Is it a Dog-Eat-Dog World in the Veterinary Field?September 30, 2015Somebody once asserted that competition is for dogs and horses — a list that, in my experience, seems incomplete without one more category of competitor: vet students. As veterinary students we were cutthroat little nerds, were we not? We vied for seats in our class, for top marks, for scholarships, for summer jobs, for externships and internships, for top billing at graduation, sometimes for residencies, and, ultimately, for the best professional opportunities. Twenty years later, I’m grateful to have put that soul-sucking slog behind me. As if waking up every four hours to temp spoiled racehorses wasn’t bad enough, some of us found ourselves morally reduced to hoping our classmates were working at similar levels of sleep deprivation so we’d all look like zombies at rounds. While a case could and should be made for the utility of competition in such scholastic scenarios (OK, so maybe not that one), it’s only true to a degree. While an effective if crude means of motivation — spawning innovation and spurring laggards into action — competition has …
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16 Simple Stress Hacks for VeterinariansAugust 10, 2015Originally published in the August 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Loved this article? Then subscribe today! Let me begin with a disclaimer: I’m no expert on the subject of maintaining any sane sort of work-life balance. In fact, most of my attempts might read more like Grimm-style cautionary tales than models for successful veterinary living. That’s probably because, like most of you, I consider myself a semi-slave to this glorious profession. Indeed, there’s a reason why the twin maxims “living to work” and “working to live” seem synonymous to me. I like to call it “career-life dysmorphia syndrome,” a disease of the mind that centers on an inability to accurately perceive the boundary between the dual bodies that define our lives. Despite my disorder (or is it a character flaw?), I remain an indefatigable seeker of this aforementioned equilibrium. Who wouldn’t want to feel perfectly poised between a profession that provides stimulation and sustenance and a private existence that’s both meaningful and restorative? I do. Especially after the week I’ve had. Two back-to-back IMTPs, a mysterious jaw fracture (long story) and …
Do We Cater to Unconventional Clients?July 20, 2015Originally published in the July 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Loved this article and want to see more like it? Then subscribe today! Last month I wrote a column for my local paper on the subject of animal hoarding. As usual, I pushed the limits of my typical reader’s comfort zone by concluding with the question, “Could you be a hoarder?” Though you might think it an excessively combative approach for a weekly ask-the-vet column, aggressively confronting mental health concerns has served me well in the past. And as it turned out, it proved fruitful here, too. The day after the column ran, one of our clients openly disclosed that the column had impressed her. “I guess I’m a hoarder,” she acknowledged to our receptionist (and to everyone else within earshot, too). Which is something the rest of us already suspected. I mean, 19 cats and 900 square feet do not add up. Nor can the single income of the average American begin to address the myriad demands a household of 20 mammals (of any denomination) makes. In case you’re wondering, our receptionist responded pretty much the same way most of …
Goldilocks and the Veterinary ProfessionJune 15, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Do you recall “The Story of the Three Bears”? In it, Goldilocks tested the bears’ bowls of porridge; one was too hot, one too cold and one just right. This is much like the state of veterinary practice today as we debate whether we have too many, too few or just the right number of veterinarians. I facilitated a panel discussion on concerns about the future of our profession during the CVC East convention in Washington, D.C. in April. The event was supported by The VIN Foundation with the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics (www.svme.org). Participating in the day-long program were Dr. Dennis McCurnin; Mark Cushing, J.D., of Animal Advocacy Group; Dr. Paul Pion, co-founder of Veterinary Information Network (VIN); and Dr. Tony Bartels, MBA, who with his veterinarian wife have about $450,000.00 of student debt. Dr. McCurnin began by describing how our profession crept into its situation with statistics that show veterinary medical education is in a potential bubble. He pointed out that two new veterinary schools are operational this year and two more are planned in the near future, and noted that more foreign schools are being …
It's Time to Have the Pet Food DiscussionJune 12, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Like this article? Then subscribe today! I wrote a blog post several weeks ago on the subject of veterinary nutrition for pets. Not one to mince words, I made clear that I’ve become disillusioned by the state of veterinary science and education in the U.S. Citing our profession’s lack of independence from corporate influence as our foremost downfall, I argued that “Big Pet Food” has surpassed all other industry subcategories in this regard. It has effectively usurped our role as the scientific font on the subject in ways no pharmaceutical empire has ever achieved. But here’s the thing: The pet food industry hasn’t been content to simply take over the way others have done, appealing to our rapacious thirst for retail sales. Instead, it has done so in ways no pharmaceutical empire has ever achieved — from the inside out … one endowed chair at a time. What’s more, this Achilles’ heel is becoming increasingly apparent to stakeholders outside our profession, too. We may know lots about nutrition at the theoretical level, they say, but when it comes right down to it, most veterinarians don’t know …
The reality behind fake and counterfeit medicinesJune 12, 2015The matter of “fake” medicines has been gaining much media attention of late.1 This publicity followed the release of a special issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene dated April 20, 2015, which included 17 articles describing the damage that falsified and substandard medicines are doing around the world.
Confusing Credentials and DefinitionsMay 11, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News What do the terms “chiropractor,” “nurse,” “physical therapist” and “osteopath” all have in common? Other than all these words referring to human healthcare providers, they are all considered “protected” titles by their profession, at least in the United States. What this means is that those who claim to practice techniques such as chiropractic, nursing, physical therapy and osteopathy should hold a license in that field. Nonetheless, mistakes happen. A few years ago, the president of the American Chiropractic Association told a reporter for a national news outlet “a chiropractic treatment plan may include physical therapy.” This drew an icy response from the director of public and media relations at the American Physical Therapy Association, or APTA.[i] “’Physical therapy’ is not a generic term,” he said. “It describes only those services provided by a licensed physical therapist. Chiropractors may provide some of the same treatment modalities as physical therapists, but they should portray their services as chiropractic and not as ‘physical therapy.’” Along similar lines, it would seem prudent for veterinarians and veterinary technicians who perform techniques such as therapeutic exercise, ultrasound therapy and functional restoration to …
My Top 10 Regrets After 20 Years In PracticeMay 1, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News This May, my 1995 colleagues and I celebrate 20 years of degree-wielding, oath-toting veterinary professional wonderfulness. We have survived. And we are all awesomer for it. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have any regrets. We all have regrets. Those who say they don’t are either inhuman or belong to the category of people who find it emotionally expedient to ignore certain words’ definitions. For my part, I relish regrets –– well, sort of. Ruminating over life’s disappointments and missed chances may not be fun, but it sure does make the future run a whole lot more smoothly –– that is, if you do it right. With that last bit in mind I offer you here a rundown of my top 10 biggest regrets. No. 1. Not undertaking an internship Sure, I made do as a trialed-by-fire newbie. But it wasn’t always pretty. Mentorship via technician (no matter how experienced) simply isn’t appropriate –– much less in an ER setting with no veterinary ground control for guidance. There’s no doubt my transition into private practice would have gone more smoothly had I either. But there’s more to this issue …
Free & Fair Competition?April 17, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News? Not a subscriber? Subscribe today! I became a practice owner last October. As I’ve confessed on this back page before, I came to this decision only reluctantly, knowing as I did that practice ownership would demand a considerable lifestyle change –– temporarily, at least. Several months in I’m finally starting to feel the ground back under my feet. That’s in no small part because I made the considered decision to take on my practice manager as a business partner. After all the you-this-me-that back-and-forthing and the stressful sign-on-the-dotted line, not to mention the drain on every last bit of financial reserve I held dear, I can finally say it’s the one decision that's kept me halfway sane over the past 10 months. Indeed, her unwavering awesomeness probably explains why I did a double-take when at a recent party a colleague inquired whether I had concerns about “getting into bed” with a non-veterinarian. I could have done without the unwelcome insinuation that there’s something dirty about co-owning a practice with someone who doesn’t possess a veterinary degree. But what really impressed me was that the legality or …
The Biggest Winners and Losers of 2014March 6, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Dear colleagues, we are gathered here today to bid farewell to yet another banner year of paddling about in this fish pond we call the veterinary profession. And what a year it was! As you look around the room, you’ll see plenty of clients, friends, co-workers, classmates, competitors, mentors, instructors, researchers, drug reps, supply vendors, pharma execs, industry leaders and maybe even journalists who have influenced your professional lives over these past 12 months. While the memory of most may bring a tear of remembrance to your eye or a broad smile of appreciation to your lips, some are more likely to elicit a sigh or a scowl as you recall their missteps—political, practical, scientific, economic, ethical or otherwise. To be sure, every year has its host of winners and losers, most of whom we’d rather ignore, so intent on treading pond water as we are. But as I scan the room from atop the bully-est pulpit my 4-inch heels will afford, I find it difficult to withhold my own assessment of the landscape (no surprise there). To that end, here’s my take on the best and worst of …
