Why Going Rogue … Was the Best Decision I Ever Made with Melissa Tompkins

As people in Vet Med, we tend to be perfectionist people, trying to chase our goals the way we believe is effective.
However, whether we admit it or not, at some point, we’ll all reach that immense feeling of exhaustion that sometimes makes us think, ‘What am I doing? Would I ever get back to my passionate self?’
We dream so much of success that we end up miserably fearing failure in return.
Join us as we talk with Melissa about the benefits of having someone who has expertise in practice management.
Melissa Tompkins lives and breathes Veterinary Management. She is the owner of the South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions, is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, and is credentialed in HR for the state of California. Melissa loves helping veterinary hospitals fulfill their goals and be successful.
In this episode, Melissa discusses the importance of having an expert help you in dealing with practice management as she shares tips and resources to help you become better in the field.
 
What you will learn from this episode:
Understand why overreacting to a situation and not allotting time for the employees to adjust to change are huge mistakes in management;
Discover what change curve and face training are all about; and
Find out why you should ask for help from practice managers and let them do it once you recognize the struggle you’re in.

 
“Life is short. If you’re not happy with what you’re doing or you feel like you want to do more then just do it. I’ve seen so many people fail at something because they never actually tried. Just try. If you don’t ever make the leap, you’ll never be successful. We have this fear of failure instead of a belief that we’re going to succeed. Don’t be afraid of failing. Just assume that you’re going to be successful. And if you’re not, try again.”
– Melissa Tompkins
 
Topics Covered:
01:22 – Melissa describes her ideal client: Practice owner who knows that they need help and is willing to make changes to make his practice stronger
02:55 – Problem she solves for her clients: The lack of training for the team, employee morale and motivation or retention, client service issues, recognizing compassion fatigue, manager inventory, and manager expenses                                               
06:33 – The typical symptoms/pain points: Physical and emotional symptoms like burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue
09:20 – The mistakes: (1) Reacting to one situation and making huge change because of it; (2) Not giving time for adjustments and communication when implementing necessary change
13:55 – Melissa’s Valuable Free Action: “Figure out what your biggest problem/struggle is, and then focus on how you can work with that problem. Also, find a practice manager if you’re struggling. Get some rest and take care of yourself.”
18:10 – Melissa’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit the following: American Animal Hospital Association, Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions
21:58 – Q: Why being rogue was the best decision I ever made? A: Life is short. If you’re not happy with what you’re doing or you feel like you want to do more then just do it. I’ve seen so many people fail at something because they never actually tried. Just try. If you don’t ever make the leap, you’ll never be successful. We have this fear of failure instead of a belief that we’re going to succeed. Don’t be afraid of failing. Just assume that you’re going to be successful. And if you’re not, try again.
 
Key Takeaways:
“There’s a lot of problems in practice management. Solving all of those problems is almost impossible, but I use my skills to try and help solve each problem as needed to be.” – Melissa Tompkins
“Schools could do wonders if they talk about emotional intelligence. If we learned that when we were younger, we would be so much more involved as adults.” – Melissa Tompkins
“Sometimes, it’s just nice to know that other people are struggling with your same exact problem. As a leader, you don’t get to share with your team that you’re stressed about something. So when you’re out with other leaders who are having the same experiences, that’s really huge.” – Melissa Tompkins
 
People / Resources Mentioned:
South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions: https://southcoastveterinarymanagementsolutions.com/speaking/
American Animal Hospital Association: https://www.aaha.org/
Veterinary Hospital Managers Association: https://www.vhma.org/home
American Veterinary Medical Association: https://www.avma.org/

 
Ways to Connect with Melissa Tompkins:
Email: southcoastvetsolutions@gmail.com
Website: https://southcoastveterinarymanagementsolutions.com/speaking/