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Dec 18, 2024

Clinic Cliques and Holiday Cheer: How to Foster Inclusion This Season

Dec 18, 2024

The holidays are here, but not all the cheer makes its way into the workplace. This week on “The Veterinary Viewfinder,” hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mosser, MPA, RVT, tackle a sensitive yet often overlooked issue: exclusion during the festive season.

Imagine this: a colleague brings invitations for a holiday gathering, handing them out in full view of someone who’s not invited. For veterinary team members already feeling left out, these moments can cut deep and damage workplace morale. Dr. Ward and Beckie dive into the tricky dynamics of managing social interactions within clinics. From addressing cliques to deciding if management should intervene, they explore how to foster inclusivity and harmony—especially during the holiday season.

The episode also covers related dilemmas of exchanging holiday cards and gifts and participating in external parties and events. Beckie and Dr. Ward share real-world examples of workplace exclusion, highlighting how subtle behaviors can escalate into significant morale and team problems.

Join this insightful discussion to ensure the holidays bring joy, not drama, to your clinic. Don’t miss practical advice for navigating these seasonal challenges and creating a culture of respect and inclusion.

Dec 18, 2024

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Masters Degree in Veterinary Clinical Care: Pioneering Pathway or Misguided MS?

In early 2021, a hypothetical veterinary technician degree was proposed and discussed by a select group of about 20 individuals representing 12 organizations. Called a “Masters in Veterinary Clinical Care,” the exploratory degree has garnered a lot of questions and confusion. This week we discuss what we know and our initial impressions on how this may - or may not - benefit the veterinary profession.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT share their concerns and offer their advice when it comes to better access to veterinary care and utilization of licensed veterinary technicians. As you can imagine, Beckie has strong opinions on this topic and isn’t afraid to tackle it!

Beckie stresses the need for veterinary title protection, standardization of credentialing processes and requirements, recognition of credentialed vet techs, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities within the vet clinical setting. In short, Beckie believes there’s a lot of work to be done on the current AS and BS veterinary technician degrees before we create a new one.

Dr. Ward supports expanding the roles and duties of licensed veterinary technicians, including expansion into a “Veterinary Nurse Practitioner,” but worries the proposed Masters in Veterinary Clinical Care is more “paper than progress.”

Both hosts advocate for an expansion of what vet techs can - and should - be allowed to do in veterinary clinical practice. Dr. Ward also recounts how he “angered lots of colleagues” about 10 years ago when he proposed that licensed vet techs be allowed to undertake additional training and licensing to perform spay and neuters in shelter settings.

He also says you can tell where someone lies in their support of this issue by asking, “What medications can they dispense?” You can imagine how our duo discusses that one!

Viewfinders, we hope this conversation sparks you to explore and discuss with your friends and colleagues. By working together, w can help expand access to veterinary care and propel our profession! Stay safe and we’ll talk to you next week!