ABOUT VETSQUARED INNOVET
The journey of becoming a veterinary professional starts with a passion. A passion not only for animals but a passion for the technical and clinical skills of healing and working with animals. Working with people and in business, are not primary drivers for most veterinarians.
So, you go through at least five years of studies focusing on anatomy, biochemistry, and pathology, and the list goes on – and obtain your degree. You are now a highly skilled academic technician about to enter the world of people and business. You are good at what you do and get recognized as the head vet, nurse, or practice manager. Now what?
Much like your less-than-optimal “induction” into the new practice as a young veterinarian – so is your induction into a management or leadership role serving others. The most common reason staff leave a veterinary practice “in flames” is because the business owner’s business culture is a soup of toxic attitudes in a dysfunctional environment. A junior veterinarian walking into a toxic culture is a sad recipe for disaster for the young vet, the team, and the business. The pressure of long hours, demanding clients in highly emotionally charged situations, battling to understand the business side of the practice, as well as the inability of management to manage efficiently, leads to drop-out, burn-out, and even more drastic measures by the newly qualified.
Often middle and senior management have not been given the tools and skills to be an effective and productive manager to lead a veterinary practice that is highly charged with negativity, and anxiety, where the passion and enthusiasm of the staff are stifled and often die.
Vetsquared Innovet understands this dilemma deeply and has developed a program to address all these issues by helping recreate a psychologically safe environment where the staff can pursue what they love doing, perform at their best, and function as a coherent and effective team.
We can have an open and honest discussion about where you’re at and assist you with the way forward giving you the tools to take care of yourself, your staff, and your family so that you can lead a full balanced life and keep that passion and pride for your veterinary calling, alive. Book a 15-minute call with Larry now
KEY FOCUS AREAS
SELF AND BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
BUSINESS PRACTICE SKILLS
EMOTIONAL FITNESS FOR VETERINARIANS
Dr Larry van Niekerk
BVSc(Hons) MMedVet(Chirg)
Meet Dr Larry van Niekerk
Founder of Vetsquared Innovet, Dr. Larry van Niekerk has over three decades of hands-on experience in veterinary private practices both as a generalist and specialist veterinary surgeon in South Africa and more recently in Australia and New Zealand.
Having been an employee, shareholder, and business owner, he has expertise in veterinary business strategy, leadership, management and systems, marketing, communication and care, and staff growth.
He is the founder and the current director of the Institute for Veterinary Practice Development.
His broad perspectives from real business and life experiences, give him deep insight into business and human behaviour. This enables him to assist veterinarians and their teams to become effective leaders of themselves and their businesses.
He will focus on empowering leaders, managers, and teams with knowledge, skills, and resources to be great role models for managing stress and creating a physiologically safe personal and work environment for the teams they serve.