Setting up practice

RE: Setting up practice

An On MRCVS — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:11:46 GMT

Apologies for the delayed reply - not been online for a few days. Thank you for all the input, it's definitely got the old cogs whirring and given me a positive nudge :-)

RE: Setting up practice

George Cooper — Wed, 18 May 2016 16:15:40 GMT

Y'know, it really doesn't matter a monkey's what any of the posters on here think, because it is only you who can decide. If you feel confident to cope with the majority of the usual caseload in practice then get on with it. For the difficult cases there is always the opportunity to refer.

Sadly, your very own practice is not just about the clinical, which undoubtedly you'd manage, but is also largely about dealing with all the other seeming inconsequentials that threaten to derail your concentration, and if you can adopt the mindset that can just get on with it all and deal with it equably, then you will sail along nicely. BUT - beware staff issues when you start hiring, for they can cause you to chew the woodwork big time!

Now - just stop wasting precious moments on Vetsurgeon.org, and get on with it! Provided you can accept that some stuff won't go to plan, and can deal with it, being your own boss and running things the way you want is a most fulfilling route to take.

RE: Setting up practice

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 18 May 2016 11:04:54 GMT

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]I just wondered what people's opinions of starting up a practice with only 4 years experience is? [/quote]I set off on my own after 4 years. Any fears of not being experienced enough were outweighed by not having someone else interfering with my work and questioning my clinical judgement. But then I walked into a sole charge locum one week after qualifying so self-confidence was never a weak point. This was however in 1980 and expectations are much different now, although this is mostly psychological rather than practical. If anything your skill sets will be much greater than mine were then, I feel it is just fear of litigation/disciplinary procedures today that puts people off.

The other points raised about business/management skills, fund raising etc are another matter and need different consideration.

RE: Setting up practice

Richard Carter — Wed, 18 May 2016 10:36:34 GMT

there are lots of small practices which survive complicated surgeries by behaving almost like branch practices of bigger referral centres when it comes to orthopaedics so don't have to worry about that unless you about to open in outer hebrides in which case you will have to become the jack of all trades.

You do need to be able to do an ex-lap by yourself at midnight unless you in the catchment of an OOH service. You may not be able to afford your clients going to the OOH service - I know for my first few years, my salary basically came from what I did on the weekend and OOH. The rest of the income went into paying off everyone else.

RE: Setting up practice

Colin Thomson — Mon, 16 May 2016 22:51:09 GMT

There's a Yahoo group on vet startups run by Billa Schleicher - all they do is talk about startups, and most on there have done or are doing it. It UK based - vetstartup@yahoogroups.com

Head on by

Colin

RE: Setting up practice

An On MRCVS — Sun, 15 May 2016 11:38:59 GMT

Thanks again for the feedback. Being a practice owner is something I've considered for a while, and like I said I think sometimes it just comes to the forefront of my mind under times of stress, not as a way out, but because I have my own ideas of how certain situations could be managed to diffuse the stress.

I also appreciate the comment that times are harder now, and that would be a worry. However, I guess if things really didn't work out, I would hope I would still be empolyable!

It's definitely not something I would enter into lightly, but it helps to have some reassurance about what I would consider the major problems in my mind (mainly lack of clinical experience).

Thanks :-)

RE: Setting up practice

grumpyoldman — Sun, 15 May 2016 09:36:12 GMT

In many ways things are so much harder now than e.g. 1989 . So much more red tape ,HS, loads more competition, client and employee expectations so much higher. Starting from scratch with no ££ was not easy then ,sitting with your tin hat on for 2 years waiting for people to come in, ( no advertising allowed then ), but you were too busy wondering what you were going to eat to worry about reinvestment strategies . Subsequent start ups are a lot easier when you have something to piggy-back them on for 2 years , banks want instant results and an instant return hence the success of the JVP models. If you do not have the big bucks to throw at an opening campaign or a partner with a good job/income to support you while your building it up think very carefully. Certificates do not mean the square root of FA to the public , But you will make more money quickly if your a good general surgeon.

RE: Setting up practice

Braden Collins — Sat, 14 May 2016 13:26:12 GMT

I think your clinical skills after 4 years will be sufficient. You may not be able to do an orthopaedic porcedure, but reality that clients won't look at that as a major factor when looking for a clinic, and it's a small percentage of the work anyway. Myself and my business partner are pretty much the least qualified vets in our practice, so you can always empoly to fill gaps in the future.

Just be very aware that any office politics are even harder to excape. If you're a strong leader you can stop it, but without a strong personality your headaches may be increased. The staff with health issues, stress issues, relationship issues, etc all become your problem too.

you need to become a practice owner because that's what you want, not because you want to escape your current situation. If you really want it, I would highly recommend it.

RE: Setting up practice

Bob Russell — Sat, 14 May 2016 11:21:32 GMT

My long suffering wife had to put up with us delivering X-rays on the way back from getting married. Then off for a quick family McDonalds before returning for afternoon surgery! The McDonalds was the requested venue for food by majority and not our choice!

Ever the romantic!

RE: Setting up practice

An On MRCVS — Sat, 14 May 2016 10:44:48 GMT

Crikey getting married and setting up practice must have been a bit hectic to say the least!

Thank you for your feedback, it's reassuring to know it's not out of the realms of possibility to do it after what I would say is only a few years experience. I could cope with the hard work and the dealing with difficult clients etc. because although it's undoubtedly HARD work, it's things I CAN do. What would worry me more is if I had cases that were beyond my clinical skill set, for example as I said my certificate is in small animal medicine and I have never been massively orthopaedic minded, so would worry more if things needed surgeries etc. I know you can refer or get in free-lance specialists, but I worry it would put clients off if it's not a one-stop-shop so to speak.

It's all just pondering the future, and it may never be right for me, but thank you for the food for thought :-)

RE: Setting up practice

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 13 May 2016 19:49:18 GMT

We (my wife and I) graduated 2006 and bought the practice in 2011. We must have been talking about it for 18 months beforehand. Also managed to get married in 2011 so it was a busy year.

Best thing we could have done. it's never been a problem - but you work so much harder than I ever did as an assistant and everything stops with you. Difficult client - your problem. Bad debt - your problem. The clippers don't work - your problem. The sink is blocked - your problem.

I'm not a stressy person and it can be genuinely hard work. Leaving at 5.00 on a Friday without a care in the world doesn't happen any more. Would you be happy in a 'normal' practice - if you are used to being in a hospital environment? You are very unlikely to have all the same toys. How far off completing your cert are you - seriously consider completing that first. Initially you may not have the caseload and will struggle for time.