International experts will share tips for improvements at an organisational and individual level.
Effective time management is set to go under the spotlight at BSAVA Congress 2023.
Taking place at Manchester Central (23-25 March), the session will explore how time management at organisational, systems, teams and at individual levels can lead to drastic improvements in performance, job satisfaction and wellbeing.
It comes amid growing concerns about workforce shortages, with experienced practitioners and graduates leaving the profession and many suffering mental and physical health issues associated with sustained high stress.
Among the expert speakers include Tessa Plagis, communication advisor at St. Anna Advies, an organisation that provides practical communication advice and training for the veterinary and agricultural sectors.
Tessa said: “We are at a tipping point and can’t keep doing what we’ve always done. If we want sustainable veterinary businesses going forward, we need to change the structure of how we work.”
According to Tessa, the issues are both organisational and individual.
“Many veterinary professionals struggle to give boundaries,” she said. “We are people pleasers and tend to say ‘yes’, even if that means compromising other important aspects of lives, such as family.
“This set against a background of too few vets, which means that there’s nobody to help us out when there’s too much to-do.”
During the session, Tessa will share her tips for improving time management, ranging from systemic changes like clustering appointments and introducing firebreaks, to individual responsibilities such as saying no.
She will be joined by Alan Robinson, director of VetDynamics, a veterinary business development consultancy, who will offer a slightly different approach.
“Like most professionals, veterinary professionals are brilliant at doing their job but no so good at running businesses. Generally, they aren’t trained for managerial roles and are battling with friction-full systems, huge demand and a shortage of staff,” he said.
“There’s a lot of work happening in the realm of mental health at the moment, but we’re treating stress as an individual problem not an organisational or system one.”
Rebecca Robinson, coach at VetDynamics and senior clinician in veterinary anaesthesia at the Animal Health Trust, will also share her tips and the need for long-term goals and investing in your team.
“I used to have hundreds of to-do lists which I never got to the bottom of,” she confesses. “I’d carry over items from one list to the next. Other than helping me prioritise, it was a waste of time and didn’t get me closer to achieving my long-term goals.
“When we’re all managing our time effectively, I have a happier, more productive team, in every sense of the word. There’s less sick leave, more willingness to take on tasks that move the practice forwards and more resilience for when it doesn’t go to plan.”
Image (C) BSAVA.
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