BUSINESS COLUMN
fear of perceived Competition.
Is this just corporates or are there other things to worry
about? Is it the new practice, corporate or otherwise,
the internet, lack of vets, regulation or bureaucracy
that is going to be a competitive threat? There are
three key principles to bear in mind:
1. Practices fail from the inside – out, NOT because
of competition.
2. Most practices are too busy to:
• Practice good medicine
• Deliver excellent customer service
• Increase and sustain profitability
3. Veterinary practices do not need more clients –
they need better relationships with their existing
clients to be profitable. The solution to this
challenge lies in identity and positioning.
Wave 5: The Advancements in Technology:
•
•
•
Artificial Intelligence
Robotics
Virtual reality
BUSINESS
•
•
•
•
Biological Nano-technology
Communication
Education
And the actual value of information
Vets are no longer the purveyors of veterinary
knowledge – all this is freely available – vets need
to become the curators of information. To remain
significant and relevant as a profession, we need to
let go of the certainty and authority of ‘the white coat’
and instead become curators of wisdom within our
community. The questions are: How difficult will this
be? How is it possible? And can it be learnt?
Perhaps the more fundamental question is, 'Why
should I care?'
Whether you are starting-up, wanting to stay in the
game or wanting to exit with a legacy, these changes
will affect you, and you have a choice to make.
The question I want to ask is: 'Do you, your business
and your team have the personal resilience, the
professional business skills and the purposefulness to
withstand the changes to come?
Recruitment, Retention and Resilience:
A Question of Identity
The veterinary industry is transforming in terms of
corporatisation, competition, commoditisation, client
compliance and public perception.
These changes are accompanied by concerns about
vets’ mental well-being, new graduate support and
preparedness and attrition from the profession.
Much of this comes from the fact most vets work far
too hard for far too long for far too little return due to
inefficiency, frustration and poor profitability in their
businesses. They labour under the induced fear, guilt
and obligation of the false public and professional
myth of expected altruism, social contract and non-
commercialism that is at the heart of the Pet vs. Profit
Paradox.
These issues raise questions about how veterinary
professionals are aligning ‘who they are’ with this new
world and raises questions of self and professional
identity.
Veterinary professional identity is (in contrast to other
career identities) is stable over a very long time (from
adolescence), global in that it affects all domains of
life (not just work) and highly internalised through very
strongly held set of sub-conscious values and beliefs
Issue 02 | MAY 2019 | 12
Their are three main identity themes in veterinary
professional identity:
Self as Technically Competent
“Doing the thing RIGHT” is linked to Mastery.
This is the most important element of veterinary
professionalism among students and academics. This
is central to professional identity from an early stage.
An inflexible thinking style means this can cascade
into perfectionism and micro-management
Self as Dedicated and Resilient
“Doing all-RIGHT” is linked to Autonomy. This is
the ability to cope with hard work and stress, being
resilient under pressure and perceived by others as
dedicated to their work. Inflexibility in this area can
lead to fear of failure and heightened sensitivity to
criticism and mistakes.
Self as Ethical and Moral
“Doing the RIGHT thing” is linked to Purpose.
Vets have to reconcile their own values with the
expectations that are placed upon them and to
be seen by others to behave in a moral and ethical
manner. Inflexibility can lead poor decision making
and unreasonable behaviour (because they are right!).