsistency in the product offered. 

Time and money are two of the biggest challenges facing veterinary practice regarding staff development. If team members need to attend training outside the clinic, schedules need to be rearranged to account for their absence. With practices already short-staffed, accounting for time away while maintaining enough team members to handle caseloads can be challenging. In addition, there could be travel and lodging costs to consider. Given that margins are tight, sending out ad hoc lump sum payments for CPD could be a financial squeeze. 

What if, instead of juggling multiple vendors and not knowing when money was going out, there was a more streamlined option? Subscription-based CPD for your entire practice would simplify the process. Consider the impact on budgeting if there were one predetermined monthly fee, with occasional top-offs for certain, specialised trainings. No more number crunching to find out if you can say yes to a team member’s request for training. 

Subscriptions equal savings 


Consider your daily life outside of work. The chances are you subscribe to one or more streaming services for entertainment. Your meals could come via one subscription, and new clothes via another. Your pet may even be delighted to get food and treats delivered to the house each month. Subscriptions make our lives easier. Why not embrace the convenience in your veterinary practice? 

A subscription model puts the control of continual learning in the hands of team members, without them having to use valuable time to hunt for the solutions themselves. There will be courses for every role within the practice, from receptionist to veterinary surgeon. With the addition of relevant virtual course options, veterinary staff could obtain their accreditation without the need to travel. 

"There is an enormous amount of clinical CPD available, but not enough good management CPD. That is where we want to fill the market,” notes Elizabeth Major, GPO Key Account Manager, MWI Animal Health. 

Offering CPD to your entire staff will foster a knowledgeable workforce where everyone, regardless of role, feels empowered. Topics cover mental health first aid training, finance, leadership and communication, practice management, protocol, and compliance, in addition to clinical training to keep veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons up to date on procedural innovations. “It just makes sense to bring everything together under one roof,” explains Ross Turner, Specialist Business Manager - Practice Solutions, MWI Animal Health. 

Growing with your job 


Professional development helps veterinary practices stand out to job seekers, who are inclined to pick workplaces with room for growth. Staff turnover can incur large costs; thus, investing in training improves your team’s job satisfaction, making them more likely to stay. 

Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses expect their practice to provide funding and time to take mandatory CPD. A subscription service helps you meet those expectations in a manner that places less burden on the practice. 

When your team members are well-trained, they can be more efficient and accurate, saving valuable time. Continued professional development allows your staff to stay current with advancements in veterinary medicine, client care, and business updates. Knowledge gaps among team members can reduce team performance, impacting client service and the range of services a practice can offer. Upskilling your team means your practice can increase its spectrum of acceptable cases, leading to additional revenue opportunities. A better-trained team will offer higher-quality services, enhancing your practice’s reputation and repeat business. 

Such a service would be made easier if your CPD platform monitored progress and supported compliance with RCVS regulations while keeping track of industry trends. 

A subscription model for CPD gives your team the benefit of choice and the ease of virtual training. As practice leader, you can showcase your investment in creating a culture of learning and empowerment. “If you can get the culture right,” says Turner, “it means your productivity is higher. Your staff feel valued and are therefore more engaged.” 

As a business owner, to know in advance what costs you will incur can help you budget properly for essential training, elevate your practice's training culture, empower your team, and ensure efficient CPD tracking with an innovative veterinary training subscription service.

 
Reference 
1Survey of the Veterinary Profession, 2019. 

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