Resources

Giving Back and Volunteerism

Staff Meeting in a Box

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 Community Involvement – Getting Started! By clicking on the link below, you will be directed to our online platform, where you will have access to a 22 minute video, created by Carol Hurst, as well as several downloadable resources for your staff!

Check it out!

Wellness Tip of the Month

Giving back should be authentic and organic. If it feels forced or like “work”, it probably isn’t the right avenue. There are so many worthy causes out there. The “right” one is the one that speaks to you. There is no wrong answer here. Were you invested in supporting your best friend through breast cancer – awed and impressed by the charitable organizations that helped her? Does your heart feel connected to wild animals that are being exploited? Is there a local charity in your community that your heart goes out to, that does great work for local citizens?

Employee Handbook Tip of the Month

Community involvement is a staple for service-based industries, live veterinary practices. The challenge has always been getting consistent, and inclusive involvement within the practice. Here are a few tips to improve community involvement across the team:

  • Consider making it a standard practice to pay employees for their time at community events. If events are mandatory, it is even more important that staff are paid for their time. This prevents any blurring of labor law lines, and will increase the chance that you get participation. NOTE: make sure to follow all federal and state overtime laws.
  • Give staff Volunteer Time Off (VTO). This is similar to Paid Time Off (PTO), but must be used specifically to give back to the community. You can dictate what organizations qualify, and can require proof of participation to be provided.
  • Tie community involvement to employee raises, or an opportunity to get bonuses. There is a lot of flexibility with this, as it is not a federally regulated benefit, but you must make sure that every employee has the same opportunity to achieve the outlined raise or bonus.

 

The New Benefits Package that Keeps On Giving

By Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, MVLCE “To give, is to receive happiness and workplace satisfaction.” Happiness is something we all want, yet we often fail to make it happen whether at home or in the workplace. Happiness is definitely a choice. However one of the...
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Book Review/Recommendation

The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win

 

Your current and future employees have a huge interest in social and environmental responsibility. What is your veterinary practice doing as an organization to give back to your community and care for the environment, and why does it matter?

The Responsibility Revolution presents a new thought process and focus which includes core values. An organization’s Corporate Essence is made up of its core process, core values, and core purpose, minimizing systemic dissonance while encouraging a more authentic and transparent organization. This approach lays a strong foundation for social and environmental care within any business. The payoff is long term success as an employer, which ultimately leads to a more successful business.

This book presents several case studies and examples from businesses large and small. Lessons learned present novel ideas that can be embraced and adapted by veterinary hospitals who are willing to embrace giving back, volunteerism, and community responsibility. If you’ve been considering ways to be more mindful in this area, you’ll find the authors tie things up well with a blueprint for implementation that can easily be adapted to our profession.

– Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, MVLCE

Available on Amazon

Product Highlight: The VetSupport Guide to Recruiting, Hiring and Onboarding

This manual will act as a guide to help those in the hospital who are responsible for the recruiting, hiring, and onboarding of team members.

Putting systems in place to make the process efficient and standardized helped ease the burden of the task. And, let’s face it, turnover is high in our industry and the job of attaining new team members seems never ending and daunting at times.

It is our hope, that this workbook will help organize this HR task and make it an enjoyable process for you and those in your hospital who participate in choosing team members. Used as a guide and training tool, you should be able to delegate much of the work to your team leaders and incorporate them in the decision process.

Resources included in this workbook:

  • Recruiting Resources
      • Example Core Values
      • Job Description Examples
      • Employment Application Example
  • Interviewing Resources
      • Chart of Legal Interview Questions
      • Common Interview Questions and Answers
      • Internal Job Posting
      • Interview Protocol
  • Onboarding Resources
      • Orientation Packet Checklist
      • Security Contract
      • Orientation Process
  • And More!
Buy Now for $55

Podcast Recommendation: Vet Med After Hours

Tune in to The Vet Med After Hours Podcast Season 4, Episode 6 – Carving Your Own Life

Episode Description:

Dr. Aziza Glass is making a difference with her Dr2Dr Initiative, as she works to bridge the gap from high school to the medical profession for 1st generation Americans and people of color. Aziza knows first hand what it is like to have to forge her own lane and we are so thankful that she shared her story with us. Once a gospel singer on the path to Carnegie Mellon, Aziza ended up in Cornell veterinary school on a National Geographic reality show and now has her own mobile and relief veterinary business! This lane didn’t come without struggle and Aziza, like many of us, allowed stress to affect her health before she realized you have to learn to say no. Aziza has so many lessons to teach us and is actively making a difference. You will want to listen to this entire episode to learn how you can make a difference too!

Listen Now

Recipe: Moroccan Broccoli Fennel Soup

This hearty (but not heavy) soup is great for packing your lunch and warming you up on those chilly spring days. Packed with protein and whole veggies, it’s as healthy as it is delicious!

  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 1 fennel bulb, diced
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cube of Not Beef bouillon
  • 1/4 cup marsala cooking wine
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1 block of baked tofu, diced into small cubes
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup pearl couscous
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Using a large stock/soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and fennel. Sweat the vegetables with salt and pepper until soft and translucent. Add Not Beef bouillon cube and cooking wine. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
  2. Add vegetable broth and water to pot, and raise temperature to medium-high to bring mixture to a boiling. Add broccoli, tofu, thyme, coriander, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Lower heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Stir mixture and then add pearl couscous and coconut milk. Simmer for 15-20 minutes more or until couscous is tender.
  4. Serve with toasted pita bread or pita chips!