11 more controversial systems are puppy and kitten vaccination schedules . In a single doctor practice , the protocol you determine will frequently be based upon national standards from AAHA , AAFP , AVMA , etc . However , in a multi-doctor practice it gets much more complicated . As a result of different educations , different generations or different beliefs , vaccination standards are far from standard . However , they must be consistent in your practice . A client cannot be given two different standards if they visit two different doctors in the same hospital . Also , think about the impact on the staff when the standards aren ’ t standard .
So , the first system for your practice I would suggest developing is a Puppy and Kitten Wellness system that includes timing for everything from vaccinations to fecals to dewormings to flea control to heartworm preventative to de-sexing procedures . Developing systems requires a combination of scientific fact and common sense and compromise … emphasis on the compromise . Find a wellness system that everybody can agree upon and adhere to it . It will probably take a few meetings and some research but it is not impossible . How to start ? Have all of the doctors develop their Wellness Plan for an 8-week-old puppy and kitten . Give this to the practice manager to summarize , look for commonalities and differences . Then set up a meeting to discuss the differences . point for systems . Some of these include : basic vomiting ; hypothyroidism ; mild diarrhea ; flea allergy ; itchy skin ; young large dog lameness ; etc ... Developing these systems should follow these steps :
1 . Identify the condition
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2 . What is the most common work up that you do for a case presented with this condi tion ? 3 . For each step of the work up , why did you choose that manner in which you did the work-up ? 4 . For each medication chosen , why did you choose the medication and dosage ? 5 . What do you tell the client about the condition when a pet presents with it
Each doctor performs these steps and then a facilitated discussion is conducted . By delineating the how and the why all doctors can understand the thought process of the other clinicians and may even agree to change .
6 . For the condition , an agreed upon protocol for work up is agreed upon that will be used for non-complicated presentations . For each protocol a healthcare plan ( aka Estimate ) is created . This healthcare plan delineates each of the procedures in the work up AND also creates a handout that explains the condition to the client , why the case is being treated this way and what to expect .
Standards or systems can be created to document hospital protocols for : Age for spay or neuter , preferred flea control , preferred heartworm preventative , prescription refills , and other basic and routine daily programs
It is when you get to more complicated clinical situations that medical and surgical protocols become a little bit more challenging . There are about 20 common presentations , diagnoses , client complaints or findings that make a great starting