Practice Manager Assessments
Thank you for your interest in the practice manager position at Southeast Veterinary Neurology (SEVN). We have reviewed your resume and we would like to further assess your knowledge and skills in this area.
Assessments
Please complete the following tasks:
1. Management Scenario: Scheduling Issue
In 4 days’ time, there are two nurses scheduled to take the day off using PTO and one is scheduled off because she worked the weekend before. This leaves three other nurses to work that day which will put a lot of stress on the team, but is manageable. One of the nurses due to work that day found out there was a cancellation for an important doctor's appointment she had been waiting for several weeks already. She has been offered the appointment on short notice and asked you if she can take the day off. The nurse who is going to be off because of working the weekend before should cover the shift, however she already had pre-paid tickets for something on that day. Both nurses are good members of the team who rarely take sick days. This is already causing tension in the team.
How will you go about finding a solution to this problem?
Please write your response.
2. Conflict Resolution
It has been a busy day at SEVN and things have been running well. Until Dr. James, one of your senior vets has reportedly exploded in anger at a colleague. He stormed out of the building and one of the junior vets, Dr. Jane, is in tears.
Your head nurse has told you about this situation that has just occurred and everyone seems very upset. According to her, the following took place:
Dr. James' allotted time in the MRI suite had been delayed by over an hour. This meant that his patient, which was sedated and ready to go on time, will not be able to have their scheduled MRI on time.Dr. James, who had been becoming increasingly irritated, finally blew up in the patient prep room.
According to your head nurse (who has been on the wrong end of a verbal torrent from James previously), he made comments disparaging Dr. Jane’s performance and making personally hurtful comments and is demanding to know “why she took his slot, ruining his day.”
The head nurse tells you that Dr. Jane did enter the MRI suite ahead of her slot, however the MRI order list had been accidentally rubbed off in error by a junior nurse and then rewritten. Unfortunately, Dr. James’s patient was not refilled onto the board.
The nurse responsible for scheduling did try to apologize and explain the problem but Dr. James has also exploded at the junior nurse calling them “unprofessional and incompetent.” He then stormed out of the patient prep room. This is not the first time that this has occurred.
Dr. James is the high grossing member of the team, the husband of Dr. Ellie James, your lead surgeon and second highest grossing team member. Ellie is a model team member. Between them, they deliver over half of the revenue currently being generated in the hospital.
How will you proceed? Please write your response.
3. P & L Assessment
This is a fictional profit and loss statement for Southeast Veterinary Neurology. We just got our annual P&L back from the accountant and you are responsible for reporting on the performance for the year and submit a strategic plan for the year ahead. Download the Excel document below to complete this assessment.
- Review the revenue and expense accounts and comment where you feel we are doing well and where we need to improve.
- The owner has demanded that net profit be 20% next year. What would you suggest we do to improve performance?
- Which KPI's would you follow in the coming year, and what would you choose as targets?
Submit all completed assessments via email to careers@sevneurology.com
Please include a clear subject line to ensure it reaches the right hands. Should you have any questions, contact us.