Hello Woodside Equine clients! In the beginning of December, Dr. Claudia True, Dr. Scott Anderson, Dr. Courtney Bolam, Dr. Julia Wolfe, Ryan Corrigan (one of our licensed veterinary technicians) and I (Dr. Brown) attended the annual American Association of Equine Practitioners convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The purpose of the AAEP convention is to allow practitioners from all types of equine practices come together and share their experiences, participate in educational seminars, and learn about the most innovative technologies available to their practices. In this way, we as clinicians are able to continue to offer the best and most modern care to our equine patients. Each year over 4,000 horse veterinarians and around 400 exhibitors gather in one city to fulfil these goals. We all had a wonderful time and learned a great deal during the convention, however, I think we all agreed that one of the most inspirational speeches was made by Dr. Marvin Beeman, founder of Littleton Large Animal Hospital in Colorado, and an equine practitioner since 1957. Dr. Beeman outlined 12 keys to an enjoyable career and successful equine practice. At Woodside Equine, we are always striving to improve our clinic, as well as maintain our foundations of excellent medical care and client service. For this month’s blog entry, I would like to share a few of Dr. Beeman’s keys to success with you, and how Woodside Equine Clinic is striving to meet these goals.
- Establish a basic philosophy or plan for practice
- Woodside Equine Clinic’s mission is to offer caring, professional service with a large array of diagnostic and treatment options in a customer oriented environment. We also strive to educate our clients therefore allowing them to make the best and most informed decisions for their horses.
- Understand their level of client service
- Excellent client service has always been a priority at Woodside Equine Clinic, from our 24/7 ambulatory and in-house on-call services to our highly trained laboratory and pharmacy staff, we strive to serve our clients and their equine family the best that we possibly can. We additionally place high priority on client education with our monthly newsletter, articles and videos on our website, and this monthly intern blog!
- Create uniformity of practice procedures among staff
- The clinicians at Woodside Equine Clinic meet and consult with each other constantly, both informally and during our new, weekly case-rounds. During this time the veterinarians can share their preferred methods of treatment and discuss current literature pertaining to diagnostics and treatments.
- Mentor interns and externs
- Woodside Equine Clinic offers both an extern program for veterinary students as well as an intern program for first year veterinarians. These programs provide close mentorship as well as valuable experience for veterinarians seeking to practice high level equine medicine. We additionally provide opportunities for veterinary technician students as well as college students to spend time at the facility.
- Participate in continuing education
- Continued learning is extremely important at Woodside Equine Clinic, and our veterinarians and technicians participate in a number of continuing education opportunities as participants as well as speakers, including the AAEP convention, the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians convention, the North Carolina Veterinary Conference, The Virginia Veterinary Conference, in addition to many others throughout the year.
- Become involved in organized veterinary medicine
- The veterinarians at Woodside Equine Clinic are members of a number of organizations, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.
- Look like a professional – in appearance and facilities!
- Our clinic, including its facilities and equipment, are always growing and updating! Since its beginning, the clinic has expanded dramatically, adding two lameness arenas, a surgical suite, a reproductive facility and expanded in-patient facilities. This past year, we even added a new sign that has made it easier for clients to see our clinic at night! In addition, we recently purchased a new digital radiograph machine, which will allow us to obtain even more high quality images instantly in the field.
- Balance professional and personal time
- The staff of Woodside Equine Clinic work hard, but we also like to have fun! Almost every member of Woodside Equine Clinic participates in outside activities including cycling, running, triathalons, horseback riding and volleyball. Most of the staff are even involved in a book club!
- Plan for longevity by integrating young veterinarians into your practice
- The intern program not only provides mentorship for young veterinarians, but additionally ensures that we are always integrating new ideas and techniques into the practice. We have even retained one of our previous interns, Dr. Meg Hammond, as one of our associates!
We hope that you’ve had a safe and happy January, and we look forward to seeing you and your horses soon!
Kara Brown, VMD