VNA Level III
Module 8: Promoting
Learning Objectives
Proper Nutrition
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, your basic understanding should include:
• The importance of being an advocate for the pet’s best nutritional needs.
• How important the veterinary health care team is to the health of pets.
• Leveraging what you have learned in VNA to enhance pet care and your practice’s
cash flow.
• Understanding the T.A.L.K.SM process and how Hill’s. pet food products are often a
key area practice teams elect to focus on.
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Introduction
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
Introduction
In progressing through the VNA Educational Experience, you’ve undoubtedly
realized the importance of promoting proper pet nutrition--for the benefit of the
pets, pet owners, the veterinary health care team (VHCT) and the practice. Your
team’s ability to effectively communicate the importance of compliance for
feeding pets can in fact, be a substantial contributor to pet health and longevity.
In this regard then, promoting proper pet nutrition should not be something that is
just discussed when it’s convenient, when there are a few spare minutes, or
when the pet owner brings up the subject. Especially now, with your increased
knowledge about pet nutrition through your involvement with VNA, promoting
proper pet nutrition should be integral to the care for all pets.
Promoting proper pet nutrition is a fundamental and
extremely rewarding part of providing the best care
possible.
This module of VNA will highlight ways to be proactive in your advocacy for the
pet, and then present a process for uncovering creativity, where all veterinary
health care team members can be involved in promoting proper pet nutrition.
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“C”ing the ImportanceVNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
“C”ing the Importance
Let’s review some of the Veterinary Nutritional Advocate concepts we’ve covered
concerning proper pet nutrition, and “C” how critical your contribution is!
Competent - Pet owners want and expect the VHCT to be competent in
discussing pet nutrition. You are much more believable when you are competent
about a topic.
Confident - Competence along with practice leads to confidence. This is one
reason why it is important to discuss nutrition with as many people as you can.
Communication - Communication = Connect. Once you have the knowledge,
(competence) and practice conveying your knowledge, (confidence) you can
refine and enhance your communication style and techniques. As discussed in
VNA Level II, Module 1, there are different ways to communicate to people as
well as different preferred ways people like to be communicated to. You need to
adapt to ways that seem to work best with certain pet owners, in order to
maximize your ability to advocate what is best nutritionally for the pet.
Creativity - Creativity = To produce. In order to be productive in promoting what
is best for the pet, we oftentimes need to find creative ways to convey our
concern. In VNA Level I, Modue10, we discussed marketing and merchandising
ideas to help you with your efforts. One of the best ways you can differentiate
your practice from others is by being creative in promoting the products and
services you provide, being sure that benefits are communicated.
Concern - Remember, when a pet owner brings their pet into your practice, that
pet is probably the most important thing on their mind at that moment. Showing
genuine concern that their pet is the most important thing on your mind at that
moment too, is paramount to the pet’s care, not only during the visit, but the care
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“C”ing the ImportanceVNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
“C”ing the Importance
it receives at home. Promoting proper pet nutrition and having pet owners
utilizing Hill’s® pet food products from your practice on a regular basis reinforces
this concern.
Commitment - In order to be truly committed to promoting proper pet nutrition,
your entire VHCT should be utilizing Hill’s® products for their own pets. It is
difficult to promote one brand, (and unfair to the pet owner) if you are using
another. Talk to your Hill’s representative about utilizing Hill’s® pet food products
for your pets and for pets hospitalized and/or boarded at your practice.
Considerate - In being an advocate for the pet’s best interest, especially related
to nutrition, don’t prejudge any pet owner’s willingness to utilize a Hill’s ® pet food
product. Doing so would be a disservice to the pet and pet owner. Being
considerate means communicating the best your practice has available. Do so
with pride!
Compassion - In Level I, Module 8 we presented The Family-Pet-Veterinary
Team Bond. There may be no better way to express your deep care for pets and
pet owners than by promoting responsible pet ownership. Many pet owners
“don’t know what they don’t know” about what is best for their pet. If you are not
an advocate for their pet, the owners will have to rely on other forms of
information, not all of them as reliable as your veterinary health care team’s.
Don’t put pets and pet owners in that position. As you know from Dr Marty
Becker’s poignant book, The Healing Power of Pets, “Pets add years to our lives
and lives to our years”. It behooves us then to promote proper pet nutrition with
Hill’s® pet food products. Everyone involved benefits!
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“C”ing the ImportanceVNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
“C”ing the Importance
CRAFT - Recall from VNA, Level II, Module 9 that C=RAFT stands for:
C= Compliance
R=Recommendation/Reinforcement
A= Acceptance by the pet owner
FT= Follow Though by the VHCT
Compliance is an extremely important part of overall pet care, enhancing “Good
Medicine/Good Business.” By working on improving compliance, especially in
regards to starting and keeping more and more pets on the appropriate Hill’s ®
pet food product from your practice, you’ll create and enjoy interacting with more
“ideal” clients!
Cornerstone - Obviously, proper pet nutrition is a critical cornerstone to pet
care. Unfortunately though, many practices, still relegate pet food responsibilities
to places like grocery stores, leaving pet owners to decide what might be best for
their pet. Because proper pet nutrition is so important, our discussion and
communications on the subject should not be viewed only as a courtesy, but as
an obligation!
Collaboration - VNA Level III, Module 6 highlighted the benefits of working
collaboratively as team, citing the Improvement Engine as one way to align team
members to an idea. Working together as a team is a very rewarding endeavor,
and there are few places where it can be so tangible as in a veterinary practice.
To assist your team in focusing on what it collectively feels are the most
appropriate and important things to improve upon, we’ll introduce a unique
process: T.A.L.K.SM
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
In order to help your team identify ways it can have an integrated approach to
enhancing practice productivity through passive income (“Good Medicine/Good
Business”), a discovery process entitled T.A.L.K. will be utilized. Oftentimes
through this process, (which generates a number of great ideas) the team
realizes that it can add substantial value with a more dedicated approach in
promoting proper pet nutrition. In combination with concepts covered in VNA:
Level III, Module 4- Passive Income, (Productivity) Level III,
Module 5- Leadership, (Team Readiness), Level III, Module 6-Teamwork, (The
Improvement Engine) and the next Module on Goal Planning, your VHCT will be
in an excellent position to effectively communicate the benefits of Hill’s ® pet food
products. All of these Modules are designed to encourage leveraging the skills,
talents and abilities of a confident and competent veterinary health care team,
and enhance their ability to be advocates for the pet’s best interest.
T.A.L.K. is designed to enhance a team’s productivity,
for the most part by leveraging the VHCT’s ability to
generate passive income through better pet care.
In working through a T.A.L.K. session, (something that
can be accomplished over a lunchtime or team meeting)
the team will generate a number of ideas around a
general area of focus. Then, through the voting process,
a collective “best” idea will emerge.
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
The T.A.L.K. process does just that: It allows all members of the team to talk, to
express their ideas and opinions in a non-threatening, communicative
atmosphere. Of course, allowing team members to talk is only one part of the
production equation. As important, others need to be open-minded and LISTEN!
The acronym T.A.L.K. stands for:
T = Team
A = Application
L = Learning
K = Kinetics
Listening to the “voices that care” and the “voices that
count” can be very beneficial to the morale of the entire
veterinary health care team.
To elaborate: This is a process whereby the Team gets to Apply (Communication
to Application) what is has Learned (for example from VNA) in order to be
Kinetic, (produce purposeful motion that results in a change). At the very
essence of all of this though, is an important, yet simple concept of providing a
forum for team members to share ideas by talking and listening. Oftentimes,
“voices that care,” and “voices that count,” are for whatever reason, not given a
chance. Usually it’s because a process has not been established to allow others
to constructively express their thoughts. T.A.L.K. allows for ALL members of the
VHCT to be heard. You’ll probably be surprised at the latent talent and creativity
your team possesses!
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
Figure 1 delineates the steps involved in T.A.L.K. and gives guidelines for
generating a number of ideas surrounding a general topic the team wants to
improve upon. All of these ideas, created in a brief brainstorming session, are
then clarified, discussed, and if necessary, reworded and/or consolidated with
other similar ideas. Each team member then gets to vote for the three ideas each
person feels the team could best act upon, in order to enhance pet care through
the generation of passive income. Numerous ideas will be presented, but if the
team doesn’t focus on a specific one, too much confusion oftentimes ensues. As
a result there is little alignment. Creating a Goal Planner, (more on Goal Planning
in the next Module) based on the top idea helps ensure a unified approach of
transforming activity into productivity! The other good ideas should be kept and
may be utilized for another Goal Planner, or as part of the continuous
improvement process discussed in Level III, Module 6.
Passive Income generated by the veterinary health care
team can contribute substantially to a practice’s financial
health. Promoting proper pet nutrition with Hill’s® pet
food products is a great example.
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
Figure 2 shows the Passive Income Ideas Template for applying the Post It ®
Notes with ideas created in the brainstorming session. Ideally, this sheet should
be the size of a flip chart paper, or if necessary, the general headings can be
taped to a wall. The team gathers around the sheet as the ideas on the Post It ®
Notes are presented and discussed. Some “General Areas of Focus” for
enhancing practice productivity through passive income include: Oral Care,
Pediatrics, Senior Care, Weight Management, Weight Gain Prevention, Adult
Pets, Kidney Disease, Gastrointestinal Conditions, …
T.A.L.K. allows the VHCT to focus on a specific area of
improvement. Utilizing this process in all areas of
practice can lead to enhanced pet and pet owner care,
as well as increased productivity by the team.
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T.A.L.K.SM
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
T.A.L.K.SM
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Examples
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
Examples
This process of generating, discussing and voting on ideas that enhance practice
productivity though passive income often results in the team voting to promote
proper pet nutrition as their Goal Planner objective. In brainstorming and
collaborating on almost any general topic, many teams realize how their ability to
advocate for the pet’s best interest usually centers on nutrition. Not wanting to
abdicate such a responsibility, focusing on promoting proper pet nutrition for
different areas is a concept the entire team can easily rally around, for the benefit
of all involved!
Examples
To help you visualize how a Passive Income Ideas Sheet might look after a
T.A.L.K. session, Figures 3 and 4 are examples from actual team meetings.
Note, every idea listed might not be related to “passive income,” and some might
not directly generate income at all. Still, the ideas created by the team are worthy
of discussion. The voting will reveal the idea the team develops into a Goal
Planner, (Module 9). Many of the other ideas can be used to support the winning
idea, that is, to enhance its effectiveness.
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Examples
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
Examples
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Examples
VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
Examples
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VNA Level III Module 8:
Promoting Proper Nutrition
Summary / Are you ready?
Summary
Promoting proper nutrition for pets should definitely be a key component of every practice’s
overall theme of providing the best care possible. In a hectic practice environment though, too
often this critical element in health and longevity is unfortunately overlooked! Communicating
the importance of proper pet nutrition to EVERY client, on behalf of the best interest of EVERY
pet, is a goal worth striving for. As your VHCT looks at ways to continually improve, the
T.A.L.K. process can be a useful tool to focus on areas the team feels it can most influence,
(especially nutrition) for the benefit of all involved. In Level III, Module 9, we’ll discuss how the
top idea the team elected to work on can be placed into a Goal Planner, with the power of the
team’s “activity” transforming into “productivity!”
Are you ready?
To continue, you will need to complete the quiz for this module. When you are ready, click on the
forward arrow below to take you to the quiz.
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