The Penn Foster Blog

There is no doubt that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be long-reaching, affecting almost all industries well into the future. In order to survive and thrive post-pandemic, being able to pivot and adapt to the changes is a must. For the veterinary industry, which has seen an influx of new patients and clients due to an increase in pet ownership, a change in processes has already made a difference for practices across the country. From leveraging technology to improving communication, here’s how the pandemic has changed the way veterinary practices do business presently, which could carry forward post-pandemic.

In business, for a program or plan to be considered a success, it needs to show positive return on investment (ROI). With sales metrics and revenue benchmarks, it’s fairly easy to measure the return and impact of your strategy. However, for strategies and plans involving human capital, getting a clear picture of how your investment in workforce training effects the business isn’t quite as straightforward. People are variable. But it’s also true that people – human capital – are essential to growing your business, revenue, and improving retention rates. As a necessary investment for employers, understanding the impact of effective workforce training can help you build a strong program with positive results for your employees and business.

Veterinary technicians have become essential personnel during the pandemic, adapting to curbside appointments and telehealth to allow the veterinarians to focus on more dire client cases. While veterinary technicians are vital to a well-run practice in any year, this one has been even more challenging, and they’ve met that challenge head on. That makes celebrating their accomplishments and dedication during National Veterinary Technician Week especially important in 2020. Our Veterinary Academy staff, partners, and distinguished alumni came together to offer knowledge, hope, and encouragement to veterinary technicians across the country. If you missed a session or want to share the discussion with staff and learners, check out the recap of the week below.

As veterinary clinics continue to juggle an influx of new pet owners and increasing wellness checks from current owners, all while navigating updated covid-19 restrictions, credentialed vet techs have become more essential than ever. While the hard work of dedicated technicians has been celebrated each year during Veterinary Technician Week this year’s celebration is a special one. As essential workers, veterinary technicians have been on the front lines during the pandemic, ensuring the wellness of clients’ family pets. Rounding out a week of webinars, celebration, and awareness of what it takes to be a veterinary technician, Banfield Pet Hospital President, Brian Garish, took time to chat with Keyana Beamon, a Banfield employee and Penn Foster 2020 Graduate of the Year.

At a time when healthcare is on everyone’s mind, staffing continues to be a challenge for many facilities, especially hospitals and clinics in rural areas. Unfortunately, many rural hospitals struggled to meet staffing targets even before COVID-19 began to strain the entire U.S. healthcare system. Addressing that challenge is no simple task but offering training and workforce development opportunities to displaced and incumbent support staff can be a strong start.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and caused the US unemployment rate to spike to levels even higher than those seen during the Great Recession, Dr. Robert Jordan knew his nonprofit organization, Constituent Services Worldwide (CSW), was uniquely positioned to help the Greater Washington, D.C. area in this time of need. Formed after Dr. Jordan’s two-term administration as an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner ended in 2011, CSW is a “multi-faceted Public Benefit Corporation designed to be a catalyst for government initiatives and resource for private sector clients.”

Patient-centered care has been a buzzword for years. It’s so commonly used that it’s hard to tell what the phrase means anymore. Yet, true patient-centered care is more important than ever. As patient preferences change and the healthcare industry grows, providers must meet a whole new standard of care.

New urgent care centers are popping up all over the United States. These walk-in clinics provide convenient care for millions of patients every year. To keep wait times low and maximize efficiency, urgent care centers rely heavily on medical assistants and employees in health administrative roles. Find the right employees for your clinic by seeking and training ambitious healthcare support staff.

Telemedicine isn’t a new concept in the healthcare industry, though until recently, in-person visits were the standard method of connecting with a provider. But since the start of the pandemic, telehealth has experienced a surge as patients and providers seek a socially distant option for appointments. For busy veterinary practices, offering this service in place of wellness visits can allow veterinarians and veterinary technicians to effectively see and treat more clients, potentially increasing revenue and allowing the practice to thrive throughout and after the pandemic.

Despite the pandemic, the veterinary healthcare industry has been overwhelmed with patients and appointments. While other sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing, have been forced to furlough workers veterinary practices have had to hire more team members to meet their clients’ needs. With a deficit of trained, skilled veterinary assistants, practices are feeling the strain of increased appointments and teams are stretched thin attempting to keep up.