Kristy Pilkerton

Practice Management is an elective rotation offered to 36 senior veterinary students at Auburn University. We evaluated two small animal practices, for one week each, and presented a report to the practice owner at the end of each week. We had the unique opportunity to explore all aspects of owning and running a practice such as work flow, building layout, financial analysis, client experience, and employee feedback. Part of our analysis was to highlight the areas that were working well and make recommendations for improvements in other areas.

 

I have worked in small animal practices for 14 years and am well aware of the importance of work flow, organization, and client experience. I loved being able to share my personal experience while learning from others who manage those same aspects well. I learned a tremendous amount about the financial workings of running a small business. I specifically gained great insight on how to pay associates based on production and what that associate must do to meet those production expectations. The knowledge I gained was absolutely invaluable, regardless if I ever own a practice or not. I told my mom that the report we gave was the "most professional thing I had ever done".