Articles.
Dr. Zeytoonian co-authored an article with Dr. Cordivano titled The Key to Successful Teams in Equine Practice as part of their work for the AAEP Commission on Veterinary Sustainability. The article was published on EquiManagement in May 2023.
Dr. Zeytoonian co-authored an article with Dr. Cara Wright titled How to improve practice efficiency, revenue and job satisfaction by hiring a licensed veterinary technician. The article was published in the AAEVT Fall 2021 Newsletter and in the October 2021 Spur of the Moment, the AAEP News Bulletin.
Dr. Zeytoonian participated in a panel discussion convened by CareCredit on the current state of, and changes needed in, the equine veterinary industry. The discussion resulted in an article titled The Balance of Passion and Practice in Equine Veterinary Life which covers improving veterinarians’ financial relationship with clients, boosting the health of their businesses, and making the equine practice a more robust and desirable career. It was published on EquiManagement in December 2021.
Dr. Zeytoonian presented Maximizing Utilization of Technicians in Veterinary Practice at the 68th Annual AAEP Convention. After the convention, Dr. Amy Grice, whose research was cited in the presentation, wrote an article titled AAEP Business Coverage: Better Utilization of Veterinary Technicians summarizing the presentation. It was published on EquiManagement in January 2023.
podcasts.
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THE WHOLE VETERINARIAN
In September 2020, Dr. Zeytoonian was a guest on The Whole Veterinarian to discuss advocating for yourself through contract negotiations and setting boundaries with clients while growing your veterinary business. In April 2022, Dr. Zeytoonian returned to The Whole Veterinarian with the co-creators of The Sustainability in Equine Practice Seminar and Retreat to share highlights of their two events. The Seminar and Retreat is designed for attendees to help shape a better equine veterinary medicine practice for present and future colleagues.
THE BUSINESS OF PRACTICE
Dr. Zeytoonian was a guest on The Business of Practice to discuss the road to retirement including the challenges within the equine veterinary field and planning for retirement early in your career. Dr. Zeytoonian was a guest on The Business of Practice with Dr. Stacey Cordivano to discuss employee engagement in equine veterinary practice and, more importantly, ways to increase engagement from all employees within the practice.
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AAEP PRACTICE LIFE
Dr. Zeytoonian was a guest on AAEP Practice Life along with Dr. Lisa Kivett and Dr. Shane Baird sharing strategies and experiences integrating veterinary technicians into their practices. In December 2022, Dr. Zeytoonian returned to AAEP Practice Life with her fellow 2022 AAEP Convention Panelists, Drs. Caitlin Daly and Jean-Yin Tan, for Practice Life's final episode of the year. They reviewed 2022 and made predictions and recommendations for 2023.
In April 2023, Dr. Zeytoonian returned to AAEP Practice Life with fellow Practice Culture sub-committee leader Dr. Stacey Cordivano and Compensation sub-committee leaders Drs. Jim Zeliff and Travis Boston to share some of the early findings from their respective sub-committees.
THE VETERINARY BUSINESS SUCCESS SHOW
Dr. Zeytoonian was a guest on The Veterinary Business Success Show for an episode titled "Tackling the Equine Veterinarian Retention Problem... One Doc At A Time". In the episode she shares the struggles of work-life balance for equine veterinarians and the ways she prioritizes her time to avoid burnout. |
presentations.
Resources.
exercises.
PRE-MORTEM PLANNING
Organizational change can be a difficult topic to discuss, especially for newer employees or those in support team roles. A Pre-Mortem exercise helps businesses tackle the unknowns of change. This tool guides key decision makers and all stakeholders through a discussion of varying outcomes and action items to successfully mitigate risk and misunderstanding.
Organizational change can be a difficult topic to discuss, especially for newer employees or those in support team roles. A Pre-Mortem exercise helps businesses tackle the unknowns of change. This tool guides key decision makers and all stakeholders through a discussion of varying outcomes and action items to successfully mitigate risk and misunderstanding.
| starwood_veterinary_consulting_pre-mortem_planning.pdf |
MANAGING INNOVATION
Managing change within an established relationship or organization can be challenging to say the least. It is often easier to stick with what we know and too often I hear "that's how we have always done it" as reasoning for inefficient approaches to business or employee management.
The exercise attached below is designed to stimulate discussion and generate innovative ideas that promote positive change within an organization. I recommend you introduce the worksheet to all employees within your practice. Encouraging everyone's involvement will earn buy -in amongst employees and also create a culture of successive improvement.
Managing change within an established relationship or organization can be challenging to say the least. It is often easier to stick with what we know and too often I hear "that's how we have always done it" as reasoning for inefficient approaches to business or employee management.
The exercise attached below is designed to stimulate discussion and generate innovative ideas that promote positive change within an organization. I recommend you introduce the worksheet to all employees within your practice. Encouraging everyone's involvement will earn buy -in amongst employees and also create a culture of successive improvement.
| starwood_veterinary_consulting_managing_innovation_exercise.pdf |
PRACTICE HEALTH CHECK UP
My Practice Health Checkup attached below includes five questions to help you quickly assess the health of your practice. Consider the following as you complete the checklist:
1. The average veterinarian is on call 25-50% of the time.
Source: https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/Documents/2019%20FINAL_AMVA_AAEP_Equine_Report.pdf
2. In a 2019 survey by Dr. Amy Grice, 10% of respondents noted the inability to work part-time as a reason for leaving or considering leaving equine practice.
Source: https://equimanagement.com/articles/leaving-equine-veterinary-practice
3. The most recent data on breakdown of practice financials. The ranges are Ambulatory - Hospital:
Costs of Goods Sold - 23.1% - 26.6%
Payroll and Employee Costs - 73.4% - 76.9%
Administrative - 4.4% - 4.8%
Facilities and Equipment - 6.9% - 13%
Collection Fees - 1.2%
Profitability: 16.8% - 11.3%
4. Hiring and fully engaging veterinary technicians is an excellent way to create a more sustainable practice. There are a few podcasts on this topic above.
5. How are you setting boundaries for yourself with your coworkers and clients?
My Practice Health Checkup attached below includes five questions to help you quickly assess the health of your practice. Consider the following as you complete the checklist:
1. The average veterinarian is on call 25-50% of the time.
Source: https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/Documents/2019%20FINAL_AMVA_AAEP_Equine_Report.pdf
2. In a 2019 survey by Dr. Amy Grice, 10% of respondents noted the inability to work part-time as a reason for leaving or considering leaving equine practice.
Source: https://equimanagement.com/articles/leaving-equine-veterinary-practice
3. The most recent data on breakdown of practice financials. The ranges are Ambulatory - Hospital:
Costs of Goods Sold - 23.1% - 26.6%
Payroll and Employee Costs - 73.4% - 76.9%
Administrative - 4.4% - 4.8%
Facilities and Equipment - 6.9% - 13%
Collection Fees - 1.2%
Profitability: 16.8% - 11.3%
4. Hiring and fully engaging veterinary technicians is an excellent way to create a more sustainable practice. There are a few podcasts on this topic above.
5. How are you setting boundaries for yourself with your coworkers and clients?
| practice_health_checkup.pdf |