VSPN STAF153-2020: Hiring for Aptitude and Attitude Non-Interactive

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

Enrollment is closed.
Instructor: Rebecca Rose, AAS, CVT
Course Open: February 18, 2020-December 31, 2020

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course is geared toward those working as practice managers and/or toward their CVPM, but is open to any VSPN or VIN Member wishing to focus on team members as assets of their clinic, increasing efficiency and leveraging.
VSPN CE Course: This course has been RACE approved for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. (22-39127) This course has been approved by the VHMA for CVPM credits (#12-25)

Course Description:
Your team is the hospital’s core and fundamentally the glue that holds your veterinary practice together. How are you drawing in the most skilled and loyal team members? Before you begin the hiring process, take a hard, objective look at your current team, determine its strengths and weaknesses, understand the culture and take into consideration your hospital’s Mission, Vision and Values. Before you place a focused “Help Wanted” advertisement, consider your benefits, team audit, required skill set, and how you will integrate the new team member. Hiring for both aptitude AND attitude is the key to success. Your policies around the hiring process may need to be revisited and updated to reflect the current demands on the hiring market during the economic times. Together, we will discuss generating a stellar advertisement, hiring your next team member based upon their hard AND soft skill sets, interviewing techniques and how to involve your current team in the process. Remember; allow for training, transitioning and the inevitable morphing, storming and performing to create a cohesive team.

Segment 1: Hiring for Aptitude and Attitude Module
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • discuss the cost of turnover and veterinary community statistics
  • identify what position needs to be filled
  • evaluate technical skills needed to legally fill the needed position
  • objectively determine team strengths and weaknesses,
  • identify how to fill in any gaps and compliment the current team
  • outline the hiring process
  • review current policies in hiring and update these to reflect growing trends
  • identify the need for background checks
  • investigate credentialing and licensing
  • cross-reference payroll budget and sustainability
  • define benefits packages for specific positions
  • generate a stellar job posting
  • involve the current team in the hiring process
  • determine the team’s definition of professional attitude
  • process and intake resumes and cover letters
  • identify the “dos and don’ts” of interviewing
  • identify the difference between hard skills and soft skills
  • define aptitude and attitude
  • review and revise the mission, vision, values and team culture
  • educate the team of the expectations around morphing, storming and performing
  • describe phase training and mentoring options
  • design and implement new employee orientation
  • assist the new team member with transitioning
  • establish performance review expectations
  • identify the importance of continuing support and encouragement
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.
*To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.

Required Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Instructor:
Rebecca Rose has been a CVT for thirty years and is the President of CATALYST Veterinary Practice Consultants. She has authored two texts on veterinary technician careers, writes peer reviewed articles, is a contributing author in a text book for veterinary technicians as well as sits on several professional councils and committees. She presents on the topics of veterinary team development, practice management and veterinary team well-being. Rebecca is a Past President of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (2016).

Total CE Credit: 3

Tuition: $63
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5pm ET on December 1, 2020, or when the maximum number of participants is reached.
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 792 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

*Note: “This program (22-39127) is approved for 3 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. “

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 792 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VSPN's upcoming CE courses, check the VSPN Course Catalog.

Lisa Kernaghan, LVT, RVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)
VSPN CE Coordinator

VSPN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 792
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357