bookkeeper

Blue-River

The work environment is generally ok, but it feels like a select few staff are strongly favored, in that they are treated with more warmth by management,  and their behaviors are not addressed as consistently or severely as others. Acknowledgement of effort is not at all fairly distributed, and more often goes to a the same few people. Intentionally or not, it leaves the impression that it is harder to be publicly recognized for your efforts if you are not already one of the few popular/distinct individuals.

A select few staff behave hostilely & unkindly towards only some people, but not everyone, and I do not feel that these concerns will be adequately addressed if management is made aware, and they have not been. Because these few do not behave this way to everyone, it feels like concerns about their behavior won’t be taken seriously, especially as they have a closer relationship with other senior staff and management. 

I cannot honestly say that I feel like my work and efforts are valued, either from my compensation or feedback from management. For the job that we do every day no one here should be making minimum wage, especially not after 2 years of dedication. 

As stated before, recognition and appreciation are handed out kind of randomly, and not equitably. Feedback is an incredibly helpful tool, but if it is only ever handed out to say “don’t do that”, and never provided as a way to encourage desired outcomes/behaviors, it’s very disheartening experience for the employee. I’m not even certain if management is paying close attention to the work that I actually do day-to-day, or if they are only made aware of missteps and errors. 

I love the work that I do in this job, it is an incredibly fulfilling field to work in, and I am proud of what I contribute to society in this position. But I cannot honestly say that management has helped me feel valued or accomplished in my position. I don’t feel particularly encouraged or supported in a tangible sense, only in a theoretical one. 

Something I would like to see more of, is more training goal reviews that are initiated and led by management, rather than having to ask for them myself. My initial training sheet wasn’t ever really returned to, there are skills that I want to develop that I’ve been told to “just ask for when I want to learn”, and I would prefer a more clear cut path about what skills are still available to train me in, and how long it will realistically take for me to work towards them. I feel like I was left to hang, and I would appreciate more clear cut structure to be put towards developing my skills. I want to be as good at this job as I possibly can, I want to be competent and well rounded.

One thing my manager does very well, is that if you request a conversation with her about a concern, she will make time at one point or another to sit down with you and listen patiently and compassionately. I feel that she has been fair in making allowances for personal situations and extenuating circumstances, and I do feel that in a one-on-one setting, if you prove that you truly care and are willing to put in the work to improve, that that will be recognized. I think most of my frustrations with management are that this strength in the one-on-one context does not always translate to the broader work environment.

Blue River is a growing veterinary care corporation. 
With that comes solid opportunities for advancement or role changes. 
However, every growing business has growing pains. 
Sometimes information is not disseminated timely from the top down. 
Regular updates/communications from the various departments within the company could stand to improve. 
Blue River is dedicated to solidifying teams, supporting positive/healthy workplace cultures, and providing opportunities to voice questions/concerns. 
The hardest part of the job has less to do with the corporation and more to do with the day-to-day stressors of working in veterinary medicine. 
It's generally a stressful field as opposed to common perceptions. 
There are safety risks associated with working with stressed and fearful animals, as well as pet owners not understanding the costs associated with veterinary care. 
This can make for challenging interactions where owners feel they're being taken advantage of, however, care costs are relatively cheap compared to human medicine. 
Veterinarians are paid much less than human doctors so the idea that they're money-grubbers is absolutely unture. 
The most enjoyable part of this job is the life-changing care provided to pets and their families. We're therapists, healers, helpers, and the list really goes on. Plus, being in the field long enough allows you to follow the life of the pet(s) served and it's rewarding to watch animals go from babies to adults to seniors. Overall, this is a very rewarding field but being determined and having grit is a must if you wish to be successful!

I love the people I work with and a typical day at work is usually enjoyable and fulfilling. 
Being a veterinarian, I learn something new everyday. 
My practice manager is such an asset to the company, but I feel like this is only recognized by me and not middle or upper management and she is continues to be unrewarded monetarily. 
Work place culture is awesome. 
The hardest part of my job is when upper management pushes me to change things that I know are not going to benefit the practice I.E 1)  discount coupons. We are a professional practice, we don’t need coupons. They did nothing for our practice. 2)  Third party calling to schedule patients for appointments. Clients don’t like it.   3)  Now we are being pushed to get rid of our boarding and grooming. This accounts for 7-8% of our gross revenue and our least paid employees take care of it. It’s a win-win situation. I just don’t understand the rationale. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is working with the people I love everyday and taking care of my patients and their families. 

Being a veterinarian is not just a job for me, it’s who I am. I would like the legacy of my practice that I built over the last 30 years and that I’m so proud of continues in a direction that I continue to be proud of. 

I enjoy working here. I am surrounded by a team that is passionate about their work. I feel comfortable speaking to my practice manager about changes I think could help us grow, ideas that I have to implement. I am grateful for the scholarship opportunity through Penn Foster.
The work-life balance is decent - I currently work 4 10 hour shifts plus rotating weekends. The downside of course is working later than most, with the payoff of having an extra day off during the week.
If I could change something about Blue River Petcare specifically, I wish that we could be granted more than 3 unpaid sick days a year. For a working parent that is difficult to work with and often times end up having to use PTO to account for additional time off due to illness. 
The other thing I wish was offered was some sort of CE allowance for employee that have worked here many years. I want more opportunity for professional development through attending conferences to bring ideas back to my practice and I don't feel very supported in that way.

BRPC has been the best fit for me amongst the corporate practices. I have worked for Banfield, VCA, and a couple private practices over the past 12 years. BRPC allows me to feel like my hospital can be an individual while providing the crucial support for staff concerns, client issues, purchasing power, etc. I appreciate the yearly company wide meeting to help leaders grow and remain enthusiastic about their leadership roles. 

My only negative experience was during the contract negotiation phase of my hiring. Parts of the contract were not legal in my state, and it feels like it was largely modeled after a salesperson contract. The language was too broad and overreaching in many sections, which left a bad impression. I was able to work with BRPC to eventually change large sections of my contract to not be so one sided. I appreciate the effort they put in to resolve my concerns, and I am hopeful that my experience will spur them towards having state specific contracts. 

Overall I love the clinic and the manager/medical director, and my coworkers. We work as a great team and I feel like I can count on them, however corporate (Blue River) is pushing everyone out. They used to be pretty hands off with decent benefits. In the last year we have gone through 3 regional manager transitions, with each one being worse than the last. They seem to be more nit-picky and have started to micromanage us more. Getting basic office supplies has been difficult as we seem to have to explain every little thing. However, when major problems need to be addressed we are getting flat out ignored. There has also been basic maintenance needed for our hospital and it feels like pulling teeth to get them taken care of, even when it has had to do with the safety of staff and pets. They are stingy with raises. They will give some hospitals bonus pay, and even certain holidays off (Black Friday, New Years, etc.) and others (like ours) they will not. They have also had us do 4 major price increases in the last 2 years and we are getting the backlash of it from clients. Overall we feel unheard and uncared for. I would not recommend working for this company. 

I've been a receptionist for a hospital that Blue River purchased for years now. I have steadily watched the decline in quality, attitude and enjoyment at our clinic. Raises do not happen for technicians and for receptionists, I need to make that abundantly clear, maybe veterinarians or managers get them, but for us,  there are no 6 month or even annual salary and employee reviews, there is no consideration for the people who work at the bottom. It has been this way for YEARS now since the practice was purchased, and it is this reason why we are always understaffed, yet they seem to somehow think the problem lies with us, its baffling. 

Techs, kennel techs, receptionists, even veterinarians, they have been leaving in droves because they are all unfairly compensated, overworked and have found places where management cares If you are looking to sell your practice, or looking to work in vetmed, do your research, do everyone a favor and find anything, anywhere that ISN'T owned by Blue River Petcare. 



As a practice manager, I felt like an island and did not have the support or training I needed. I received no training when I took the role, and was not provided with any coaching or development. I received a 1% raise after 18 months of employment and honestly felt cheap-skated, as the hospital was growing 10-15% YOY despite being down 2 doctors, and I had a good handle on costs. I also hold Blue River accountable for losing those 2 DVMs  (unwillingness to compete with compensation they were being offered elsewhere) and thus, causing massive burnout across my team of tenured CSRs and Technicians. In addition, when I had a COVID outbreak, and was down by 12 Team Members (I had 1 technician and myself as a CSR for 3 DVMs and a full schedule!), I was told we could not close as long as there was someone to answer the phones, and that the doctors could help each other in appointments but that it WOULD affect their production. They would have expected us to stay open even if it was down to me and one doctor left standing.

After years of being subjugated to Blue River’s management style from the lower rungs of a clinic they purchased, I can tell you without a doubt in my heart that they dismantled the fiber of the animal hospital I work for. 

Clients tell the difference in our mood, they hate the fact that we have lost 3 doctors in the past few months and 10+ receptionists and techs almost solely based on Blue River’s management style. We do not receive annual performance reviews and pay raises, we do not even receive so much as a nod of appreciation from them. 

This company is a primary example for why we techs in the business need unions. It is appalling what we put up with, what loyalty and hard work gets you here. (Nothing)... 

This company buys up small clinics and then drives their reputations into the ground with penny pinching enthusiasm like any other vet related corporate entity out there, though at least those other ones pay a liveable wage. 

Once Blue River took over my hospital as much as they claimed they like to leave successful hospitals continue their normal processes and run like they use to they do not. As time progresses they change multiple aspects of how the business is ran. While they own that business and it's their right to initiate change, not once did Blue River leadership have interest in talking with staff about changes and their plans/goals. Basically was here is the email of what you guys need to start doing. On top of that after I decided to seperate my services leaving in good standing and over working myself to leave the rest of my team in a good spot they do not pay off YOUR PAID TIME OFF THAT YOU EARNED. So since I did not call in to work my last weeks and instead continued to work to help my team I lost all my PTO. Having left I can clearly state they have no interest in the individual employee. 

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