Consider three factors before signing on the dotted line. If your core values, standards of care and educational expectations
fail to mesh with a practice, the working relationship won't succeed. Don't assume your standards and the practice's protocols
interconnect. Successful working relationships depend on matching your personal needs to the following criteria:
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Core values: It is critical that the new veterinarian understands and accepts the practice's vision and core values; if the core values
do not match, walk away.
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Standards of care: It is critical that the new veterinarian understands and accepts the practice's standard of care, including the formulary.
If disconnect exists with the practice's healthcare delivery protocols at this point, then neither the employer nor prospective
hire should want to continue discussions.
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Education, training subsidies: It is critical that the practice is willing to subsidize a new hire's education and training, continuous quality improvement
and personal development. Concurrently, the new hire must be willing to accept a lower base wage during general practice training
for a "no ceiling" productivity as his or her skills develop.
Using a decision tree
Table 1 Sample Weighted Employment Evaluation Decision Tree: RankIng the pros and cons of potential employers
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With these three assumptions, survey of the practice by the potential hire is indicated and should be compared to other prospective
practices. While the sample lists duty hours and standards of care high on the decision tree (Table 1), they might not be
your criteria. Practice location or compensation might be of greater concern for some new graduates, and in most cases, they
are mutually exclusive factors. Location preference causes reduced selection criteria and therefore lower compensation leverage,
while compensation levels are higher in certain metropolitan areas, which might not be locations desired for a first job.
Within a geo graphic area, new doctors with school-age children must assess the home site for quality of education and family
safety. Equipment, team harmony and cleanliness easily can be seen during a one-day practice visitation, while management
philosophy and staff quality usually take a bit longer to assess. Emergency duty is balanced against emergency pay because
the extra income often is a great way to retire school debts but is a real distraction from quality family time. Extra demands
also relate to quality of life. This process comes with four basic premises for the practice and prospective employee.
Goal assessment
Table 2 Sample Goal Statement Criteria: know what you want, what to expect
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The sample Goal Statement Criteria chart (Table 2) continues the decision-making process by reflecting the type of explanations
that might be provided to a prospective employer. Prospective employers should address these explanations before the interview
process to ensure the potential employee understands what is being offered and/or expected as terms of employment.
The employer and prospective hire need not agree on the weighting, but the prospective employee must be honest and share the
criteria of selection with the prospective employer so there is an equitable playing field for negotiations.
The user of the decision tree must use a single set of standards when assessing multiple job locations or offers if a true
selection process is desired. The decision tree offers the user high flexibility in assigning criteria and weighting each
factor; in some cases, certain criteria can become deal breakers and must be elevated before use of the Weighted Employment
Evaluation Decision Tree.
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