Creature Care Animal Clinic

This case study discusses the struggle to produce profit that Dr. Julia Barr is recently experiencing at her Creature Care Animal Clinic. According to the case, Julia is now feeling overwhelmed with the fact that although she is doing something she loves; she is no longer making income. While reading the case, I noticed several key issues that might be the cause of Julia’s struggle to produce profit. Her managing style needs to be assessed and changes need to be made in order for her to get back on her feet and successfully run her clinic. The first issue I recognized while reading the case is the fact that Julia based the way that her business would be run off of another business that she observed as a resident. The problem with this choice is that no one business runs the same. For the business that Julia observed, the way that their hours were set up was put in place to fit the needs of that particular staff. I think that every business has to make a schedule that works well with the number of staff members they have along with the amount of business they get on every day that they are open.

For example, on Saturdays there was a need for both doctors to be working to provide proper coverage. I would concur from this that people have to work, usually, during the week and would have time for the clinic only on the weekends. I think that Julia would need to first recognize this and then make the schedule so that both she and Dr. Yen are present on Fridays and Saturdays; and rotated coverage on less busy days such as Wednesdays. I also think that this amendment to the schedule would help solve the issue that the staff had to stay late in the evening on Fridays. With two doctors working, things would probably run more smoothly and quicker. A second key issue with Julia’s management operations is her lack of a formal system of inventory. Two main problems arose from this mistake and I think that they are essential reasons to why she struggles to make a profit. First, all of the physicians and nurses had authority to place purchases when they felt that a purchase was needed. This alone is unhealthy to any business that is expected to thrive.

One person should be in charge of purchases and financing. If there are several people in charge of making purchases and handling money there is a larger risk of issues such as missing money, overruning of budgets, and staff members purchasing items for reasons other than what the items should be purchased for. With that said, since it is Julia’s business she should be in charge of all of the fincancing and purchasing. The nurses and other physician should need Julia’s approval before anything is purchased. Second, inventory should be taken every day when a business opens and closes so that there is an accurate record of materials that are plentiful in stock and that need to be purchased. This will help to ensure that materials aren’t being taken by a staff member or anyone after the business has closed. I think that this would have solved the issue of excess materials, expired medications, and lack of certain supplies. For instance, if inventory was taken every day of medications that were in stock then Julia would have had knowledge of when it was time to purchase new ones; and she would have known that too many of the certain medications were being purchased since they sat in the clinic long enough to become expired.

The final issue that I recognized in Julia’s management operations was that she found herself doing paperwork on Wednesday evenings while the nurse and office assistant performed less strenous tasks. I believe that Julia is the doctor, therefore the only paperwork that she should have to do is sign, fill in, etc on paperwork that the nurse and office assistant prepare for her. In any medical establishment that I have been in the office assistant checks the patient in and gives the information to the nurse. The nurse then does minimal procedure checks on the patient and records that data. By the time that the paperwork gets to the doctor the most she or he has to do is write perscriptions. I think that this is a good system because Julia (the doctor in this situation) has worked her way past office assistant and nurse. She shouldn’t have to do their jobs as well. Overall, I think that if Julia shifts her authority a bit so that she is in more control of financning and inventory; and adjust the schedule for her staff to fit the days that her service is increasingly demanded she will begin to see a profit from her business and things will run alot smoother.