Firstline Live

Come one, come all — technicians, practice managers, receptionists, and veterinary assistants — to team training at its finest!

 

Each Firstline Live attendee receives:

7 hours of CE credit per day attended

• A complete seminar proceedings
• Admittance to the CVC in Kansas City Exhibit Hall
• An invitation to the Welcome to Kansas City Reception on Saturday
• Free tickets to the Lee Ann Womack concert on Sunday
• An attendee bag with a handy notepad and pen

 

Cost for Friday seminar: $149 if you register by July 22, 2009

Cost for Saturday/Sunday seminar: $264 if you register by July 22, 2009

 

Friday, August 28, 2009

7:30 to 8:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Seminar
Marriott Downtown, Muehlebach Tower, Truman A

 

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Does your team operate like a well-oiled machine? It can! To create a productive workplace, your team must work together despite their differences. It’s this display of teamwork that reassures clients about the care their pets receive — and keeps them coming back.

Presenter Debbie Gair, CVPM, will guide team members toward developing the self-awareness they need to resolve interpersonal conflicts, and everyone will leave with new communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that benefit them and their team.

This program will help you:
• Understand your own behavior
• Improve communication
• Promote appreciation of differences
• Enhance individual and TEAM performance
• Reduce conflict

As part of this team training workshop, you’ll be e-mailed a link to an online personal profile assessment to be completed before attending Firstline Live. You’ll receive a hard copy of your customized profile at this August 28th workshop.

 
Debbie Allaben Gair, CVPM, is a veterinary management coach and recruiter. As a former veterinary practice manager, she understands the challenges of team dynamics and has coached many veterinarians and practice managers in the art of creative problem solving and helped them improve team communication. Ms. Gair is president of Bridging the Gap, in Sparta, Mich., and a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

7:30 to 8:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Seminar
Kansas City Convention Center, Room 2201

 

Morning Session - Never work late again:
Save time and improve client communications with technology

Snail mail and phone calls are so yesterday. So why are you still using them to talk to clients? Take your reminders—and all of your client communications—to a new level by utilizing technology. Whether your practice is totally in the dark ages or you’re already going digital, presenter Gina Toman has solutions for you. She’ll offer customized, practical advice for saving time and money and improving compliance thanks to computerized communications.

You’ll learn:
• How e-mail can help you offer better client service
• Strategies for automating practice systems
• Ideas for saving time and money—and improving client compliance

Gina Toman works at Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, N.C., as a staff training coordinator, a senior technician, and as an ASVDT-certified dental technician. She is a member of the Firstline Editorial Advisory Board and serves on the Pet Obesity Prevention Association board as a lead researcher for the annual Pet Obesity Awareness Day Study. Her writing has been featured in Firstline, TechNews and AAHA Trends magazines, and she has presented at WVC, AAHA, OVAT, OVMA and CVC in Kansas City.

 

Afternoon session - How to become essential

Fears about job security have crept into the workforce at large, but they don’t need to sneak into veterinary practice. By taking initiative to be an A-plus team member, you’ll solidify your place at the top of your boss’s must-have list. This interactive presentation by Marianne Mallonee will provide practical tips to help every team member—regardless of your position— become an employee of choice.

You’ll learn:

• Find in-clinic growth opportunities
• Convey value of services and elevate client and patient care
• Attract new pet owners to your clinic
• Retain/bond your current clients
• Concentrate on important elements in tough times

 
Marianne Mallonee has more than 20 years of experience in the veterinary field. Today she is the hospital administrator and an owner of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, a large general practice, emergency, and specialty/referral hospital in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Ms. Mallonee is a member of the Colorado Veterinary Manager’s Group, DAVMS, CVMA, AAHA, VHMA, and VESPA. She has lectured nationally on managing 50-plus employee practices and is currently working on a contribution to the book Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care: Case Studies in Client Communication, Morbidity and Mortality.

 

Sunday, August 30, 2009

7:30 to 8:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Seminar

 

From freaked out to fearless: Fun and easy strategies for handling tough times

These days you face chaos at home and at work. But you can conquer the confusion and anxiety by feeding your mind and your soul. In this unique interactive session, Dr. Jim Kramer, CVPM, will offer food for thought to help you learn how to act and react in challenging situations. You’ll leave with a new level of understanding about yourself and your practice—and you’ll have a few laughs along the way.

You’ll learn:
• Communicating with clients, co-workers, and bosses
• Dealing with tight personal and work budgets
• Making decisions in high-pressure situations

 

Jim Kramer, DVM, CVPM, is a small-animal practitioner and hospital manager in Columbus, Neb. Dr. Kramer serves on the Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board and co-founded the Animal Compassion Foundation. He wrote the book A Gift From Rex, Guiding Children Through Loss and Life. Dr. Kramer has two sons, practices alongside his veterinarian wife, and travels widely as a speaker, entertainer, auctioneer, and blues harmonica wailer.

Sponorship support of the Firsline Live program and lunch is provided by Veterinary Pet Insurance