When I talk to people outside the veterinary professionI often hear how fun it is to work with animals. And yes, it’s a great perk of the job, but it’s not the animals that make the job meaningful to me—it’s the people.
As a vet, I get support The person–animal bond, already unique and powerful bond between pets and their families, in many ways: from keeping pets healthy through preventative care to managing acute and chronic diseases, to finish–of–life care.
Through this journey, I have arrived learn about their lives and families. AAnd I can also share my own experiences with them.
Pet care collaborators
For me, the most meaningful part of my day in practice is creating relationships with clients based on trust and mutual respect. This requires clear and open communication. But our conversations should not be limited to medical topics.
IIt’s important to slow down and take a few minutes to talk to our clients about how their day is, how their family is, or where their next vacation is. Over time, these minutes add up and move our relationship from doctor-client to pet care collaborators.
These relationships also allow us to see our clients in their most difficult moments—as we deliver a diagnosis of a chronic illness or guide them through making end-of-life decisions.–of–life care.
“I’ll never forget being invited to those places,” shared Chrstine Staten, DVM, MBA, veterinarian and owner of Adobe Animal Hospital in Tucson, Arizona, acknowledging the honor of being allowed to testify and help. take care of clients in their moments of sadness.
Strategies for building trust
This deep level of trust takes time to build, and it starts with our clients seeing what we do. Can’t have a face–in–deal with contact with pet owners and caution oryour job out of their view during the Covid-19 curbside service did it it is more difficult to establish deep relationships with clients.
In previous years, tomorrow–Conception clinics have become more common in small animal practices. They are received positively by most clients, and this is an important reminder of how important this transparency is.
The tomorrow–concept training maybe new to small animals medicine, it is not new to the profession. “One of the things I love about being a big animal is that everything we do is in front of people,” Staten said. “There’s a trust relationship that’s very strong between a large animal veterinarian and that owner, because they’re watching everything we do.”
No matter what animal we treat, educating our clients and giving them the information they need is part of building that trust. Staten encourages veterinarians to create partnerships with clients and not “gatekeep” information.
“Let me help you know why I do what I do, what you should do, when you do We need to be called, when you really need us to see, and when we can help you a little bit over the phone,” he said.
By teaching clients and allowMr to them to operate with some autonomy, we open the doors to transparency: The and the client understand that, when we say we need to see their personal petit is really important that we put our hands on the animal to maximize the outcome.
Encourage teams to build relationships
While veterinarians play an important role in caring for pets and their people, the best client relationship involve the whole team. Encouraging our staff to engage in client education and communication will help also give a deeper meaning to the work they do.
This article is part of our Stay, Please series, which focuses on providing resources (as identified in our Stay, Please retention study) to retain the 30% of all veterinary professionals who are considering leaving their clinical practice. Here at AAHA, we believe you are made for this work, and we are committed to making clinical practice a sustainable career choice for every team member.
Photo credit: © AAHA/Mickey Thomas
Disclaimer: The views expressed, and topics discussed, in any NEWStat column or article are intended to inform, educate, or entertain, and do not represent an official position of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors this.