Study after study has demonstrated the need for strong non-technical skills in order to be successful as a veterinarian. Communicating well, understanding the business side of veterinary medicine and learning to be a leader are only some of the critical skills you will need. Some of the tools and resources available to veterinary students include:

The old cliché says you have to be able to measure something to manage it and this is truer today than ever. These tools are designed for practice owners or managers to enter key financial and operational metrics about their practice and compare how it’s doing to other similar practices. You can set up a user ID with your SAVMA membership number and cruise around the tools in order to get an understanding of what practices should be measuring or enter real data from a practice you work at or are considering joining. Don’t worry if you want to enter fake data; you won’t hurt the practice data base. if you are a returning user, you can just enter your existing user name and password in the Express Login.

If you are a new user

Good communication is critical to client acceptance of your recommendations. The NCVEI offers online training in communication skills and a survey to help you understand your communication style.

This section of the NCVEI website contains articles, links, studies and other information about lifeskills and the economic, business and management issues affecting veterinary medicine. There is a special section for students including “Elephant in the Room” information and links to other resources.

Creating a budget is one of the most critical steps you can take in order to have control over your life and to plan your career steps wisely. Coming soon is a budgeting tool to make this easier for you to do.