STAF169-0614: Counting the Beans: Budgets, Reports and Analysis
Audio and Text: The Real Time Session lecture will be predominantly text with audio used to answer questions.

INSTRUCTOR(S): Rebecca Rose, AAS, CVT
COURSE OPEN: June 5-July 6, 2014
REAL TIME SESSIONS (RTS): Thursdays, June 12, 19 & 26, 2014; 8:00-9:30pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Practice Sessions: In order to prepare you for a successful experience in your CE course, we request you attend a Practice Session prior to the first Real Time Session. Please arrive promptly at the start time; each Practice Session is up to 1 hour in length. For more information, please visit the CE Practice Area.

*The instructor for this course will be using audio which will require you to have a headset or speakers to listen. If you have any concerns regarding your computer's audio capabilities, please be sure to attend one of the Practice Sessions.

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course is geared toward veterinary practice managers, technicians in middle or upper management, and owners that play a direct role in creating and analyzing the hospital budget.
VSPN CE Course: This course has been for RACE approved for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. This course has been approved by VHMA for CVPM credits.
The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is RACE Provider #22.

Course Description:
Having just read an article explaining "veterinary care demonstrated significant growth in 2013, with $14.37 billion in spending, and while the number of veterinary visits is down, spending on care is rising," there is hope. This is fabulous news; however, I am curious how many veterinary practices are taking action and counting their beans as closely and properly managing income and expenses? Wow, we are certainly singing a different tune from a few years ago, when the "economic storm" was in full force and hitting the veterinary community hard. During the storm, how was your hospital hit? Now, how is your clinic adjusting and what does your budget look like, accommodating for the increased services and expenses? These are questions managers and owners need to know to navigate the uptick and prepare for falls. During this course, we will review the creation of a budget, generate financial reports, make projections, and identify "beans in, beans-out". We will also discuss how the team can be a part of the conversation, "counting the beans," empowered to directly impact the bottom-line, reach financial goals and be a part of the uptick.

This course consists of three (3) Real Time Sessions of ninety (90) minutes each, supplemental library materials, interactive message board discussions, a mandatory end-of-course test, and may include online multiple choice quizzes (after each Real Time Session). The instructor places emphasis on Message Board participation as an important component of the learning process. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

** The lecture portion of this course will combine both text and audio presentation. Please be prepared to listen.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to

• identify the pros of having and utilizing a budget.
• dissect your budget and chart of accounts.
• outline fixed and variable expenses.
• evaluate payroll expenses and their overall percentage of the budget.
• define inventory expenses and their overall percentage of the budget.
• determine how to create and project a monthly budget for the upcoming year.
• develop and utilize a simple graph to chart monthly income and expenses.
• evaluate your various reports; balance sheets, profit and loss, cash flow.
• create SMART goals to accomplish financial objectives.
• discuss with your team simple beans-in, beans-out of budgeting and financial stewardship.
• introduce open book management to your team, pros and cons.
• empower your team to increase the bottom line.
• find and utilize benchmarks specific to the veterinary community.

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

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

About the Instructor: Rebecca Rose has been a CVT for several years and is currently Lead Consultant at CATALYST Veterinary Practice Consultants, LLC. 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.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session June 12): Understanding and Building Your Budget
Content: Income and revenue centers, fixed and variable expenses, charts of accounts and percentages, OH, MY! Defining these valuable terms within the realm of your budget are in your best interest, in your management role, and the interest of your business. Together, we will discuss the benefits of working within, creating and implementing a hospital budget. Participants will work through interactives that will require categorizing expenses, inputting hospital values, identify income centers and detail expeneses. During week 1, we will review current benchmarks and best practices within veterinary hospitals. Participants will be asked to discuss trials and tribulations of budgeting, allowing us to learn and converse about finances in a safe and comfortable setting.

Week 2 (Real Time Session June 19): Analyzing Reports and Establishing Financial Goals
Content: Expanding upon the budgets we built last week, this week we will begin forecasting for the future by projecting a monthly and yearly budget. Taking it to the next level, we will dive into hospital reports to include balance sheets, profit and loss, and cash flow. All participants are encouraged to read the course library handouts that elaborate upon the many tools and resources available to them. In the message boards we will ask participants to answer various questions about their financial philosophies, and mission, vision and values that guide their services and purchasing habits. Visualizing financial goals, spending habits and income with the aid of graphs and charts may prove to be beneficial. Together we will create visual aids for you and your veterinary team. Finally, we will establish financial goals using objective, measurable standards.

Week 3 (Real Time Session June 26): Including Your Team and Financial Stewardship
Content: Now that you have a handle on your budget, generated visual aids and have analyzed the hospital's financial reports, it is time to introduce the "beans-in, beans-out" concept to your veterinary team. You may have just gasped in horror and disbelief! Together we will look at the pros and cons of open-book management and how your team directly influences your bottom line. We may have already experienced a shift in beliefs about limiting money and financial stewardship. Now is the time to help your team identify their limiting beliefs and empower them to increase the bottom line. We will actively engage in a conversation about your team's ability to be a millionaire (oh, another gasp!) and break through the money barrier. Discussing money is often a taboo; however we have been discussing money as a tool, a resource to be managed, and breaking through limiting beliefs around money. Finances can be a tough conversation. Let's use the budget as a valuable tool to help direct and guide your team up a hill of financial success and celebrate the victory when you all arrive at the top, together!

CE CREDITS: 4.5

Tuition: $90 ($81 early bird special if enrolled by May 22, 2014)
* Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CAAHT approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status).
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5 pm ET on Thursday, June 12, 2014 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 and non-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 VSPNCE@vspn.org. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

*Note: "This course is approved for 4.5 continuing education credits in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education." Call VSPN CE at 800-846-0028, ext. 792 for further information. (Attendees are encouraged to check with their licensing jurisdiction(s) for information regarding recognition by their board). This course has been approved by VHMA for continual education units toward CVPM CE credit requirements.

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/VSPN office 800-846-0028, ext. 792 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VSPN office at 800-846-0028, ext. 792.

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

The CE team:

Charlotte Waack, RVT, CVT
VSPN CE Director

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 792
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01452226154

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800-846-0028, ext. 792 |  VSPNCE@vspn.org  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035 777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616 Copyright 2014, Veterinary Information Network, Inc.