Chapter 10 Overview
The physical environment in which you function every day tremendously impacts your well-being and ability to perform your job. While our industry has been experiencing significant growth in new clients, technologies, and innovations, we also feel the need to do more with more. To help meet these challenges, we must look at the buildings we provide for animals and evaluate where changes can be made to help improve the care provided to clients and patients. We also need to consider how the physical environment can support staff's well-being and help attract and retain excellent employees.
This chapter will present ideas and reference points to help hospitals large and small create better working environments by optimizing physical space to support efficient workflows, team well-being, and the best possible care for the patients we serve.
When implementing the tips in this chapter, you will be able to:
Develop operationally efficient work zones that decrease the steps needed to complete tasks.
Consider what the whole team needs to function optimally in the practice space.
Ensure you use your physical space as best as possible by adding flexibility.
Provide more efficient service to your clients.
A good veterinary care design considers all facility users, from clients to staff to patients.
Did you know
Mark out your "new" spaces using tape on the floor before moving walls or building new cabinetry. This is a great low-tech way to visualize your space. Also, most designers can draw your new space using 3D software programs so that you can "see" it before starting your renovation.