How should we manage the client that is screaming at us? What should we say? How should we act? I've been lecturing on managing difficult clients for almost 8 years now and wanted this podcast to include tips and tricks on how to deal with what I term the Exploding Bully client who is out of control. 

Stop blaming the profession for all its problems. It's time we all start figuring out what we each have the ability to fix and start fixing it. We ALL have influence over something in this profession; ourselves, our teams, and maybe even more. Complaining doesn't fix anything. Use that energy to fix what you have control over!

Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then you are contributing to them leaving the profession. 

Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then your hospital is not as profitable as it could be.

Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then your doctors are burning out at a higher rate.

I understand we are all short staffed, but the failure to utilize the team to their highest potential is adding to the shortage. It is a reason why people are turning OUT of the profession all together. 

Let's talk about the complex issues of utilization, define some misconceptions about the profession, talk about why rolling back licensure is not a solution (I'm looking at you Washington) and what effective utilization looks like. 

There are some really terrible clients who bully, berate, belittle and harass the veterinary team for unjustified reasons. However, most clients are normal, nice human beings who love their pets and want the best for them. Unfortunately, many veterinary professionals have lumped all clients into the "clients are bad" bucket when that is not true. 

This "clients are bad" mentality has resulted in many complaining about every little thing that a client does wrong. If a client asks about a charge on the bill, it leads to a vet tech complaining about that client for ten minutes. If a client asks to see a different doctor, they are labeled as difficult. 

We need to stop treating all clients as the enemy. When we learn to embrace clients as part of our team we suffer less frustration and therefore less burnout. I talk about my own change in perspective over my 25 year veterinary career in this podcast.

The year 2023 is the "Year of the Vet Tech & Vet Nurse!" No one has actually proclaimed it but it's great seeing actual movement on so many important issues in our profession. We still have a long way to go, but this podcast talks about some of the great changes and steps being made as well as calls to action everyone in the profession. It takes all of us to make changes and every one of us can make a difference.

https://www.vetteamtraining.com/

Unfortunately, there are too many crappy terminations being done by bad leaders. These are the terminations where the employee is not provided any information as to the reason, feels blindsided, and leaves the place of employment confused. Terminations are bad enough, but that doesn't mean we can't treat the employee with respect, kindness and compassion.  Employees should feel cared for, even during the termination process. 

I'm often asked, "how did you get started lecturing/publishing?" While there is no blueprint or foolproof method that works for everyone I talk about my own journey, thoughts and suggestions in this podcast to help those that may be interested in publishing or lecturing. The introvert in me would've never thought I'd actually enjoy lecturing but I'm so grateful for stepping outside of my comfort zone over 17 years ago. Hope this helps some of of you start your journey!

Let me be clear. Frenchies are cute. There's no arguing that. In fact, they, along with most brachycephalic breeds are some of the cutest dogs on the planet and some of the most popular breeds worldwide. 

I went into veterinary medicine to save animal lives, to do no harm and to care about what's best for the animal. I'm tired of certain dogs dying simply because of how they look.

In this podcast I talk about the importance of responsible breeding and argue that perhaps brachycephalics should stop being bred all together. The breed standards we have today specifically in the United States are killing many of these dogs.

Why are we still cropping ears and docking tails?

Why do we keep breeding for shorter noses?

The question I ask is, "Is it what is best for the animal?" 

Yes, rescue is a great option, but for individuals in certain areas of the world finding puppies are near impossible and some individuals are looking for certain traits (hunting, herding, retrieving) in a companion dog. Regardless of what dog you do decide to get make sure you consider the breed standards and ask "is it being bred to look a certain way because that's what is in the best interest of its health or is it being bred that way because it's appealing to people?"

I am not a breeder. I have owned dogs from both rescue and breeders.

"I'm momma bear/poppa bear and they are my cubs"

"It's like I'm managing kids"

"We're like a family"

All these statements make me cringe. Leaders and even team members need to realize they are a coach and part of a team, not a family. Coaches focus on individual performance and what's best for the team. I dive into the difference between the two terms.

How do you know if the veterinary hospital you are working at or thinking about applying to is a good hospital? What are the green flags? Too often we find red flags after we join a hospital. I list what I think are the most important green flags that represent the best of veterinary hospitals. I hope you find many of these green flags in your own hospital.