This week we’re honored to be joined by the 2019 SAVMA Teaching Excellence Award Winner Kristen Messenger, DVM, PhD, DACVAA, DACVCP. Dr. Messenger is currently a pharmacology professor at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. In this high-energy conversation, Kristen shares her own journey to becoming a veterinarian, the biggest challenges her students are facing, and the ways she’s working to improve the next generation of veterinarians. From student debt to social media, this is a conversation for any Viewfinder who wants to become a veterinarian, are currently in veterinary school, or have already graduated. It’s that good!

International best-selling author, biohacker, flow guru, and animal rescuer are titles rarely strung together, yet they perfectly describe this week’s special guest, Steven Kotler. Steven joins veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and registered veterinary technician, Beckie Mossor, RVT to discuss his latest book, Last Tango in Cyberspace, how high-performing professionals can maximize their productivity, how animal rescue changed his life (thanks to his AMAZING wife Joy Nicholson), why his Pulitzer-nominated book “A Small Furry Prayer” should be read by EVERYONE in the pet and veterinary professions, and why empathy is perhaps our greatest veterinary superpower (and vulnerability). This is a wide-ranging, idea-catalyzing conversation that every team member will want to listen to in its entirety. Rarely do veterinary audiences get to have a sit-down with someone like Steven Kotler, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and strap yourself in! 

NOTE: There is some swearing in this episode so if you’re uncomfortable with a few choice swear words, you might want to skip this one. Otherwise, we think it added to the conversation! 

This week we explore the role of surveillance cameras in the veterinary workplace. Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT ponder the ways surveillance cameras can be used for good and how their usage may go terribly wrong if we’re not careful. The Viewfinders cover how cameras can be used for staff training, protecting against false accusations from clients, increasing patient care and client service, adding services, and protection from theft. What are your thoughts on Big Brother watching YOU?

How would you like to sail the Caribbean helping island animals? This week hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT are joined by an Australian veterinarian doing it! Dr. Sheridan Lathe is sailing her 37-foot boat, “Chuffed,” island-to-island helping dogs, cats, livestock, and exotic animals along the way. Her popular Youtube channel, Vet Tails’ Sailing Chuffed, chronicles her adventures. We talk with her about her childhood in Australia, practicing at wildlife sanctuaries, her travels in China working with Asiatic bears, and how she followed her dreams aboard a floating veterinary clinic in the Caribbean. Ernie asks her what impact U.S. veterinary student debt plays in pursuing dreams, and Beckie inquires about how to follow your dreams without the sailboat. This is an exciting and interesting glimpse into an alternative veterinary pathway! 

This week Walmart announced it was launching an online pet pharmacy, WalmartPetRx.com, and plans to open 100 in-store veterinary clinics over the next 12 months. This week Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT talk with Julie Legred, CVT about what this means for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, pet owners, and pet retailers. The trio offer insights on how independently-owned clinics can learn from Walmart, and why they see this as a win-win for the veterinary profession and U.S. pet owners. Dr. Ward speculates on the timing of this announcement from Walmart and how it may affect the impending Chewy.com IPO.  

This is one of those episodes we wish EVERYONE could hear. Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT are joined by their dear friend Dr. Amy Mohl as they discuss her story within the framework of following your passions, overcoming challenges, and finding happiness. This is an episode we hope you enjoy, find inspiration in, and share with your friends, regardless of whether or not they’re in the veterinary profession. This one goes in the time capsule for sure! Let us know what you think!!!

This week hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor discuss the breaking news that California RVTs have abolished the previously-required California RVT exam in favor of the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Exam). The team discusses what this means, why this (or potentially isn’t) a sign of professional progress, and what the implications for veterinarians and the veterinary profession may be. They also discuss license reciprocity, examination standards, and Dr. Ward shares a story he was recently told by a dentist who encountered a specific, and almost disastrous, hiring situation that reveals a shortcoming in the current licensing system. 

Should pugs be banned? What about French bulldogs,English (or British) Bulldogs, and Shih Tzus? This week host veterinarians Drs. Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney along with registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor weigh in on the ongoing UK push to ban certain breeds. What are the reasons, who are the folks leading the conversation, and what are the proposed solutions? This is a lively review of the current state of breed restrictions along with some of the trio’s own potential solutions. This episode also marks Cyndie’s last podcast with the team after nearly 2.5 years! Cyndie’s family is growing and she needs to take more time to be with her (almost) new child. THANK YOU Cyndie for your enthusiasm and insight! We’ll miss you!

This week we're excited to sit down with the licensed veterinary technician, Jade Velasquez, who started the popular Facebook group, Veterinary Support Staff Unleashed.  In addition to her work as an LVT and Facebook group administrator, Jade has recently transitioned into practice management. Host veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor explore the unique way Jade became a licensed veterinary technician, what her greatest challenges and biggest surprises were as she started managing a busy veterinary clinic, and what her goals are with Veterinary Support Staff Unleashed. This is an energetic conversation with loads of practical tips and tricks!  Find out Jade, Beckie, and Dr. Ward's favorite time management tools, which personality test they prefer for staff (and themselves), and what the biggest support staff complaints and issues keep popping up on Jade's Facebook group. 

This week we discuss a little known, but rapidly expanding, veterinary medical school program called “2+2.” Host veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor try to make sense of the pro’s and con’s of a program that allows veterinary medical school; students who live in a state without a veterinary school to complete their first two years of veterinary school on their home college campus. Confused? We help untangle the taxpayer contributions, who gets to pay in-state tuition, student obligations, and what impact these sorts of programs may ultimately have on the veterinary profession. There are no easy answers, and our hosts quickly discover that “2+2” may not add up to everything they expected. 

This week, hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT are joined by one of the veterinary industry’s longtime female leaders and entrepreneurs, Brenda Andresen. Brenda shares her personal story, what she sees as some of the most pressing challenges faced by veterinary professionals today, and her latest project, The Bridge Club. Brenda also weighs in on the Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI), telemedicine, and how professional women can support, instead of competing against, each other. 

This week we are thrilled to share the mic with an exceptionally talented and experienced registered veterinary technician who is also an accredited expert in feline behavior. Tabitha Kucera RVT, CCBC, KPA-CTP is a pioneer for veterinary technicians in the area of feline behavior. On this week’s podcast, Tabitha shares her story of becoming an RVT, why she chose to specialize in feline behavior, and what she’s doing today to help make the veterinary world more feline-friendly. This is an entertaining and educational conversation that any veterinary professional will benefit from hearing. Be sure to listen to the entire podcast to find out why Tabitha thinks it’s an excellent idea for feline practitioners to consider enrolling in a Karen Pryor dog training course!