Pet Project 
Patricia Stewart uses knowledge and high-tech equipment to give the highest-quality care for pets.

by Ellen Jensen

Entrepreneur: Patricia Stewart
Company Name:
Rockhill Pet Clinic
800 E. 63rd St.
Kansas City, MO
(816) 333-0973
Type of Business: Veterinary clinic
Year Founded: 1988
Number of Employees: 15
Keys to Success: "My own personal commitment to excellence, as well as recognizing and appreciating the contributions of my team members." -Patricia Stewart

Patricia Stewart's love of animals goes way back. Her first memory is when she was 18 months old looking out the window at her grandmother's cat. As a child, she constantly read books about dogs, and she was in hog heaven when she and her family visited relatives on a farm, because she could play with the dogs, cows, chickens and pigs.

In high school and college, Stewart pursued math and science so she could use medicine and scientific knowledge to benefit animals. She applied to vet school and was accepted, although at that time, veterinary medicine was a non-traditional career for women.

"Now, the veterinary medicine classes are more than 50 percent women," she said.

After graduation, Stewart worked for a veterinary clinic in Johnson County. Although she loved making a difference for pets and their owners, she wanted to do so on her own terms. In 1988, she opened Rockhill Pet Clinic, which is open six days a week to treat dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and gerbils. The clinic also offers grooming and boarding services, and the dogs are walked outside three times a day.

"I wanted to pursue my own vision and how that translates into action," Stewart said. "For me, that means investing in equipment and high-quality personnel to offer the best care possible."

Two years ago, the clinic moved from the 1,000-square-foot building to its current location, which has about 5,000 square feet. With a few modifications, the new space has fit their needs well.

Life-long Learner
When she opened her business, Stewart's goal was to create an environment to attract life-long learners. She said that because the medical field changes constantly, you must be committed to continuing education; otherwise, it would be difficult to offer the best care possible. Knowledge on its own is not enough, however.

"My motto is that education without application to benefit patients is just entertainment," Stewart said.

 She works every day to educate pet owners on advancements in veterinary medicine. She and her staff want to make sure pet owners have as much information as possible.

"We empower them so they can make informed decisions about the level of care they want," Stewart said. "In this field, the interpretation of high-quality care is broad."

Staff
To find top-quality employees, Stewart has to compete with other vets, as well as the human medical field. She challenges herself with finding ways to offer a rewarding, long-term career for the best and brightest through continuing education and access to high-tech equipment. She has made some good staffing choices over the years.

"I have had the opportunity to work with many extremely talented and dedicated individuals," Stewart said. One former employee is an orthopedic surgeon. He worked for her when he was in college and the first part of medical school. Another is a prosecuting attorney in New York.

Debbie Wake is one of two employees who have been with Stewart for eight years. Wake is assistant manager and does a little bit of everything, including nursing duties and lab work. She assists doctors in the exam rooms and in surgery, and she contacts clients to relay lab results and other information.

Wake came to Rockhill Pet Clinic from the restaurant industry and has learned nearly every aspect of the business through on-the-job training.

"I love the learning experience and being able to make a difference for people and their pets," Wake said. "Every day, I learn something new."

Cutting Edge Equipment
Rockhill Pet Clinic uses a combination of outside and internal training.

"There's no substitute for taking advantage of teachable moments internally," Stewart said.

Stewart and her staff also attend classes and seminars to keep up with new technologies and information within the field. She uses her relationships with specialists, who regularly consult on a variety of topics. A board-certified radiologist comes in once a week to review x-rays. This keeps everybody on their toes, but it also allows them to continually improve their skills, Stewart said.

"With these specialists coming in, there is no opportunity to be satisfied with anything less than the best," she said.
Stewart also brought in a board certified anesthesiologist to review procedures and equipment. As a result, she purchased a piece of medical equipment that helps make anesthesia safer for her patients. The capnograph measures the amount of carbon dioxide in exhaled air.

"This information gives us an early warning sign if a patient is developing problems as a result of the anesthesia," Stewart said.

Safety in anesthesia is a combination of having the right equipment and using the safest medications, she said. Internal medical problems can complicate anesthesia.

"Even with the high-tech equipment, it's also important to have highly experienced personnel who can handle the unexpected, unanticipated and unlikely," Stewart said.

The clinic also has invested in a pulse oximeter, which measures heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream.  And, a recently installed digital dental x-ray machine will make it easier for them to perform dental x-rays. Staff can store the x-rays on the computer, making it easier to view them repeatedly.

Another piece of equipment allows them to perform blood gas tests to determine the pH and bicarb levels in the blood. Stewart said this equipment is particularly helpful for patients with kidney disease.

The Extra Mile
Charity Vuagniaux came to work at Rockhill Pet Clinic after graduating from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She said she likes that she is encouraged to offer the best care possible and that every day is a learning experience. She looks forward to successfully completing complicated surgery or seeing a condition that she hasn't seen before.

"With this occupation, you never know what is going to come in the door," Vuagniaux said.

The staff does a lot of research to find the answers that will benefit patients with specific or unusual ailments. They read up on the latest procedures, and they make a lot of phone calls locally and around the country to speak with specialists who may know how to solve a certain problem or answer questions about a specific case.

"A lot of what we do is behind the scenes work that pet owners may not know about," Stewart said.

Because Stewart and her staff are thorough and find answers where there seem to be none, Rockhill Pet Clinic is earning the reputation as a "go-to" clinic. They are starting to receive more difficult and unusual cases, including some second opinions from pet owners who had been told by their regular vet that there was no hope for their pets.

For example, Marty is an eight-year-old Labrador Retriever that experienced kidney failure. The owner was told there was no way to save him, but she brought him into Rockhill Pet Clinic, figuring she had nothing to lose.

"Marty was very sick, but it's been more than eight weeks now, and he's doing great," Stewart said. "Getting those happy endings not only requires skill from the vet, but also a high level of commitment from the pet owner to pursue treatment when perhaps the outcome is not assured."

Best Care
Building those long-term relationships with clients and doing her best for their pets is what it's all about for Stewart. She has some clients who have been with her the entire time she has been in practice. Those relationships make it easier to deal with tough decisions.

"I wish vet services could be free," Stewart said. "I hate to see any pet not receive the best care possible. All owners love their pets, but sometimes their financial issues prevent pets from receiving the best care available-that's an unfortunate fact of life."

Stewart will continue to give her all for her patients and to develop ways to offer higher levels of training for her staff. As her staff has grown, Stewart has found herself doing more training, and she has no problem with that.

"I love helping my staff find the greatness within themselves."

Ellen Jensen is the Managing Editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.