Fairfax Animal Hospital will always be a special practice in the VetEvolve community as it was the first practice to partner with VetEvolve 10 years ago when Dr. Jerry Goldfarb took a chance on our founders based on their military backgrounds and their strong sense of values. While the practice has been successful in serving the community of Falls Church, Va. for nearly eight decades, it hasn’t been immune to the stresses and challenges that every veterinary practice has faced, including those of the COVID pandemic, veterinarian shortages, and personnel turnover.
In early 2023, VetEvolve Northern Virginia Regional Manager, Jennifer Rossi, knew the Fairfax practice could continue growing but needed extra support to drive client growth again. The practice had been relying on relief doctors to cover shifts and there wasn’t a great sense of engagement across the team. After spending time listening to the doctors, the staff, and the clients, she realized that the culture needed to be rebuilt, and the key to doing so would be hiring just the right practice manager.
The First Piece of the Puzzle
The VetEvolve recruiting team introduced Jennifer to Carissa Shapiro who had prior experience as a successful practice manager and was well versed in the veterinary industry — her father was also a veterinarian and she had worked to support his business for many years. Along with her veterinary experience, Carissa brought a strong set of values that aligned with the VetEvolve people-focused approach to practice management and leadership.
“(Carissa) is empathetic to the needs of the employees, she’s a really good active listener,” Jennifer explained. “We got along great from the start. We know first and foremost that we’re there for each other as human beings; we approach situations with the understanding that we’re all people.”
Carissa’s mission was to build a team whose values aligned with hers — and that of VetEvolve as a whole. The team at Fairfax had to start to care more about each other, put more emphasis on the team as a whole, focus on their strengths, and embrace servant leadership. These principles are in lockstep with VetEvolve’s unique approach to practice partnerships.
And it’s needed in veterinary medicine, where long hours, challenging work, and a changing environment can lead to burnout and low morale across big swaths of the industry. Being human, and treating others likewise, isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity to continue to evolve the way practices operate.
“VetMed is hard,” Carissa said. “It’s not always going to be puppies and kittens, cakes and rainbows. It can be emotionally draining, especially for people like CSRs (customer service representatives). You have to have respect and empathy for each other. We’re okay with mistakes as long as we learn from them.”
With support from the VetEvolve support team and her regional manager, Carissa was able to begin rebuilding — while independently running — the culture at Fairfax.
Some examples have included a hot chocolate bar as a way of showing appreciation for everyone working at Fairfax. In another, the staff recently had a ‘Hawaiian Shirt Day’ in honor of Dr. Jerry Goldfarb, previous owner, and his preferred attire.
“It’s the little, human things that Carissa does…it’s helped us build something special culturally that was not there,” Jennifer said. “It took more than a year of hard work, tears, and challenges to create a culture that is able to attract talent again.”
Turning the Corner with Strong Recruitment
As the team at Fairfax began to build that sense of community and pride in their practice, it shone through as recruitment efforts picked up pace. The practice was able to bring on Dr. Catherine Curry to serve as the Medical Director. Dr. Sonali Kadam joined full-time shortly thereafter and headed up the effort to get onsite surgery services back online after a five-year hiatus. The team was also able to administer urgent care and hospitalizations when needed.
The Fairfax support team was also able to make better use of the resources and support mechanisms already in place. For example, CSRs became more adept at working with administration and communication tooling. Altogether, this meant the practice was able to see more patients and provide the care they needed — all in-house.
“This is why we do this — to help animals and not just send them off to other practices,” Carissa said. “We were getting doctors to say yes and do more in-house.”
“The continuity of care has been so important,” Dr. Curry said. “They’re able to see the same doctor regularly, someone who knows them, who knows their pets, knows how to handle them and what could be wrong.
“Carissa built a new team. She’s been able to rebuild and renew the practice, said Rossi. “The team has embraced the change, and they are excited about what’s to come. We’re at the stage now where we’re creating a consistent growth mindset. It’s tangible.”
Positive results have led to positive returns for Fairfax throughout 2024. Client feedback has improved dramatically, new patient visits are up and client retention rates are strong, all leading to significant growth in revenue and margins.
“When I got here, people were nervous about the changes and how to get things back on track,” Dr. Curry said. “Now? The team has embraced the change and is excited about what’s to come. We’re at the stage now where we’re creating a consistent growth mindset. It’s tangible.”
