ACMVET412A
Coordinate clinic promotional activities

This Unit of Competency covers the process of managing the promotion of the clinic within the community through contact with individuals and mass media activities.

Application

This Unit applies to a veterinary nurse working under supervision of a veterinarian in a veterinary clinic or similar practice. In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all Units of Competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised.


Prerequisites

Nil.


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Establish, market and implement promotional strategies

1.1. Research is conducted to identify the target market.

1.2. Communication strategies to promote clinic services to clients are established in consultation with other clinic personnel and in line with the clinic's business plan.

1.3. Promotional material is prepared in consultation with other clinic personnel and in accordance with clinic and workplace health and safety policies.

1.4. Budgets are prepared and negotiations are completed with external agents and services.

1.5. Relevant clinic personnel are trained and utilised to fulfil promotional goals.

1.6. Promotional materials are prepared as identified and their impact monitored.

2. Promote clinic

2.1. Clinic public access times are determined in consultation with other clinic personnel and clinic policy.

2.2. Advertising routines are performed in accordance with clinic policy and budgets.

2.3. Clinic involvement with the community and associated groups and the level of involvement are determined in consultation with the relevant parties.

2.4. Clinic personnel are notified of their respective roles and details are recorded.

2.5. Measured outcomes are monitored and evaluated.

2.6. Policy adjustments are made as a result of measured outcomes.

Required Skills

Required skills

Ability to:

apply effective marketing skills to promotional activities

communicate effectively with the full range of community groups

establish effective teamwork processes within the clinic

research and analyse data for promotional purposes

use literacy skills to read, select and implement policies and procedures, including workplace health and safety, infection control and other clinic policies and procedures; coordinate patient admission and discharge; implement sequenced written instructions; and record patient details accurately and legibly

use writing skills to prepare and review promotional materials, write reports and plan projects

use interpersonal skills to relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

use oral communication skills/language required to fulfil the job role as specified by the clinic, including negotiating and questioning techniques, active listening, asking for clarification from community members, and acknowledging and responding to a range of views

use problem-solving skills to use available resources and present promotional material in a cost-effective and interesting manner.

Required knowledge

Knowledge of:

active community groups associated with animal care

animal health industry participants

animal population in the local community

clinic policies and procedures

local animal health issues

local demographics

marketing practices

relevant legislative and industry codes of practice and policies

suitable promotional strategies for veterinary clinics

the clinic network.

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this Unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this Unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this Unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can:

identify the target market

establish communication strategies and prepare promotional materials

use and regularly evaluate promotional and marketing materials to maximise community awareness of the clinic

work as a member of the clinic team to achieve outcomes

plan clinic resources

communicate effectively with clients and employers.

The skills and knowledge required to coordinate clinic promotional activities must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment for this Unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a veterinary practice or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access in either situation to the appropriate equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.

Method of assessment

To ensure consistency of performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and responsibilities and over a number of assessment activities.

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this Unit are:

written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge

observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks

simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions

third-party evidence

workplace documentation (e.g. promotional materials)

portfolio.

This Unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other Units of Competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Research may include:

communication with past, present and potential clients and other clinics

community groups

computer analysis

current market research publications:

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

books and magazines

industry reports

demographic analysis

focus groups

surveys.

Communication strategies may include:

individual or a combination of:

audio

electronic

verbal

visual

written.

Promotional materials may include:

audio telephone tapes

brochures

business cards

client handouts

client seminars

evening or individual client tours

newsletters

open days

refrigerator magnets

web pages.

External agents and services may include:

graphic artists

pharmaceutical companies

printers

marketing consultants and advisers

veterinary product suppliers.

Training of staff may include:

commercial training

group clinic training

individual training.

Associated groups may include:

agricultural societies

animal breed groups

community groups

dog obedience clubs

local businesses

pharmaceutical distributors

product distributors

racing clubs

veterinary distributors.

Monitoring and evaluation may include:

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia policies and codes of practice

budget comparison per activity or promotion

client response methods (e.g. surveys and direct feedback)

data retrieval

product turnover and annual budget turnover

staff feedback.


Sectors

Veterinary nursing


Employability Skills

This Unit contains employability skills.


Licensing Information

Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this Unit. Therefore, it will be necessary to check with the relevant state or territory regulators for current licensing, legislative or regulatory requirements before undertaking this Unit.