Implementing a Technician Triage Program with Karen Hart

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It seems like this year’s caseload has been very overwhelming! And no matter how many people are on the team, it makes things feel like we’re understaffed. We are always looking for great ideas to keep the team feeling empowered but also ensuring that clients are taken care of quickly and efficiently. That’s why Karen Hart joins the podcast today with a program her practice developed called the Technician Triage Program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Karen Hart is the practice manager at Lamoille Valley Veterinary Services in beautiful Hyde Park, Vermont. She has been there since 2017 and comes to this field with a degree in engineering.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, Karen shares how her practice developed this program and what problems it solved. They were faced with several challenges and modeled their triage process after the traditional triage system in human hospitals. What’s working and what can you take away to use in your practice?</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Show Notes:</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[2:43] - Because of the desperate need for staff, Karen developed the Technician Triage Program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[3:50] - Similar to a human hospital, technicians triage the client prior to seeing the vet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[4:58] - Karen describes how she and the practice owner arrived at this idea.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[6:18] - It took a while to work out all the kinks and Karen shares some of the concerns they had before rolling this out for all patients.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[7:38] - Who are the team members that are a part of the triage team?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[9:19] - At their hospital, they require technicians to be credentialed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[10:11] - Phased training helped roll this program out and built empowerment