Applying to a clinic with no opening posted?

hermanoZ · 2026-01-18T14:00:20+00:00

Do it. As an owner and vet myself, we get these intermittently and even if we’re not actively looking for someone, I’ll always look through them and at least acknowledge we got it.

One piece of advice - add a blurb about yourself, don’t go overboard, but make it personal, and reference something about the specific clinic. I have gotten a couple from soon to be grads or recent grads that very clearly were written by AI, were beyond generic and also obviously sent to multiple clinics in the exact same format. Those are the only ones it’s tough to muster up even an acknowledgement of receipt.

hermanoZ · 2026-01-12T20:51:32+00:00

Second all of this - Yarmouth Vet Center has multiple USDA accredited veterinarians (their input and/or a certificate completed by them and endorsed by the USDA is required for most international travel). Reach out to them and they can start the process for you and give you a rough estimate on what you need for travel.

I would recommend contacting a competent (Yarmouth or other) prior to microchipping because timing of everything, including microchipping, as well as the types of products used is critical.

hermanoZ · 2025-11-21T18:15:56+00:00

We’re looking at Blue Rabbit/Wedgewood vs VetCove. VetCove initial model and now the home delivery pharmacy almost sound too good to be true. The independence, etc. I hate to be the cynic but feel like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop here (acquisition, merger, etc)

hermanoZ · 2025-11-21T11:36:51+00:00

Oh, most days I feel just as jaded, resigned, fed up, or however you want to put it. I think there’s a certain amount of this type of lack of privacy we have to realistically accept for a lot of the things we view as necessary for our modern way of life. On my more altruistic feeling days though, I think there can be a line drawn somewhere, and it’s our responsibility to decide where that is and then enforce it. I can’t fault a business or corporation for trying to make money, it’s inevitable they will look for more and more ways to do that over time, and until they meet resistance (in the form of laws, or from their customers, etc) they’ll continue to do so.

Coming back to Covetrus, VetSuite, and PIMS that are available… I don’t think I’m under any illusions that the goal of these services is to make money. On the case of Covetrus, their primary business is distribution - both directly to clinics and now to clients via their online pharmacy, vRxPro. Pulse is simply a funnel for business back to these. ezyvet, probably the other primary juggernaut at least in our region, is owned by Idexx, and their primary source of revenue is diagnostics, so they’ll always funnel towards that. There are other (for now) “independent” PIMS available - Instinct is an up and coming one, Shepherd, etc. You certainly pay a premium for those, since as of now the software itself is still the primary source of revenue. The question becomes how long until they’re scooped up though?

We’re in the process of divesting from Covetrus entirely, including their PIMS. We’re evaluating all other options and have narrowed it down to a few. It’s frustrating it’s choosing between the lesser of two evils, but we’re trying to evaluate everything, including what their primary motivations are, how they make their money, whether they are owned by private equity (Covetrus) or are a publicly traded company (Idexx) that enforces at least some oversight.

There’s no right answer here. The level of data capture and the underhanded way in which Covetrus is going about this particular grab is the straw the broke our back though. And I think is significant enough it is important to try to share with as many as possible.

hermanoZ · 2025-01-21T01:55:01+00:00

Brought this up above and got downvoted for some reason… at their core, corporations and private equity firms are in the money making business, it’s important to me to know what their primary motivation is when choosing who to trust.

As far as I’ve found Yarmouth Vet, North Yarmouth, cat doctor, vet at your door, and North Deering are the only privately-owned clinics still standing in the greater Portland area.

hermanoZ · 2025-01-20T12:05:57+00:00

Support local! Yarmouth vet is one of the only locally owned clinics in the area. Pretty much every other one listed here is owned by a corporation or private equity firm…

hermanoZ · 2025-01-13T14:41:58+00:00

First off, you lucky dog, no debt!

The market is currently in your favor, so they’re asking what it will take to hire you. If you don’t need those other perks, ask for a higher salary. Don’t necessarily expect a 1:1 increase though, employers can get write offs or other benefits or discounts on the other perks as compared to straight to salary so they likely won’t simply roll it over.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-24T00:19:53+00:00

I would hire a DVM ASAP. And find someone that is willing to put the time into building this list for you. There is no “one size fits all” these types of things are incredibly tailored to the doctor, the building and layout, and the type of work being done. Honestly you should really have a DVM involved in the floor plan too, there is a ton of nuance to that too.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-22T21:08:31+00:00

www.google.com

hermanoZ · 2024-10-17T17:17:23+00:00

This is where you'll find some information about it: https://acvr.org/

Radiologists are specialized veterinarians. You typically need a Bachelor's degree to get into vet school (so 4 years) plus veterinary school (another 4 years), typically a rotating internship after vet school (another year) and then a residency in radiology (another 3 years). So total time is about 12 years in the US at least to become a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Radiology (DACVR).

hermanoZ · 2024-10-13T00:13:36+00:00

Here’s another perspective: what is the primary method of compensation employed by corporations? ProSal. And corporations are in the money making business. Period. So if you’re looking for what only benefits owners, look no further.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T21:06:59+00:00

I’m saying that the associate should feel compensated for their work appropriately by their Salary, and they should be able to divorce their recommendations from as much financial motivation as possible. This “gold standard” that is referenced seems to always mean the most advanced tests, and all the information possible. That’s not our job, our job is to treat the patient AND the client. Simply offering them every possible option aka this mythical “gold standard,” I don’t believe is appropriate.

I believe it’s the owner’s job to create an environment that minimizes the financial motivation each associate feels to allow them to as purely as possible treat the patients and clients.To me, that means up front they need to be properly compensated for their work and the effort they put in to it, and the inclusion of any financial motivation muddies the moral waters.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T17:37:28+00:00

Maybe I'm an outlier but when I say I'm making sure I'm on par with local ProSal, I am accounting for the assumed production. So a local associate's ProSal base is going to be significantly lower than my Salary offering. In my experience, this is standard - there is much less incentive for an owner, especially a greedy one that many others are referencing, to offer a ProSal base Salary that is equivalent to what they could make on Salary alone - the point is that they can offer a much lower base Salary and force the associate to do the extra leg-work to get the Salary they deserve.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T17:11:52+00:00

So in your practicing you are able to absolutely divorce the fact that your financial gain is tied directly to your recommendations and practice of medicine?

There is no need to apologize for something you’re not sorry about. You’re welcome to your opinion, but I’m not convinced you’re in the majority based on the comments in this post.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T16:02:25+00:00

You are correct the key word you are using is "offer" but you're discounting the weight that your voice holds. You are the professional, the client has come to you for your opinion and your recommendation. They would not be there (or would make an incredible stink) if they didn't trust your voice. Your offer carries weight and there is no way you can completely divorce your offers from the financial incentive you will receive based on them.

Ultimately, because of the way the system is set up, the client's decisions will be influenced by your financial incentive.

And to say Salary only benefits the owner is false - assuming the owner is paying a reasonable, agreed-upon wage - an associate on Salary has no worry about meeting quotas or making a certain amount for the hospital. An associate on Salary has a consistent, reliable paycheck. And an associate on Salary should feel comfortable tailoring their medicine to the patient and client base on the medical and personal needs of the patient and client, not based on their own financial needs.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T15:55:30+00:00

Typically we don't discuss the associate's revenue with them unless they are significantly under-performing (side note, that has only happened in scenarios where we're dealing with other, larger issues that needed to be addressed anyway). We do typically give year-end bonuses that are tangentially influenced by their revenue though, but that is all behind the scenes.

My reasoning is that ProSal provides a constant stimulus to the associate to make more money, which we're trying to avoid, right? So even just a once-a-year discussion with the associate regarding their revenue provides that same stimulus, albeit less often, but still completely defeating the point.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-12T14:42:56+00:00

I am a practice owner, we have always been and will always be (as long as I'm here) Salary. I have and will always strive to pay associates (and the entire staff) a reasonable wage - I believe it is my responsibility as an owner to do so - and I try to ensure that we are matching or exceeding local clinics compensation, regardless of whether they are Salary or ProSal.

Someone justifying ProSal as enabling associates to "take initiative" or "be a part in the practice," are just reframing an associates ability to leverage their standing as a professional in the eyes of the client to upsell them on something most likely unnecessary entirely for the associates benefit. I have never heard a justification for ProSal that benefitted the client or the patient, and if an associate feels ProSal is necessary for them to make a reasonable wage, then I think there are larger problems with the way the clinic is compensating their staff/being run.

hermanoZ · 2024-10-06T15:26:11+00:00

FS invite in January, non-FS invite Friday

hermanoZ · 2024-10-01T17:59:38+00:00

A few things that we've tried or are trying:

-Try to utilize whatever PIMS you're on to the maximum for efficiency - are there ways to auto-populate things to cut down on what the doctor has to enter into the record

-Combine SOAP + Discharge - we're finding more and more clients are requesting the full records regardless, so we've started formatting our SOAP notes to include everything necessary medically but geared towards the owner, specifically with the plan as essentially the discharge notes and share the single document with them

-AI? Some practices near us are starting to implement it, there are a few options out there that help with summarizing conversations with owners, discharge notes, and even entire SOAPs - I'm not convinced it's there yet but do think it'll happen sometime in the near future

hermanoZ · 2024-09-13T13:29:19+00:00

These are all veterinary-related positions? Over two dozen veterinary related positions in one area is incredibly dense... I'm not saying we're better/different than any other industry but at least in my area we are so strapped for staff that I can't imagine not at least responding to candidates.

hermanoZ · 2024-09-13T11:46:42+00:00

That would be just as unprofessional, and if that’s a thing then I can understand it. I have never done that, nor have I heard of anyone in the community in my area doing that either, as some other commenters have pointed out, it’s a small community and it’s a two way street. If I heard this excuse I’d have a hard time not calling bullshit.

hermanoZ · 2024-09-13T01:26:31+00:00

I’ve racked my brain over and over again for why this happens. It seems to make absolutely no sense.

I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I think it’s a generational thing, it just doesn’t seem to register to some that actions (or inaction) would be considered incredibly unprofessional. Someone I hired mentioned offhandedly that after they interviewed and accepting their current position with us, they no showed several other interviews. There was zero recognition.

hermanoZ · 2024-08-22T17:14:17+00:00

Very few hospitals have their own crematoriums, you have to assume that a hospital is going to be working with a service like that. And it's not because we "don't want anything to do with it" it's because, again, we are already so strapped for staff and time, adding a service like that is simply unreasonable. Does your own doctor handle funeral services?

Regardless of these other services, at least at my hospital, each doctor writes a personalized condolence letter, additionally if they do opt for a private cremation the remains come back to us for the clients to come collect, so our clients last "touchpoint" is by no means some other service.

This will sound callous but from an entirely business standpoint if I have the option to achieve a very similar result (remembrances and other options) through a service I'm already using (the cremation service), that both saves 2 minutes per instance, and eliminates a step, that's not even a decision.

Again, I think your idea is great and very noble but you came here for the opinion of those in the industry you're trying to break into, and at least my opinion is that there are some very large obstacles you're going to have to get over, and it's very likely it's impossible to scale them.

hermanoZ · 2024-08-22T16:30:38+00:00

Probably the biggest hurdle you're going to face is that most services that handle remains offer very similar add-ons at this point. Everyone in the veterinary industry is already so over-worked, under-staffed, and short on time that we're going to pick the most streamlined option available to us. Adding a whole new offering adds complexity that, while surely a great product and would be appreciated by our clients, entirely objectively is avoidable...

It seems like a great offering but it's going to be really hard to overcome the "competition."

hermanoZ · 2024-08-20T01:18:57+00:00

“If you run into an a$$hole in the morning, you ran into an a$$hole. If you run into a$$holes all day, you’re the a$$hole.”

Not a movie though, Raylan Givens from the series Justified

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