There are many areas to grow within the veterinary practice. This can include a “formal” leadership position such as a practice manger, office manager or team leader. Other areas to grow can include the management of certain projects or tasks that have no less importance to the functionality of the hospital. These can include Social Media/Marketing Manager, Inventory Manager, OSHA Safety Officer and more! If your practice doesn’t have a clear delineation for growth, there are many things that you can do to help control your own professional development.
Your Professional Image
At its very basics, being considered for a leadership/management role means that you are displaying a certain level of skill. Often, your clinic’s policies on professionalism or conduct are just the foundation. There are many areas that you can control to enhance your professionalism and send the message that you are ready for leadership.
Uniform
Most practices have an established guideline for this. Too often we see team members who are only following the bare minimum standards. Make sure your uniform is wrinkle-free and clean (you may need to carry an extra pair around with you). Replace when the hems or pockets become worn from use. Is your hairstyle clean and neat? Is your jewelry minimal for safety reasons? Are your nails short and well-kept, also for safety and hygiene reasons?
Self-Motivated
The team members that stand out the most are the ones who seek out opportunities for learning and capitalize on the resources that are offered. If you are in a rut of only performing at the bare minimum, don’t expect to be recognized for enhanced opportunities. Do you know your role inside and out? Or do you just skate by with only enough information to check the boxes? If your practice doesn’t have learning resources, there is enough free information online to start the growth of any individual.
Knowledge and Presentation
The use of medical terminology and good spelling/grammar is a bare minimum requirement in our field due to the legal nature of the records that we produce. This should extend to all areas of communication: verbal and electronic client communication and team member discussions. Have you done your homework? Client education is an important role for our support team members. Learning the necessary information to be knowledgeable on a variety of topics ensures you are at the top of your game.
Actions Speak Louder
Do you act like a professional? It is no secret that veterinary medicine can dissolve into cliques and gossipy behavior. Do you participate? Do you sit there, silent, while it goes on around you? Are you helping your practice’s culture, adding in positivity or are you taking away from it? Once again, this is a conversation about what you can control, external factors aside. Who do you want to be known as? Someone who is easy to work with, respectable and is helpful regardless of personality conflicts?
Research
If you have your sights on growth within your hospital, do your research. Aside from a handful of roles, there are many that aren’t completely defined within our space. This means that you may have to do some legwork to present to your current leadership valid ideas for this growth. Doing the appropriate research before can show motivation and seriousness for the growth requested. Below are a set of questions to ask yourself when putting together a proposal for your leadership team.
- What are the major tasks associated with this role? What will you be responsible for? How will success be measured?
- What are the learning requirements for this role? What is the expense involved? What is the timeline for becoming educated? Don’t take short-cuts here. Also, don’t anticipate that learning is a one-time commitment. The best leaders and managers are ones that continue to grow and build on their knowledge.
- What is the benefit to the practice? This is one of the most important areas to flush out. While you may not have all the data to outline the specifics here, the more you can give, the better.
- What is the benefit to you? Your growth and satisfaction are important.
- What data is out there for compensation adjustments? If it isn’t a role already identified in veterinary medicine, are there similar roles in other industries that you can pull data from? This area can be a bit tricky. While it is a good practice to have some ideas to bounce around, be prepared for negotiation/discussion.
Conclusion
You have to be your own advocate for professional growth. There are many areas that you have control over and the result is continuing to have an engaging, enriching career in veterinary medicine for many, many years.