ACOS Veterinarian

Area Chief Of Staff

The primary purpose and function of the Area Chief of Staff is to lead, develop and manage associate veterinarians in their hospitals to ensure Banfield can attract, develop, engage and retain doctors that will deliver quality care and meet expected hospital performance measures. This position drives the culture and delivery of quality care by the veterinary provider team (DVM, CVT, VA) in their assigned hospitals to ensure that every pet receives consistent care aligning with our six domains of quality (safe, effective, patient/client centered, timely, efficient and equitable care.)

Essential Responsibilities

• Live and exemplify the Five Principles of Mars, Inc. within self and team.
• Act as Responsible Veterinarian for Veterinary and Pharmacy Board Permits, as required by federal, state, or local law. Responsible for the ownership and management of the controlled substance inventory for relief doctors.
• Own doctor engagement and retention by consistently assessing risk, ensuring a proactive retention strategy, and creating a culture of community and engagement where doctors feel supported and can be successful.
• Provide effective medical leadership to their hospital teams by driving an inclusive and collaborative work environment in their assigned hospitals in partnership with the practice managers.
• Validate the clinical skillset and alignment with quality standards of doctors, veterinary assistants, and veterinary technicians by performing medical record reviews, veterinary quality assignments, audits and patient safety event reviews in their assigned hospitals.
• Provide veterinary services. The amount of time spent in clinical role, seeing patients, will depend on various factors. These include the numbers of hospitals, number of direct reports, the productivity and performance of each hospital. All ACOS should expect to spend a percentage of their time in role, and this will be aligned upon a case-by-case basis in partnership with the DVQ. This role is 100% hospital based and considered a working manager role.
• Oversee the coaching program for newly hired veterinarians to ensure an engaging experience which results in a productive doctor knowledgeable in Banfield quality standards, Optimum Wellness Plans, processes, and workflows. Ensure experiential learning to develop clinical, surgical, and dental skills based on individual veterinarian needs.
• Partner with the Director of Veterinary Quality and Talent Acquisition team to recruit veterinary talent. Act as a brand ambassador in the local veterinary community. Deliver an excellent hospital experience to student externs, student job program participants, and veterinary candidates during hospital observations.
• Work with associate doctors to ensure they have the skills to achieve their productivity goals through delivery of high-quality medicine, a focus on preventive care, providing a great client experience, and partnership with the hospital team.
• Deliver veterinary operations KPI's of assigned hospitals through their leadership of the hospital and their partnership with the practice managers. Partner with practice manager to develop, execute, and revise plans which achieve targeted KPI's through hospital performance. Accountable to hospital OGSM performance as quality medicine delivers operational outcomes.
• Develop a veterinary leadership talent bench and have a succession plan in place for assigned hospital pod.
• Ensure compliance to Banfield's clinical essentials, government regulations and legislation, and veterinary industry standards through veterinary quality assessments, medical record reviews, audits, and patient safety event reviews. Hospital operations must meet all local, state and federal regulatory requirements including but not limited to compliance with controlled substance management and radiation safety. Create and execute timely plans to resolve identified gaps.
• Champion preventive care culture by communicating, demonstrating, and validating behaviors which drive optimum wellness plan growth and retention.
• Create a say yes culture by driving access to care and superior client service resulting in meeting or exceeding client experience scorecard goals. Responsible for the appropriate and timely resolution of client complaints related to medical standard of care.
• Manage the medical equipment inventory and new medical equipment requests in partnership with their Director of Veterinary Quality in their assigned hospitals.
• Deliver the highest level of veterinary care to every pet in a professional and ethical manner while ensuring that the client and their pet have an exceptional experience.
• Establish trust and gain the confidence and compliance of clients through effectively delivering appropriate preventive care, performing complete diagnostic workups, developing thorough treatment plans, communicating home care instructions, and planning follow-up visits.
• Other job duties as assigned.

The Five Principles

• Quality The consumer is our boss, quality is our work, and value for money is our goal.
• Responsibility As individuals, we demand total responsibility from ourselves; as associates, we support the responsibility of others.
• Mutuality A mutual benefit is a shared benefit; a shared benefit will endure.
• Efficiency We use resources to the full, waste nothing and do only what we can do best.
• Freedom We need freedom to shape our future; we need profit to remain free.

Hiring Qualifications / Competencies

• Leadership
• Plans and Aligns
• Drives Vision and Purpose
• Develops Talent
• Manages Conflict
• Financial Acumen
• Managers Complexity
• Functional
• Attracts Top Talent
• Communicates Effectively
• Drives Results
• Ensures Accountability
• Functional/Technical Skills

Capabilities and Experience (Can Do)

• Ability to multi-task Manages multiple tasks at one time; quickly and accurately shifts attention among multiple tasks under distracting conditions without loss of accuracy or appearance of frustration.
• Organizational ability Demonstrates a systematic approach in carrying out assignments. Is very orderly and excels at cutting through confusion and turning chaos into order.
• Surgical skills Proven ability to perform all basic surgeries, including use of all standard medical instruments and equipment.
• Problem solving skills - Demonstrates a strong ability to identify, analyze and solve problems. Translates problems into practical solutions.
• Intellectual ability - Accurately and consistently follows instructions delivered in an oral, written or diagram format. Can provide directions. Commitment to continual learning.
• Mathematical ability - Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and to compute rate, ratio and percent; ability to convert units of measurement.
• Computer skills - Comfortably and confidently uses a computer and specialized software.

Attitudes (Will Do)

• Initiative Shows willingness and aptitude to use own discretion in taking appropriate steps in finding solutions to problems; presents options and ideas to enhance current processes or procedures. Takes on additional responsibility when both big and small tasks need to be done; seeks out the most valuable work to do during times when the hospital faces low client demand.
• Integrity Firmly adheres to the values and ethics of Banfield Pet Hospitals. Exhibits honesty, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Cooperativeness Willing to work with others, collaborating and compromising where necessary; promptly shares relevant information with others.
• Flexibility Is open to changing situations and opportunities and is willing to perform all tasks assigned.
• Independence Able and willing to perform tasks and duties without supervision.
• Tolerance for Stress / Resiliency Maintains a positive "can do" outlook, rebounds quickly from frustrations and unpleasantness, and maintains composure and friendly demeanor while dealing with stressful situations.

Special Working Conditions

• Ability to work at a computer for long periods of time.
• Project timelines and work volume / deadlines may often require more than 40 hours per week to complete essential duties of this job.
• Must have mental processes for reasoning, remembering, mathematics and language ability (reading, writing, and speaking the English language) to perform the duties proficiently.
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form and to solve problems involving several variables.
• Requires sufficient ambulatory skills in order to perform duties while at hospital.
• Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, move) up to 50 pounds.
• Requires good hand-eye coordination, finger-hand-arm dexterity with the ability to reach and grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate necessary equipment.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderately high.
• Associate is routinely exposed to a variety of pets that may bite or scratch, and on occasion, exposed to anesthesia, radiation, biological hazards and medication/controlled substances.
• Some travel required, to assist other area hospitals as well as for vendor visits and associate education.