Set in an industrial park, the hospital stands out with clean lines, multiple colors and textures, and a silo structure that
makes the building easily identifiable.
|
When it's time to build, most veterinarians spend hours researching the financing, zoning, and building process. They obtain
sample floor plans from other veterinarians and architects, pore over the details, and follow proven "prescribed" plans. Not
this doctor.
Dr. Scott Weeks, the owner of Pet Medical Center of San Antonio, approached the building process—and the facility itself—in
a less conventional way. "From beginning to end, I was clueless," Dr. Weeks says.
By his own admission, Dr. Weeks didn't know the first thing about securing financing or deciding how large a structure he
could afford to build. And really, he said, he didn't need to know; he just needed trustworthy people to figure out these
important details. This allowed Dr. Weeks to focus on putting the hospital together in a way that made sense for him.
And as a Merit Award winner of the 2005 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition, Dr. Weeks evidently made his system work. In fact, one competition judge even commented, "Dr.
Weeks' different design was well developed to match his different practice philosophy."Forming a plan
To get started, Dr. Weeks sought help from a financial planning company that works with veterinarians. There, two experts
helped him figure out how much money he could safely borrow; how big he could afford to build; where he could borrow the money;
and the number of exam rooms, cages, and runs he needed to maximize the facility's potential. The best thing, Dr. Weeks says,
is that these professionals even submitted his loan requests and filled out the paperwork for him.
"I really wanted to focus on getting my dream hospital, not on paperwork and financial details," Dr. Weeks says. "Hiring competent
people whom I trusted freed me to do my job."
Dr. Weeks' job was to take care of his current practice, which he has owned since 1991, and to decide what he wanted his new
practice to look like. "Since I started with the practice in 1988, I'd kept a running list of features that I wanted and didn't
want in a hospital," he says. "I knew I'd build a facility someday, so I tried to keep notes of what worked best, such as
larger waiting areas with comfortable seating—even for multiple clients—and separate office facilities for associate veterinarians."
Featuring Information from:
