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TIME MANAGEMENT FOR OVERLOADED VET TEAMS
Jane Bindloss RVN(UK), DipMgt.
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices
www.sanevetmanagement.com.au

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We’re going to talk about...
1. NOW - assess current work practices
2. WHERE - planned work
3. HOW - working to the plan
4. Wasting time
SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Assessing Current Work Practices Job and task descriptions
• What is the task?
• What is the desired outcome?
• What resources are needed?
• How long does it take to do it?
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Use existing job descriptions...
Duty
- Reception and client care

Responsibility
- Greet patients and clients in a courteous and welcoming environment
- Compile client and patient histories, compliance and records
- Consult veterinarian
- Gather, record and convey data
- Coordinate admissions and discharges
- Provide specific animal care advice
- Provide service for clients and patients as appropriate
- Schedule appointments
- Retail products and medicines
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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...and use existing task lists
AFTER SURGERY
- Communicate with clients when their pet is in recovery
- Coordinate patient discharge
- Refill iso vaporiser/turn of oxygen bottles
- Clean down all benches/tables and bins
- Empty theatre and prep area bins
- Scrub and repack surgical kits/drapes
- Wash all drapes and gowns
- Clean and lubricate clippers
- Refill skin prep bottles
- Restock prep area draws
- Remove I/V catheters and clean patients
- Hospital patients to be toiletted, exercised where appropriate.
- Place bravery bandanas on patients
- Inspect invoices for accuracy
- Vacuum and mop all floors
- Empty vacuum cleaners and wipe them down
- Ensure S8 book is filled out balanced and signed
- Ensure all drip pumps are set ready to go
- Ensure all radiographs are labelled and enveloped
-Ensure radiography area is clean & tidy
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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What are the desired outcomes?
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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The Time Management Matrix
Based on Stephen Covey (1989)
Time
URGENT
Value:-
IMPORTANT:-
1 Crises
Emergencies
Deadlines
NOT IMPORTANT:-
3 Interruptions
Some phone calls
Email
Pressing matters
Some meetings

NOT URGENT
Value:-
IMPORTANT:-
2 Planning
Training
Health
Family
NOT IMPORTANT:-
4 Trivia
Some email
Some phone calls
Pleasant actions
Time wasters
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Planning the work – anticipate!
- Prepare using the documented procedure
- Think ahead - 1 min, 5mins, 1 hour, ‘til home time
- Consider contingencies - what could go wrong?
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Planning the work – develop plans
- Social meetings
- the daily huddle
- informal meetings
- weekly team meetings
- ward rounds
- strategic meetings
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices © SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Choose Your Tools
Personal
•Calendar
•Notebook (hard copy)
•Notebook (electronic)
•Whiteboard
•Diary
•Timer
Team
•Appointment Scheduler
•Whiteboards
•Smartflow©
•Secretary/PA
•Colleagues
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Working the Plan
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Delegate
Use the team to work simultaneously and synergistically
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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- An efficient person doing unimportant things is not effective.
- Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
Peter Drucker
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Working the Plan
- Working the Plan identify how stress presents itself in you personally
- develop your own systems
- make an appointment with yourself
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Take Breaks!
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Step Back 5 x 5
“We need to change our preference for immediate action by forcing ourselves to pause and reflect with a broader view”.
Take 5 steps back and take 5 minutes to discuss
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Ownership by the team
1. Pause - take time out, step back
2. Collect - information and ideas
3. Reflect - on the information
4. Select - a plan and action
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Group tasks and clear leftovers
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Working the Plan - keep it brief!
- Ascertain knowledge-level of listener
- Use closure
- Try the 3 minute phone call!
- Experiment with more efficient ways to perform tasks
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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ARE U WASTING TIME
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Time-wasting- interruptions
- Nothing’s ever too much trouble for you?
- Identify when it’s OK to interrupt
- Identify when it’s OK to be interrupted
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Time-wasting - conflict
- Conflict consumes time!
- Resolve issues early on
- Ill-will and back-stabbing become increasingly time- consuming
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Gain control of your life and time...
1. There are 168 hours in a week
2. Are you working on the 20% of
issues that will give you 80% of your success?
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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TIME MANAGEMENT AUDIT
Name: Date:
ISSUE NOW WHERE How - changes required
HOURS HOURS
Family
Learning
Sleep
Self
Travel
Fitness
Work Meetings
Patients
Clients
Coaching
Admin
Strategy
Other
Total Work
TOTAL 168 168
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practice

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Bibliography
- Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. New York: Free Press, 2004.
- Altmann, E. M., Trafton, J. G., & Hambrick, D. Z. (2014). Momentary interruptions can derail the train of thought. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(1), 215–226.
- Bailey, B. P., & Konstan, J. A. (2006). On the need for attention- aware systems: Measuring effects of interruption on task performance, error rate, and affective state. Computers in Human Behavior, 22(4), 685-708.
- Gerber, Michael E; & Weinstein, Peter. The E-Myth Veterinarian: Why most veterinary practices don’t work and what to do about it. Carlsbad, California: Prodigy Business Books, 2015.
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices

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Recommended Reading
- “The E Myth Veterinarian” Michael Gerber & Peter Weinstein
- “Successful Time Management” Patrick Forsyth
- “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” Richard Carlson
-“Death by Meeting” Patrick Lencioni
© SANE Management Solutions for Veterinary Practices