The AVMA has awarded a $200,000 grant to the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues for the creation of a series of analytic models designed to enhance the management of veterinary practices and the productivity of veterinarians and support staff.

The NCVEI will develop interactive models that will enable veterinarians and their staffs to complete a self-assessment of their traits, personalities, behaviors, and communication styles. This will help evaluate how veterinary practices and organizations operate, focusing on how they manage relations with colleagues, employees, patients, and suppliers.

A series of interactive questionnaires will be created to measure a defined set of personal characteristics, including interpersonal interaction, problem-solving style, and self-discipline.

On the basis of questionnaire responses, the NCVEI will provide profiles of every veterinary practice for the purpose of improving personnel selection, managerial effectiveness, conflict management, and team building.

These models will not attempt to change personalities but to provide information and understanding to the veterinary team about the characteristics of those with whom they work. When the team understands these traits, the NCVEI can then show veterinarians how to get along better, improve communication, and be more productive.

The recommendation to fund the NCVEI proposal came from Executive Board Chair Joe M. Howell, President Jack O. Walther, President-Elect Bonnie V. Beaver, and Vice President Thomas R. Kendall.

The $200,000 from the AVMA reserves covers the costs of the behavioral scientists, management experts, industrial psychologists, graphic designers, and software engineers who will develop veterinary-specific questionnaires, and measurement tools needed to collect measurable results.

It is anticipated that the project will be available in one year.