POLICIES
GENERAL THOUGHTS
I pride myself in being fun loving, dynamic, and flexible at each job. I feel very lucky to be welcomed into a clinic and trusted with the most important part of veterinary medicine, your clients. I have a strong, deep routed passion for the human animal bond and it’s a privilege to work along side of you.
I keep an open mind about "best practices" as I believe that all of our unique ways of practicing make us who we are. With that, I believe there are a multitude of ways to effectively practice medicine. There are some techniques that may not be considered “gold standard” that work well for me and others that simply don't. Some of these I may be flexible on and others I am pretty strict about. I will make my best judgement and do my best to seamlessly fit within your practice, but there are some autonomy calls that I may make on a case by case basis. Just call me and we can discuss if you are concerned.
SURGERY
I do not offer surgical services. I will offer sedated procedures and exams/services on a case by case basis once I am comfortable with a clinic. We can discuss this arrangement when appropriate. Until it has otherwise been agreed upon between both of us, I will schedule surgical services and sedated procedures with resident associates for best continuance of care.
SPECIES
I only practice medicine on dogs and cats. Any exotic animals or pocket pets scheduled for services on my shift will be rescheduled with a resident associate.
CONTINUITY OF CARE
While I have my own preferences in medicine, if there is no or little difference in your treatment protocol and my preferred protocol, I will follow your clinic protocols to allow your staff and clients to feel as though my addition to your clinic is as seamless as possible. I will rely on your written protocols and listen to your staff to learn what is normal for your clinic.
I will call clients with test results or to answer their questions between scheduled appointments as much as possible. I will not be available to call clients back on days that I am not scheduled with you. I aim to leave clear records for all cases that I see but especially for cases with pending labwork. If there are any questions, you may call me directly and I can clarify my thoughts on the case to you or your doctors. Please be aware I will not answer my phone if I am on the clock at another clinic and will extend the same courtesy to you.
DRESS
Please let me know if you have a specific dress code you would like me to follow. If not discussed, I will arrive wearing plain colored scrubs and have a white coat available.
APPOINTMENTS & HOURS
I know that every clinic is different in regards to appointment time. I do prefer to be scheduled for 30 minute appointment times as I may not be familiar with your computer system, drugs in clinic, clients, or quoting policies. This allows me to move through an appointment and have time to adjust accordingly.
I do require a one hour lunch break for any shifts over 5 hours long.
An 8 hour minimum is applied to all shifts, even if not working 8 hours at a time. Any shifts over 10 hours will be subject to an overtime fee.
TASKS & DOWNTIME
I will complete tasks in the following order while at your clinic. I pledge to uphold a code of professionalism. When on the clock, I am dedicated to your clinic and its needs.
Work on assigned appointments, completing records as I go.
Offer to help colleagues.
Make client phone calls and approve prescription refill requests.
Work on downtime tasks that you may dictate. I can write time-saving templates for common cases, help with staff training, research the latest information on a medical topic that has been bothering you or other tasks. Staff training topics I particularly enjoy are dermatology, arthritis management/senior care, diabetes, nutrition, and parvo virus.
If you like, I can have staff call clients with pets with overdue reminders to book appointments (I find it is rare to get to this step).
Read veterinary topics and complete online CE.
BOOKING, CANCELLATION, & OVERTIME
Calls or email to book. Bookings will be confirmed in an email. Once the confirmation email is sent, the booking is considered finalized and cancellation fees will apply if the booking is cancelled.
Rates are dependent on date, location, and type of services. Contact to inquire about hourly rates for the services you’re in need of!
Payment is due within 14 days after services are rendered. There will be a 30% late fee applied to any invoices not paid within this time frame.
Cancellation policy is as follows:
>30 days - NO fee
7-30 days - 25% of the original booking fee
<7 days - 75% of the original booking fee
<24 hours - 100% of the original booking fee
Overtime rates:
At the end of the scheduled shift, I allow a 15-minute grace period for minor unforeseen issues where I continue to charge my regular rate. After that, I charge overtime for 2 hours – overtime is 1.5x the regular rate. Any work beyond two hours after my scheduled departure time, is charged double overtime – which is 3x the regular rate.
Overtime situations can arise not only if a last-minute emergency arrives close to closing time, but also if adequate time is not allotted for regular duties. Please decide in advance how you would like to handle overtime situations. Some clinics notify their front desk not to allow any late afternoon “work-ins” or last-minute appointments after a certain time. Other clinics appoint a staff member to decide based on the individual situation.
LICENSES & INSURANCE
I maintain the following licenses at my expense:
Arizona Veterinary License: 7107
Professional Liability Insurance through AVMA. Policy: VETPRO261418
DEA license.