Wellness in the Workplace Training for Hospital Managers
February 20, 2024
Last month HMLife held their first event tailored specifically for hospital managers. The webinar, Wellness in the Workplace, was met with a lot of excitement and interest with almost 200 people in attendance. It was in partnership with Dechra and Not One More Vet (NOMV) and covered the sensitive but important topics of mental wellness and emotional intelligence in the workplace.
Dr. Emmons from NOMV presented on how hospital managers can support their team’s mental wellness but also gave space for attendees to share their first-hand experiences. Dr. Emmons first got involved with NOMV after her mental health struggles and worked to start the NOMV Ambassadors Committee. She is the Education Committee Co-Chair and a member of NOMV Seacoast. Dr. Emmons joined the NOMV Board of Directors in 2023.
Mandi Johnson, Hospital Manager at Animal Emergency Center of the High Country, in North Carolina shared her experience: “My expectations for this webinar were to pick up any tidbits, pointers, etc. that would be beneficial to my team members and myself. I loved hearing about everyone else’s experiences and ideas. It is great to know that we are all in the same boat together and that we have each other to rely on when we need help. I want to try to help my team members realize that when their fellow teammates are struggling, to try to lift them up and not push them down. Again, we are all in this together. Even if you only came away with ONE thing, it was totally worth our time. We need all the support and encouragement we can get as managers, as it is often a thankless position.”
Brittany Kommer, Hospital Manager, Finger Lakes Animal Hospital, in New York had some actionable steps to take back to her hospital, “I really like the idea of when you are almost to the end of the day just to say ‘Hey we are almost there, we did it.’” She added that she plans to attend future HMLife events and hopes other hospital managers take the time to join, “I would definitely recommend HMs attend any HMLife events. I know sometimes as an HM I feel like I am alone on my own little island with my emotions and feelings and it is refreshing to get together with people who are going through the same thing, have advice on how to deal with certain things because they have been through it, or they just get it because they are in the same position.” Jerry Johnson, Hospital Manager, DuPont Veterinary Center, Washington came to the event with years of experience and knowledge and wanted to share this about the event, “For a manager that is struggling with their position it is absolutely valuable.”
HMLife plans to build on this event and continue to offer learning opportunities quarterly to support our team members. Through HMLife, hospital managers have the chance to start their careers at Vetcor on the right foot through our onboarding, continue learning throughout their time as a hospital manager with events such as Wellness in the Workplace, and connect with their peers on the Facebook group. If you are a Vetcor team member and have questions or would like to be a part of the HMLife community, check out HMLife on Facebook.
