Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.
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PEER REVIEWED Selecting Continuing Education for Your Practice Team Sheila Grosdidier, RVT, PHR, and Monica Dixon Perry, CVPM TABLE 1. IS YOUR TEAM READY? 1. Do you have a comprehensive training plan for the year? 2. What type of training would support this year's practice goals? 3. Identify three ways that you could enhance your practice's services this year. 4. What are your veterinarians doing that could be done by the team if they receive effective training? 36 W ith all the continuing edu- cation (CE) choices avail- able, how does a veterinary practice get the most out of the time, energy, and money spent to receive this education? Veterinary team learning has evolved and the health care team needs targeted, meaning- ful training if they are to adapt to the changes in veterinary medicine and the ever-rising expectations of clients. THE FOUR Rs Meaningful training is based on the four Rs: retention, readiness, response, and "revving" up your employees. R Today's Veterinary Practice July/August 2012 etention Finding, engaging, and retaining good team members is a constant challenge. Consistent CE has been shown to be a significant tool in retaining employees.1 Employees also comment on the sense of commit- ment they feel when their employ- ers invest in training, which boosts morale and helps inspire passion for learning.2 As veterinary practices are being pressured to do more with less, training becomes the logical choice to ensure that employees know how to properly and efficiently do their jobs. R eadiness Have you noticed that often the team members who are the most engaged in CE are some of your best employees? Yes—there is a correla- tion between performance and train- ing.3 Trained employees can better understand the purposes and goals of their respective positions as well as those of the practice. Training is also a valued reinforcement of knowledge and strengthens your team's confi- dence. Identify what you need to be ready for this year by responding to the questions in Table 1.