Setting up clinics

Re: Setting up clinics

Sal the 1st — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 14:28:11 GMT

[quote user="Emma Kerry"]

Another thing I have seen done in practices is to automatically book a puppy/kitten clinic with first vaccinations and explaining that they are getting that for free to them when they book

[/quote]

Definitely - have used that and it does work Similarly when you discharge a dog or cat that has had a dental I used to book an appt for a nurse check 2 -3 weeks post op ( ie after the vets had finished with any of their checks and the mouth had settled down a bit) where we could go through toothpaste etc, and then again another 6months down the line. You will get some people who dont turn up for appts but you get a surprising amount that do.

I used to do quite a busy clinic on rabbit health( flystrike,feeding, teeth husbandry etc) there were no other practices in the area doing one at the time and it was always pretty busy. Theres loads of stuff you can do. Most of the time I had at least as many appointments as the vet had and sometimes more. When people say their nurse clinics are 'free' they miss the point that nurse clinics are 'free' only in the respect that they 'free up' the vet to be able to do other things, its really an opportunity for a representative of your practice to spend some productive time with clients without them feeling rushed ( I find that some clients find it easier to understand a nurse and are more likely to mention things than they would in a vet consult and you can then pass that information back to the vet, sometimes clients just need a little bit longer to get out what they need to say). The one thing I will mention is if you are advising a client to use a product, diet etc and you dont have it in and are having to order in for them make sure you take payment before you order and then at least you will know they will come back for it and it wont be sat on the shelves unpaid for and not collected.

cat BP checks work quite well in a nurses clinics ( try and group your cats on say one afternoon with decent appt length, dont rush these 2 or 3 max in an afternoon) blood glucose for your diabetics and the long term blood monitoring ie T4s, fructosamines etc can all be done as a nurses appt and then when results are back book the vets appointment so vet can discuss results or do their check up with the information in front of them.Talk to your bosses and see what else they would like and what else is possible. I was easily bringing in £300- 500 into the practice every week and whilst that doesnt sound a lot compared to the income from vet appts that was the measurable income which adds up nicely over the course of a year - the bit you cant measure accurately is client satisfaction and that is priceless.

I am missing doing nurse clinics again now

pm me if think it might be helpful

Re: Setting up clinics

Emma Purnell — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 13:35:32 GMT

Another thing I have seen done in practices is to automatically book a puppy/kitten clinic with first vaccinations and explaining that they are getting that for free to them when they book - if you can get them in for the clinics early they will tend to follow through more as they get older.

Stick with it - they are well worth doing.

Re: Setting up clinics

Jill Macdonald — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:41:57 GMT

I agree Helen, face-to-face recommendation and discussion is very effective. This can and should come from your vets, but also from the VNs, for example; at discharge for neutering, advising a follow-up nurse appointment in 1 month to check weight, development, discuss any issues etc.

This can then be backed up by also giving the client a leaflet which re-iterates what has been said.

Jill

Re: Setting up clinics

Helen Tottey — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:43:30 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

In the beginning you just have to seize each opportunity that presents. Open evenings, talks to coffee morning groups....... - I am sure you will come up with others

[/quote]

You certainly need to be proactive. all the leaflets in the world don't compare to talking to clients and demonstrating your benefit. You also need to get the vets on side, if they recommend clients talk to you, that really helps.

Re: Setting up clinics

Sal the 1st — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:39:54 GMT

heres a couple to get you started - next person that comes in for wormers or flea tx complete with dog that doesnt need to see the vet, ask the owner to pop it onto the scales and weigh it and then offer to give their dog a free health check while they are there. Word soon gets around or let the breeders that you have registered with the practice know that you will do a free nurse puppy or kitten check if the new owner brings them in to see you (obviously not if there is a problem that needs to see the vet) if you can get them through the door as soon as they get their new pet there is more chance of them bonding with your practice.

In the beginning you just have to seize each opportunity that presents. Open evenings, talks to coffee morning groups....... - I am sure you will come up with others

Re: Setting up clinics

Sara Osburn — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:59:57 GMT

*by experienced nurses I also mean everyone! Sorry if that sounded disrespectful to anyone who is not qualified, it was certainly not meant that way!

Thanks, Sara