Prescription Charges

[Hula]

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Vets do make money from drugs they admit that but they break even or make losses in other areas so in the end as far as the client getting value for money they feel it balances out .

 

[kipper fluke]

Re-Vets

I've had some very positive experiences and of late some extremely negative and downright unacceptable experiences......That's the way it goes I guess-but I know when I'm being ripped off and I won't be returning to a certain practice.

My nephew is a pharmacist-we are aware of medication costs too.

Can I also add my husband used to leave our home at 5-6am in the morning, be home between 6-9pm in the evening and be on call on Sundays's at a local restaurant....he owned/ ran his own business too-he was a butcher.

Karen

 

[masta]

Salary levels for new graduates depend greatly on the size and location of the practices they work for. A remuneration package for newly qualified vets can start from £30,000 and include accommodation, car, fuel allowance for private use, professional fees and a continuing professional development (CPD) allowance (salary data collected Jan 08)

Experienced vets can earn around £48,000, and senior partners may earn over £50,000, depending on the size of their practice plus profit share.

not bad, my brother spent 40 years at the pit face working in sauna heat and waist high water for a lot less

 

[PennyLurcher]

Vets do make money from drugs they admit that but they break even or make losses in other areas  so in the end as far as the client getting value for money they feel it balances out .

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They certainly do make money from drugs .

A local vet charged £25 for a course of Amoxycillin.

They actually cost 5p for 10

 

[kipper fluke]

Vets do make money from drugs they admit that but they break even or make losses in other areas  so in the end as far as the client getting value for money they feel it balances out .

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They certainly do make money from drugs .

A local vet charged £25 for a course of Amoxycillin.

They actually cost 5p for 10

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Have you got any-Lol?

(Can buy them for next to nothing in Spain over the counter)

 

[Hula]

Salary levels for new graduates depend greatly on the size and location of the practices they work for. A remuneration package for newly qualified vets can start from £30,000 and include accommodation, car, fuel allowance for private use, professional fees and a continuing professional development (CPD) allowance (salary data collected Jan 08)Experienced vets can earn around £48,000, and senior partners may earn over £50,000, depending on the size of their practice plus profit share.

not bad, my brother spent 40 years at the pit face working in sauna heat and waist high water for a lot less

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Did he spend all his time until he was 24 studying ?

Did he have people ready to sue him if he did anything wrong ?

Did he have everyone who ever went on the internet claiming to know more about his job than him ?

Did he work a 60+ hour week and do on call ?

Did he have people phoning him at midnight for FREE advice ?

Did he have to go out to strange peoples houses in the middle of the night because they were too drunk to bring their animals to him?

etc , etc , etc , etc

 

[masta]

Salary levels for new graduates depend greatly on the size and location of the practices they work for. A remuneration package for newly qualified vets can start from £30,000 and include accommodation, car, fuel allowance for private use, professional fees and a continuing professional development (CPD) allowance (salary data collected Jan 08)Experienced vets can earn around £48,000, and senior partners may earn over £50,000, depending on the size of their practice plus profit share.

not bad, my brother spent 40 years at the pit face working in sauna heat and waist high water for a lot less

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Did he spend all his time until he was 24 studying ? - No his family couldnt afford to send him to uni so he was working from 16

Did he have people ready to sue him if he did anything wrong ? - No if he did anything wrong it would put his fellow workers at risk so he and the rest did their job correctly

Did he have everyone who ever went on the internet claiming to know more about his job than him ? - no but i dont think any sleep would have been lost if he had

Did he work a 60+ hour week and do on call ? YES

Did he have people phoning him at midnight for FREE advice ? - No but if he was in a position were that might happen im sure he would have a protocol in place were it would ensure it was only on designated nights were he was on call

Did he have to go out to strange peoples houses in the middle of the night because they were too drunk to bring their animals to him? - are people who own animals not allowed to drink by the way i would not drive even if i have had 1 drink (that is not "drunk") plus it is a paying service my vet charges extra if he makes a home visit plus extra if at night

etc , etc , etc , etc

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[ILoveKettleChips]

Salary levels for new graduates depend greatly on the size and location of the practices they work for. A remuneration package for newly qualified vets can start from £30,000 and include accommodation, car, fuel allowance for private use, professional fees and a continuing professional development (CPD) allowance (salary data collected Jan 08)Experienced vets can earn around £48,000, and senior partners may earn over £50,000, depending on the size of their practice plus profit share.

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My boss has got it made then masta. Almost 5 years of experience under my belt, no private car, no fuel allowance, no accommodation, no professional fees and I still get paid less than 30k. I graduated with a personal debt in excess of £20k and I haven't made much of an inroad into that.

A private script from our local doctor is £15. We charge only £10. That £10 is charged because it takes time to produce a prescription and it contains a signature which means we are responsible for subsequent problems (slightly galling, when the drugs are often being provided by human pharmacists who know sod all about them, so when they give dud advice at dispensing it's me that carries the can). Compared to the loss of income we face if people take to buying our (moderately priced) drugs it's a drop in the ocean, but goodwill means we don't write many.

What will happen if everyone takes their drug business to internet pharmacies? The resultant reduction in income faced by the practice would mean less investment, less capital being spent on equipment and training, reduced staffing levels and an overall poorer service. It would also mean that when your dog gets run over it's going to receive a lower standard of care and at a greater cost to you. That's business, baby.

 

[Joanna]

Nice to see you back ILKC :cheers: It is always interesting to listen to the other side of the story :thumbsup:

 

[masta]

Salary levels for new graduates depend greatly on the size and location of the practices they work for. A remuneration package for newly qualified vets can start from £30,000 and include accommodation, car, fuel allowance for private use, professional fees and a continuing professional development (CPD) allowance (salary data collected Jan 08)Experienced vets can earn around £48,000, and senior partners may earn over £50,000, depending on the size of their practice plus profit share.

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My boss has got it made then masta. Almost 5 years of experience under my belt, no private car, no fuel allowance, no accommodation, no professional fees and I still get paid less than 30k. I graduated with a personal debt in excess of £20k and I haven't made much of an inroad into that.

A private script from our local doctor is £15. We charge only £10. That £10 is charged because it takes time to produce a prescription and it contains a signature which means we are responsible for subsequent problems (slightly galling, when the drugs are often being provided by human pharmacists who know sod all about them, so when they give dud advice at dispensing it's me that carries the can). Compared to the loss of income we face if people take to buying our (moderately priced) drugs it's a drop in the ocean, but goodwill means we don't write many.

What will happen if everyone takes their drug business to internet pharmacies? The resultant reduction in income faced by the practice would mean less investment, less capital being spent on equipment and training, reduced staffing levels and an overall poorer service. It would also mean that when your dog gets run over it's going to receive a lower standard of care and at a greater cost to you. That's business, baby.

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dead right your boss has got it right, so if i was you i would look in the job page because your selling yourself cheap. a waste of all that education and dept.

i have never had a script from my vet as he has a pricing structure that is comparable with internet pharmacies so i am more than happy to support the surgery, any profit made after wages,costs etc is ploughed back into the surgery buying equipment etc so it can be done without lowering standards.

by the way do you accept being ripped off by say a garage or a plumber why is it when anyone makes comment re vets we get the sob story re internet pharmacies.

 

[ILoveKettleChips]

dead right your boss has got it right, so if i was you i would look in the job page because your selling yourself cheap. a waste of all that education and dept.

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Oh masta pet, you miss my point.

Although it might be nice to sell up, move away from the area I love and find a similarly rewarding job with a toddler and my pets in tow, we vets mostly do our jobs because we love them 8)

 

[masta]

dead right your boss has got it right, so if i was you i would look in the job page because your selling yourself cheap. a waste of all that education and dept.

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Oh masta pet, you miss my point.

Although it might be nice to sell up, move away from the area I love and find a similarly rewarding job with a toddler and my pets in tow, we vets mostly do our jobs because we love them 8)

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No point missed Honey, i knew exactly how you would reply, im sure your a fantastic vet and obviously dedicated.

The point is your in a minority because most of the large modern small animal practices are robbing barstewards and to address the point that practices dont make money in 1991 when i was a manager of a large intensive pig unit i paid our local vet in excess of £85k per annum and i was 1 of many such farms using the same practice i am now a Sales Manager for a large pharmaceutical company so am acutely aware of mark up etc.

by the way it doesnt matter how much you love your job its no excuse for selling yourself short for the sake of your toddler and dept you need to sit down with your boss have a proper appraisal and negotiate the correct pay scale and package :thumbsup:

 

[Hula]

The pont is she is not in the minority , most vets are employees rather than partners . Partners may be making money but that's not what most vets are .

Most vets became vets for the love of the job and that's why they continue to do th job .

 

[ILoveKettleChips]

OK masta, you can outpatronise me.

Posh cars and shiny premises tend to indicate a good practice with healthy turnover, which tends to indiciate sustainable income over a long period. Which tends to be seen in practices with high standards and bonded, loyal clients.

Our practice is suffering from under-investment IMO, but we've a fine line to tread between being affordable and being good. It's difficult to be both (contrary to what many of our clients assume).

I fully support my boss and his pricing, although we disagree about some other aspects of the business. My package for this region is average to good, but thanks for your advice re life and bringing up a child. I haven't so far been under the impression that my income makes a difference to him. In my world it's about much, much more than cash. :blink:

 

[masta]

OK masta, you can outpatronise me. 
Posh cars and shiny premises tend to indicate a good practice with healthy turnover, which tends to indiciate sustainable income over a long period.  Which tends to be seen in practices with high standards and bonded, loyal clients.

Our practice is suffering from under-investment IMO, but we've a fine line to tread between being affordable and being good.  It's difficult to be both (contrary to what many of our clients assume).

I fully support my boss and his pricing, although we disagree about some other aspects of the business.  My package for this region is average to good, but thanks for your advice re life and bringing up a child.  I haven't so far been under the impression that my income makes a difference to him.  In my world it's about much, much more than cash.  :blink:

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believe me i wasnt trying to outpatronise you, i have a lot of respect for anyone who sees their job as a vocation, but you did bring the wages, dept and family life into the discussion and i took it to mean you were not happy with your package etc

hope i did not cause offence as it wasnt intended

Patrick

 

[masta]

The pont is she is not in the minority , most vets are employees rather than partners . Partners  may be making money but that's not what most vets are .Most vets became vets for the love of the job and that's why they continue to do th job .

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ok lets have the discussion re partners, i never singled vets out its the industry thats at fault, i could be very boring and ream off lots of examples, but what made me leave my last vets sums up how things have changed, i was sat in the waiting room when a young lady came to pickup her border collie who had been in to have part of its tail removed as he had caught it in a door (i was chatting to the lady as she waited for her dog) when she went to pay her bill she quiered why a liver function blood test had been done and the nurse told her the vet likes to do them when they have a dog under just to check everything is ok?? the dog was 18 months old!!! the same vet tried to get me to have a blood test when i had a pup vaccinated to make sure she had sero-converted cost £12.00 i asked his reasoning behind this and he got very defensive he probally gets away with it 7 times out of 10 because most first time owners would not understand why and would think they were putting the puppy at risk if they didnt have the BT So who is to blame partners, practice vets industry??

 

[ILoveKettleChips]

Liver function tests performed without consent? Without any indication it was required? Totally unjustified and extremely bizarre. Sounds very fishy to me.

Seroconversion tests? Did they "try to make you have one" or just offer you it? And I know on a lot of dog forums people would be falling over themselves to see a vet who cared about response to vaccination ...

It's all about perception, often. Good clinical practice means a thorough work-up. We could do pre-anaesthetic blood screens on all our patients but I often tell people not to bother if it is a young healthy dog because it will just add extra costs. However, one day one of these dogs will develop liver or kidney failure and the owners will have some questions to ask me. Informed consent is the order of the day. Nobody will force you to have a procedure done if you don't want it done, and nobody will stop you asking what things cost.

You don't see many people going under a GA in the NHS without a full blood screen. :- "

 

[meddling]

Hi Masta and ILKC...and others...I am finding this a very interesting thread....don't feel qualified to answer, just use vets...but good to hear your points of view :thumbsup:

 

[masta]

Liver function tests performed without consent?  Without any indication it was required?  Totally unjustified and extremely bizarre.  Sounds very fishy to me.
Seroconversion tests?  Did they "try to make you have one" or just offer you it?  And I know on a lot of dog forums people would be falling over themselves to see a vet who cared about response to vaccination ...

It's all about perception, often.  Good clinical practice means a thorough work-up.  We could do pre-anaesthetic blood screens on all our patients but I often tell people not to bother if it is a young healthy dog because it will just add extra costs.  However, one day one of these dogs will develop liver or kidney failure and the owners will have some questions to ask me.  Informed consent is the order of the day.  Nobody will force you to have a procedure done if you don't want it done, and nobody will stop you asking what things cost. 

You don't see many people going under a GA in the NHS without a full blood screen.  :- "

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Hence why i moved, these are just 2 examples, maybe your right maybe it is perception and maybe most busy vets have a "one size fits all approach" to their customers i have been involved with stock all my life and feel that i can hold an informed conversation with my vet i dont need to have the hard sell re food, flea treatment, and wormers and the guy im with now treats me on that level, When bella had her litter i gave him a call at 10.30 as she was struggling with the 7th pup he gave me some good advice and said "if you want me to come out i will but it will cost you x amount and i think it will take its natural course" which of course it did i just needed that reassurance, my other vet would have had her in with a section and a 3 night stay

"You don't see many people going under a GA in the NHS without a full blood screen. :- "" correct but in a private hospital it is discussed and worked within the boundary of PMI

 

[kirsty]

Just wondered ILKC since we are on the subject of pre bloods :- "

I specifically asked for my cat to get his bloods checked before the vet put him under for his cystotomy to be performed, he is only three years old but has had parents dropping down with heart failure and I also asked for IV fluids to be flushed through as well. My other cat is 10 and she is going in to get a dental in a couple of weeks and may have to have extractions and I will be asking for her to have Iv fluids flushed through and pre bloods. I have heard it is better getting this done as cat's can have kidney problems whilst under anaesthetic. Is it not as inportant for dogs and was wondering if insurance covers for pre bloods and Fluids or would they see that as an unessesary option unless the vet said for some reason it would be best to do it?