By Boomer Pearsall, CVPM
Your Veterinarian’s New Best Friend:
A Medical Transcriptionist
Lebron James, Patrick Mahomes, TJ Watt, Dr. Kate Boatright—quiz time: Please pick the one who is not like the rest! This shouldn’t take long to answer, right? We are living in an era where the demand for veterinarians is so EXTREME that they are being coveted like five-star, blue-chip athletes coming out of high school or college. As a private practice owner, you have no choice but to woo them with lavished visits, dinners, and accommodations to even garner a new graduate’s attention. Obviously, one of the biggest reasons for this extreme demand is simply lack of supply. We are still seeing a staggering number of veterinarians needed nationwide with no ability or pipeline to produce enough of them even with new vet schools opening. Secondly, private practices are finding it extremely challenging to hire and retain veterinarians due to the influx of capital into our industry by corporate entities. This injection of capital has led to the drastic increase of both the average and starting salaries of veterinarians, which has been long overdue. As cited by Malinda Larkin, the 2021 mean starting salary was $106,053 for new graduates going into corporate practice.1 Furthermore, 66% of those corporate offers included a signing bonus that averaged $11,738, whereas only 31% of private practice offers included a signing bonus that averaged $6,596.1 Most private practice owners view the rise of corporate entities as the villains who are driving up prices, reducing the
24 | Keystone Veterinarian
chances of hiring associate veterinarians, and hurting the industry in general. As a private practice owner, I clearly have been frustrated with the new challenges facing us due to the rise of corporate powers, but I also believe the industry was in desperate need of their injection of capital to finally accelerate the rise of veterinarian compensation. Yes, it has obviously created a much more competitive hiring market, but in return, it has also given private practices a little more confidence in charging for our services more appropriately, but I will leave this idea for another article. So, the ultimate question is what can a private practice owner do to win over a new associate and set themselves apart from corporate clinics? We have already exhausted options like higher salaries, signing bonuses, and moving allowances. Now what? Have you thought about creating a new position at your hospital that will be “your veterinarian’s new best friend”? AKA: their very own medical transcriptionist, or medical assistant as we call it in our office. Yes, I understand there are software programs for this, but can you ever truly replace an actual human working alongside your veterinarian transcribing, invoicing, and updating patient reminders in real time? Imagine your next job advertisement when seeking an associate—under benefits, you can list and highlight that your veterinarian will have their very own assistant! How can that not sound like music to a new associate’s ears?
Evolution of a Medical Transcriptionist After opening in 2009 as a solo-doctor practice, we started tinkering around with staff members helping our doctor with medical notes during appointments to save time and reduce stress on our solo DVM. I am sure most solo doctors have tried this using a technician in the room transcribing. As time progressed, we felt this was not the right fit for our hospital since our DVM liked to spend a good amount of time post-exam with the owner discussing treatment options and diagnostics. We soon found out that we were completely wasting a technician’s skill and time just standing in the room alongside the doctor. By 2015, the position evolved into a full-time position. The caveat was the assistant was now completely separated from the exam room, listening to the DVM as she discusses exam findings and treatment plans with the owner. For clarity purposes, there are small microphones and speakers located in the exam rooms while the assistant listens with headphones and transcribes. For legal purposes, we recommend consulting with your attorney and reviewing your state laws on recording consent. Our practice has multiple signs posted to make clients aware of the presence of microphones and the fact that conversations are being recorded. Furthermore, we have client consent forms to establish a letter of mutual consent if a client questions this method.
