Abstract
For more than 30 years, veterinary medicine has thrived in a seller's market as a safe profession in which a prestige product was offered to a relatively unsophisticated consumer. That is now changing. Traditional veterinary practices worked hard to keep clients from seeing themselves as customers and from seeing their patient care as a competition-based service. The underlying reason for this rested in the practitioner's and the profession's self-perception. Most veterinarians view their work as a field of practice -a professional occupation rather than a small business in a specialized industry. Then came the discounters and volume-based practices: pay and spay, shoot and scoot, bait and switch. Now the profession is beginning to realize that the veterinary practice is a small business, and that a reasonable net income must be planned into each program. A veterinary practice can no longer “rob Peter to pay Paul” just by selling things and adding gimmicks. The “now” is the time for the veterinary healthcare delivery team!
Highlights
For more than 30 years, veterinary medicine has thrived in a seller's market as a safe profession in which a prestige product was offered to a relatively unsophisticated consumer
Most veterinarians view their work as a field of practice -- a professional occupation rather than a small business in a specialized industry
The profession is beginning to realize that the veterinary practice is a small business, and that a reasonable net income must be planned into each program
Summary
For more than 30 years, veterinary medicine has thrived in a seller's market as a safe profession in which a prestige product was offered to a relatively unsophisticated consumer. These changes in consumer selection and competition are a function of the current generation's needs. In the past few decades, books by James Herriot provided our profession a Teflon-coating that would have made Ronald Reagan envious, even in his prime years; today Animal Planet has replaced the British mixed animal clinician image of James Herriot. Regardless, this “good feeling” about veterinarians won't stop the educational changes seen in our clients; the Internet is alive with the sound of information expansion. What is the future? In what way will practices serve with service? How can we be ready to meet the community needs that will emerge during the new millennium?
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