Happy Summer Holidays! That is, of course, assuming you get any holiday time off, especially if you work in a veterinary clinic. This week we discuss the disturbing trend of requiring veterinary clinic employees to provide shift coverage for taking time off due to vacation or appointments. And when taking a vacation, does your boss or manager text telling you how busy and overworked everyone is while you’re away? Yes, you read that right. Viewfinders, there’s a lot we need to talk about this week.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT tackle the trend of requiring veterinary staff to provide ether own coverage when taking time off. Beckie shares several real-life stories of veterinary technicians faced with either covering their missed shifts or not going on vacation. She also reveals how some managers and owners are making their employees feel guilty for the crime of taking time off from work. That’s messed up.

This episode is full of real-life dilemma and stress-inducing, burnout-causing bad management practices. Fortunately, our hosts offer several solutions that may help you this year.

Viewfinders, the struggle - and guilt - is real. We can - and must - do better, or we face burning out an entire generation of talented and dedicated veterinary healthcare professionals. Have you heard of similar tales from veterinary colleagues? What are your favorite tips for more efficient holiday staff scheduling? Share your experiences and opinions on our social media!

Talking about pet obesity can be tricky and challenging for many veterinary professionals? A new study conducted at University of Guelph seeks to understand the potential impact of weight bias and stigmatism on veterinary care and the treatment of pet obesity.

This week we’re back talking about co-host Dr. Ernie Ward’s clinical area of interest, pet obesity. He and co-host Beckie Mossor, RVT are joined by Kat Sutherland, BScH, MSc, a PhD candidate from Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph to discuss an important study she’s undertaking with Dr. Jason Coe. Viewfinders, you can help!

The discussion begins with what weight bias and stigma is, how it is learned, and how it may affect our clinical recommendations and outcomes.

The trio discuss tips and advice to help your veterinary clinic team better communicate pet obesity to pet parents.

Viewfinders, there’s A LOT to process in this episode. We hope you’ll take the survey (and a chance to with $100! Canadian money, but, still…) to help us ultimately provide better patient carte. Thank you, Kat! (And what a pawfect name!)

CONTACT:

Kat Sutherland, BScH, MSc

Department of Population Medicine

Ontario Veterinary College

University of Guelph

Exploring veterinary professional-client communication related to pet weight

Veterinary Professional Survey

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9WQv1GscKazDhTU

Happy National Pride Month Viewfinders! This week we’re joined by Pride VMC’s Ernie Spencer, CVT, VTS (ECC) to discuss correctly using pronouns, and inclusion in veterinary practice. It’s good one!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT begin by emphasizing the importance of the recent Federal proclamation declaring June National Pride Month. Beckie asks Erin to share how this makes members of the LBGTQ+ community feel and Dr. Ward emphasizes the impact national declarations carry in society.

Erin shares tips on correctly using pronouns in the workplace and how to help a co-worker navigate the sometimes intimidating veterinary clinic cultures to encourage inclusivity.

Viewfinders, this is another important topic we believe needs more discussion within our profession. How is your clinic celebrating Pride month? How are you handling pronoun usage in your team? Share your experiences with us on Facebook or Instagram.

Perhaps one of the toughest challenges veterinary professionals face each day is maintaining a positive attitude. Positive work cultures begin with positive leaders, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Josh Vaisman, CCFP, MAPPCP spends his days helping veterinary professionals create positive work environments. A self-described “happy guy,” Josh shares his enthusiasm with the Viewfinders today - and we take this opportunity to tackle the toughest topics you’re facing each day!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT begin by asking how can we reach or influence negative bosses? What id they don’t want to embrace a positive or safe workplace? What’s an employee to do?

Josh then explains what a “psychological safe space” is and why your clinic needs one, pronto! (Hint: it’s something we’ve been talking about for years on the podcast, so the Viewfinders are well-prepared for today’s lesson!)

Josh details how anyone - and everyone - can find positivity in daily practice and what do to when you encounter negative vibes, poor managers, and toxic teammates.

Viewfinders, this is another excellent podcast you may want to play out loud in your treatment areas for “you know who” to hear! Let us know your thoughts!

Will the hit Disney Movie Cruella create in a surge in Dalmatians, Chihuahuas, or Chinese Crested dogs? Do media stereotypes about certain breeds or animals lead to painful cosmetic surgeries or stigmas? This week we tackle veterinary professionals and how to proactively respond to pet and animal media trends and movements. We go a LOT deeper than Disney this week, Viewfinders!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT chat about the recent portrayal of dogs in the Disney movie Cruella. The pair speculate on whether or not veterinary clinics will see an increase in Dalmatians, chihuahuas, or even Chinese Crested dogs as a result of their movie portrayals. Are veterinary professionals doing enough to educate the public on some of the potential health risks associated with these breeds? What can we do better?

This episode’s conversation includes how media portrayals can lead to breed stereotypes and perhaps cosmetic procedures such as ear cropping and tail docking.

There’s plenty of discussion on how emotionally demanding working in a clinic that performs cosmetic surgeries, declaws, or ignores certain breed-associated health risks can be for concerned vet professionals.

Viewfinders, these are important questions our profession needs to ask. While answers are few and perhaps even controversial at times, we hope this podcast encourages more solutions.

Has your veterinary clinic been ping-ponging between curbside, hybrid, masked service, and now something else? This week we discuss the real challenge of “change fatigue” in veterinary clinics and some creative ways to help.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT spend some quality time together on Memorial Day starting with talking about the nationwide shortage of the euthanasia drug, pentobarbital. Dr. Ward examines whether or not veterinary clinics should reevaluate inventory management of critical-use supplies and if “just in time inventory” should be reserved for less essential drugs. They also offer advice on how you can stay updated on drug shortages and supply issues.

Beckie tackles COVID vaccination in veterinary clinics and Dr. Ward reveals a recent Facebook discussion in which a veterinarian was challenged over a controversial COVID-19 vaccination opinion. Dr. Ward shares what every vet clinic should do today to prepare their teams for this increasingly frequent, and potentially client-losing, question.

Beckie also explores some of the challenges veterinary professionals are facing as they “re-open.” She explains why “It must be nice…” should never be said in a veterinary practice.

The pair explore the importance of offering time off for self-care and morale boosting, especially during overwhelming workloads. Dr. Ward retells a recent colleagues question about closing down for a few days and how they made it work.

Viewfinders, thanks again for listening! We hope you had a restful and restorative Memorial Day and took time to thank those service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we cherish.

How far is too far for veterinary professionals to offer pet care advice? Should veterinary professionals offer unsolicited advice? If so, what are the best tactics? What are the risks? This week we discuss this and a WHOLE LOT MORE!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT tackle the topic of if or when should we stick our “professional noses” into pet parents’ business? When is it appropriate or not? This episode is as painful as a prong collar on a Shih tzu… and, yes, we go there, too!

Beckie kicks things off by retelling a recent trip to a pet store in which she couldn’t help but offer unsolicited (and free!) advice on a chew bone purchase. You’ll have to listen to find out how it ended. (Hint: Dr. Ward describes it as “tossing a hand grenade behind your back as you leave the pet store!”)

Dr. Ward shares the colorful names he was called when he intervened after witnessing rather rough treatment of a dog during a run an dBeckie reminds us of a past episode in which we discussed questionable care on an airplane. So much business to stick our noses into!

Dr. Ward shares his top communication tactic he always employs whenever offering advice, so be sure to let us know if you’ve tried his advice with your clients or pet parents.

Viewfinders, this is another tough topic with no easy (or clear) answers, but we share loads of practical tips and assistance.

And a huge thank you to everyone who leaves us 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts! We read them all and you make all the time and effort to make this podcast for the past 4.5 years worthwhile. If you haven’t yet, please do us a favor and leave us a review! It means the world to us!

Are veterinary medical associations, state veterinary medical boards, and veterinary practice acts only giving veterinary technicians "lip service" when it comes to participation and power? This week we tackle the topic of fair representation (or lack thereof) of licensed veterinary technicians within veterinary medical organizations and regulatory agencies.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT share their recent conversations with vet techs from around the country at Vet Team Global Stream 2021. Many expressed concerns that vet techs continue to be marginalized and largely ignored within the majority of veterinary medical organizations. We believe that needs to change.

Beckie gives the Viewfinders updates on vet tech issues and legislation from several states, including a potentially controversial move in Colorado. She also gives brief status reports from California, Minnesota, Montana, and other states. And she tells us what's REALLY on her mind!

Dr. Ward expresses the need for more representation and voting power by vet techs at the AVMA (and Beckie apologizes to AVMA President Dr. Kratt for her persistent lobbying on this topic!) and why expanding the legally permissible roles of vet techs could help ease the shortage of veterinarians and boost innovation.

Viewfinders, once we again we're hoping to catalyze conversations for positive change throughout our profession with this wide-ranging discussion. Share your thoughts with us on social media!

Are we inadvertently confusing our clients by using vague terms and acronyms on our invoices? What about unclear communication in the exam room? Do different veterinarians recommend different drugs or preventives, leaving support staff to decipher? This week we tackle a constellation of confusing communications in veterinary practice.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT begin by discussing a Mother’s Day dilemma in which Dr. Ward’s mom was utterly confused - and upset - by her dentist’s invoice. A medical term with our context led to almost losing a client and certainly sparked some neighborhood complaining.

The pair share tips on avoiding invoice and written communication misunderstandings, why plain language wins in the exam room, and the importance of having unified product and protocol recommendations in your practice.

Viewfinders, we believe this is another topic that occurs much more frequently than we wished. Beckie sums it up by explaining why “Yes” or “No” is rarely a good answer from clients and how we can learn from “comical communications” and misunderstandings to become better communicators.

Loud barking, pooping in parking lots, parking space tensions, and employee smoking breaks can test a veterinary clinic’s relationship with neighboring businesses and homeowners. This week we discuss how you can be a good veterinary neighbor.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT begin with a legal case in which a neighbor sued a veterinary clinic for excessive noise. The duo discuss how to help reduce the inevitable noise associated with caring for animals, and ways to ease potential misunderstandings (and legal actions).

The pair also talk about the importance of poop patrols, how to keep your clients from taking their pet for potty breaks on your neighbors’ lawns, and staff parking lot drama. Dr. Ward shares his tip to prep (and reward) his business neighbors before busy holidays and Beckie encourages practice leaders to introduce and get to know their neighbors.

This is a jam-packed conversation that will spark conversations and inspire solutions in your practice to this very real-world challenge.

Viewfinders, have you had any issues with your neighbors? Share your stories on our Instagram or Facebook pages! Talk to you next Wednesday!

Change and progress are inevitable, especially in veterinary medicine. But what happens when your clinic boss, manager, or supervisor fails to keep up with medical advances and clings to outdated protocols and procedures? This week we discuss how you can help make positive procedural changes in your veterinary practice.

Host Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT tackle the topic of confronting and changing the attitudes and policies of a clinic’s leadership.

Dr. Ward shares his top tactics for presenting new medical information to reluctant staff members, why we need to bring more “solutions, not complaints” to management, and his favorite way to solicit feedback to improve an idea using a “On a scale of 1 to 10…” method.

Beckie discusses why we need to surround ourselves with smart people - and then listen to them! She also challenges vet techs to negotiate with leaders and her experiences in getting managers to accept updated procedures and treatments.

Finally, Dr. Ward reminds practice leaders that the first thing to maintain progress is to let go of hubris and ego and he explains why leaders that can say, “I didn’t know that!” excel above those who always have all the answers.

Viewfinders, this is a jam-packed conversation! How do you approach your boss or manager when it’s time to change? What have your experiences been?

Don’t forget to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a “Hello!” and 5-start rating. You’ll make our week! Thank you!

This week we are honoring the often unsung heroes of a veterinary clinic, the veterinary receptionists or CSRs!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT have a “Conversation of Celebration” detailing the many amazing and inspiring abilities of the support staff that allow vets and vet techs to be their best!

Dr. Ward Ability marvels at how veterinary receptionists are able to recognize pets by their family’s cars! He also explains how receptionists/CSRs CSRs represent the clinic personality, mission, and standards and are integral to client loyalty. He also explains why we need to train and pay our receptionists better.

Beckie shares her recent experiences taking both her sister’s and her own dog the vet and how a receptionist really made her feel welcome.

Dr. Ward shares why he believes our receptionists are so essential to a successful client experience because “they own:”

• The client’s first impression

• The first smile

• The first “Hello”

• Are asked the first question

• The last goodbye

• The client’s last question

• Provide the last reminder

Viewfinders, this week we hope you’ll take time to celebrate and recognize your clinic’s “Jack or Jill of All Trades.” Our veterinary receptionist are true multitaskers and multi-disciplinarians. Every day, they deal with conflict management, sometimes serve as grief counselors, and are responsible for emergency triage. All while answering phones, billing out, scheduling, and fetching meds - ALL WITH A SMILE! I’m exhausted reading this!

Viewfinders, let us know how you’re celebrating National Veterinary Receptionist Week!