Resources

Time Off (Vacations and Staycations)

Staff Meeting in a Box: Time Off for Veterinary Wellness

Need staff meeting ideas? Welcome to our Staff Meeting in a Box! Each month, we provide a full staff meeting worth of materials on a particular topic, taking all of the planning off of your shoulders!

This month’s topic is time off. By clicking on the link below, you will be directed to our online platform, where you will have access to a 13 minute video, created by Brenda Tassava Medina and Carol Hurst, as well as several activities for your staff!

Check it out!

Employee Handbook Tip of the Month

One thing practices can do to encourage the use of vacation time is to either make it:

1. “Use it or lose it” by the end of the year or;

2. Minimal rollover, only allowing a small amount of it to roll over to the next year.

This serves multiple purposes. The first is it encourages the staff to use their vacation time before it is lost. The second is it prevents practices from having a “debt” of too much vacation time to staff. If staff are able to save large amounts, and cash them out, it could cause cash-flow issue for practices. Some states require separating vacation and sick time, so ensure you follow all state regulations.

Staycations vs. Vacations

By Brandon Hess, CVPM, CCFP Take a vacation, it really is that “simple”. Yet, not taking vacations is one of the biggest contributors to excessive Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in veterinary medicine. Dr. Figley, who coined the term Compassion Fatigue, actually says...
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App Recommendation

Are you looking for something family-friendly and fun for your Staycation? Not to mention the ever-looming pressures of any entertainment being COVID Friendly. This app checks all the boxes!

Pull up your app store of choice and download PokemonGo today!

Stay with me. This iconic 90’s anime cartoon, turned card game, turned video game, turned smart phone app game is addictive and encourages physical activity. Here are the quick details:
  • Become a trainer, catch Pokemon and battle other Pokemon to make yours stronger
  • Use these Pokemon to battle in gyms and other trainers
  • Challenge yourself to catch every type – around 600!
  • Using GPS technology, builds a real-life map of your location
  • Acquire supplies by visiting different real-life sites (such as parks, monuments, interesting location features, restaurants, and more)
  • Connect with friends and family in the game, allowing you to trade Pokemon and battle in raids
The best thing about this game is that it has something fro everyone. If you are competitive and want to be an avid player, there are daily and weekly challenges to keep you engaged. The real-life interaction takes away the tedium that some games can possess when you’ve played it for a long time. If you don’t want to get that involved, it is interesting to see how many different types you can encounter, catch and then evolve. This is also a kid-friendly game. Like most apps, while you can spend money to advance, it absolutely isn’t necessary.
In response to the Pandemic, Niantic (creator), made the game play more friendly for walking around your neighborhood or local park instead of frequenting busier locations that typically afford more diverse game play.
As an avid player going on 3 years now, I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in having fun, getting outside and spending time with their loved ones! Hit me up if you want to be friends. 🙂
– Carol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP

Featured Product: The Wellness Journal for Veterinary Team Members

VetSupport has created a wellness journal designed specifically for the veterinary profession. This weekly planner has weekly questions geared towards veterinary team members, to help you reflect on your overall wellbeing. With activities throughout to encourage development and progress, and a 52-week spread, you’ll be using this planner all year long!

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Vet Med After Hours Podcast Recommendation

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Recipe: Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo

Summer is a great time for garden fresh tomatoes, and you might have a few too many right now! Here’s how Brenda uses not only her garden’s tomatoes but also the jalapeños and cilantro:

  • 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 2-3 jalapeños, de-veined, de-seeded, and finely chopped
  • 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
  • The juice of 1 lime

Dice and chop all ingredients and combine in a medium bowl. Add the fresh lime juice and stir. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before consuming on tortilla chips, or adding to tacos or burritos. Yum!