Owning your own veterinary practice is incredibly rewarding, yet it can also be challenging and sometimes isolating. Have you ever wished for a dedicated, trusted team of peers with whom you can brainstorm and share ideas, and who provide one another with general support? As a VMG member, you gain all of that, and much more, from your Veterinary Management Group.
Finding your tribe
When you join VMG you will become part of a peer-based study group. VMG study groups include approximately 18-24 members whose practices are similar in size, patient orientation, and business objectives. These peer practices are far enough away geographically to eliminate any risk of competing for clients. Each VMG study group also has a facilitator to assist with organization. Group members, supported by VMG colleagues, define the group’s goals and activities in response to its members’ needs.
How VMG study groups operate
While most groups use a common framework, each is free to tailor its approach according to its members’ needs and interests. Groups meet in person twice yearly, developing their own agendas. VMG takes care of the logistics, provides skilled facilitators and offers access to content providers and speakers for focused, informal learning opportunities. Most group activities generally fall into four key areas: Benchmarking, Problem-Solving, Leadership Development, and Peer Support.
“The VMG operations team handles meeting organization and logistics. Each VMG Study Group develops its own personality, according to its members’ needs and interests. Some are very data-driven, while others blend deep data analysis with a strong emphasis on the social connection as well”
– Dr. Chloe Magaldino, VMG Director of Group Development
Benchmarking for growth
Like most business owners, you probably track your practice’s performance against its own history. How can you compare it to other, similar practices? Are your goals too ambitious or too conservative? Are you maximizing your staff’s potential? Missing opportunities, or making the most of them? Benchmarking helps you answer these critical questions. Within a VMG study group, members can securely view selected financial data from one another’s practices through our DATALINK System (LINK TO INFO PAGE). This information, which includes quarterly reports on such key measures as revenue, expenses, cost of goods and various efficiency factors, assists members in setting realistic targets for their own practice.
Collaborative problem-solving
As if staying on top of the latest developments in clinical medicine weren’t enough, practice owners must handle a range of other challenges, from staff childcare needs to complying with new community laws and regulations. If you’re facing a complex issue, your VMG peer group can offer advice grounded in real-world experience. Group members support one another with timely advice in a crisis, while larger issues, such as succession planning, often become valuable topics for in-depth discussions at face-to-face meetings.
“[Study groups are] an incredible way for us to be able to work with like-minded individuals that really want to make a difference for the people that are walking through our doors”
– Dr. Parva Bezrutczyk, Arizona Animal Wellness Center
Cultivating Leadership Skills
As a practice owner, you lead a multifaceted team; each staff member looks to you in their own way for inspiration and direction. Every practice owner possesses a unique combination of leadership capabilities and areas with room to develop. Your VMG peer group’s value lies in its collective strengths—members often bring expertise in areas where others are looking to improve, fostering meaningful peer-to-peer development. Your group members can offer invaluable insights – for example on managing staff conflicts – while you might support them with advice based on your experience, such as integrating AI tools into the practice.
Peer support
Some days are just tough. While pondering major decisions about expanding your practice or opening a new location, you lose a favorite patient, a difficult client causes a ruckus in the waiting room, and your most reliable staff member has a personal emergency, leaving you in a bind. Who can you turn to for understanding and encouragement? Your VMG group members, of course! Chances are, they have been there themselves. They empathize with your struggles, and they might be aware of solutions that you hadn’t considered. It’s incredibly reassuring to know you have a dedicated team of peers in your corner. Many VMG groups use private messaging services, text groups, video calls, and other communication channels for instant support, or to casually share successes and helpful tips.
“Group members are more than just peers; many of them become lifelong friends and mentors”
– Dr. Chloe Magaldino, VMG Director of Group Development
Independent yet never alone with your VMG study group
Think of your VMG study group as a success team, mastermind group, Board of Directors, support system, and community of friends all rolled into one. Each member supports the others in reaching their goals and receives support in return. As a unique and meaningful benefit, the VMG study group is just one of the many ways VMG helps its members build and maintain thriving independent veterinary practices.
