Our biggest mistakes and the lessons we learnMay 27, 2019Is there ever a day when you don't make a mistake? Sometimes it's as tiny as Cheyletiella; other times, it looms as large as a pachyderm. A classmate and friend of mine from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 1980, the late Drew Turner, DVM, had a well-known father who was a beloved pastor from a large church in Seattle. A popular Seattle Times religion columnist and a gifted speaker, the Reverend Dale Turner had a quote about mistakes that I kept inside my day planner: "It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes, and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character." I recently made a major mistake. Not my first, but one of my worst, and especially egregious because of the increased awareness of the pressures our profession faces and the problems of depression and suicide. An honest mistake I'm a voracious reader and consumer of news. I forward the links to as many as a dozen pet or veterinary-related articles to my trusted decades-long communications director every day. …
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Is it time we change our tune on telemedicine?May 24, 2019At some point, our profession got it into its collective head to start hating on telemedicine. Perhaps it was the image of non-veterinarians armed with third-tier vet tech degrees hunched over laptops banging out answers to questions they have no business fielding. And in their pajamas, no less! It's a mental picture my state's association—the Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA)—is advancing this legislative season, as it seeks to limit telemedicine's reach into Sunshine State living rooms. And Florida is by no means alone in its quest to curb the telemedicine industry's growth. Most other state associations also are seeking a legislative solution to the perceived threat posed by online veterinary services. Telemedicine was front and center at American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA's) House of Delegates (HOD) meeting in January, the findings of which they'll likely present at this summer's conference in Washington, D.C. These are the best minds our profession has at its disposal, grappling with issues as fundamental as the nature of the veterinarian-client-patient-relationship (VCPR). It all comes down to the hands In its wariness of telemedicine, professional organizations like AVMA and state veterinary medical associations (VMAs) argue the definition of VCPR is at the heart of the …
What happens when big veterinary merges with big dataMay 7, 2019It's not just Facebook and Google. It's also Big Veterinary Supplier, Inc. What do I mean by that? Data is a huge source of income for all three. So much so, they're making use of private information we diligently collect and, in some cases, they're using it to compete directly against us. Veterinarians are not immune As our industry becomes increasingly consolidated, it's also adopting some of the habits with which other industries are plagued. In the case of data mining, it seems they're getting more aggressive about it, and seemingly less likely to back down when confronted with evidence of their transgressions. Here's a recent example of what happened at my clinic: Until recently, I was the reluctant user of a large-scale online pharmacy, which was integrated into my clinic's website. In return for a small commission, I'd send my clients to this site when they expressed interest in buying products or medications online. To be clear, I knew the Faustian bargain I was entering into: My clients were theirs to contact and do business with for as long as I said it was OK. My reasoning was that I'd be losing out on these sales anyway. I …
Nine tips for tidying up our practices this yearApril 17, 2019If it doesn't bring you joy… throw it out. It's an inexplicably alluring (if slightly depressing) code to live by. Championed by professional organizer Marie Kondo in her wildly successful book, The Life-Changing Method of Tidying Up, the eponymous KonMari approach to organization urges us all to examine the impulses tethering us to things that don't really matter. Among other human urges that define spring as a season (procreation comes to mind), the drive to reestablish control over our lives plays a prominent role in our culture. Maintaining our homes and workplaces clean, tidy, and ordered represents a psychological thawing of our winterized brains and a resurrection of our normal daily activities. We as veterinary professionals experience much the same as it applies to our workplaces. As the busier seasons approach, many of us take stock of what we have and seek to improve our environment. Tidying up à la KonMari, with an eye toward getting rid of what doesn't serve us, is how I'm managing my life this year. To that end, here are this year's things to tackle and tips for tidying, as I seek to tame the chaos that inevitably builds over the previous year. 1) …
Why LGBTQ-friendly is business-friendly and good karma, tooMarch 22, 2019I'm one of those people whose hatchback is decorated with pet-themed bumper stickers—everything from Malinois silhouettes and silly cat faces to a cheeky "pugs not drugs" decal. To wit, my collage has never elicited anything but positive commentary in parking lots and driveways. It was only when I added one simple "equal" sign (you know the one, yellow on blue) that my cute and cuddly spread attracted any negativity. It happened in a Target parking lot during the holidays. The guy put his pickup in park behind my vehicle, exited his car and brachiated his disapproval––up close. "Learn how to drive, you f-ing liberal!" (For the record, he used the whole uncensored expletive along with a degree of hostility I hardly deserved.) Now, I may or may not have taken the parking space he was hoping I'd overlook, but that kind of thing only happens when you've touched more than just the "girl-got-your-spot" nerve. This guy probably does not like gay people––or anyone who likes gay people, for that matter. Which got me to thinking about my practice. At each of our two glass-doored entrances, I've affixed a similar gold-on-blue sticker next to our Yelp decal and the one …
Veterinary gender wage disparities—Why planet Venus pays less (and what to do about it)February 8, 2019Last July, the principal flutist at the Boston Symphony Orchestra filed a lawsuit alleging it had discriminated against her "by paying her an amount less than other comparable males." Though she records and performs more solos than the principal oboist (a comparable position in any symphony orchestra), she's paid 75 percent of what he makes. When I heard about this lawsuit, my brain veered directly toward veterinary medicine. Of course there's a wage gap, but surely there's more to it than that. As the French say, men and women are equal… yet different. No one can deny the biological, the cerebral, and the societal differences separating us. Our bodies differ, our brains vary, and our culture therefore perceives us in very disparate ways. This, it's clear, forms the basis for fundamental unfairness when it comes to compensation. Yet, there's more to it than that. This is what we'll have to grapple with if we're going to change things. And change them we must for our profession's sake. Mind the veterinary wage gap There's no arguing the fact of the gap. The 2013 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Report on Veterinary Compensation shows us that in 2011, female veterinarians in …
What's the deal with CBD?July 16, 2018Perplexed or annoyed by the consideration of medical marijuana in veterinary medicine? I was. As a veterinarian who finds controlled substances a total pain to manage, I was put out by the prospect of one more item I had to oversee meticulously.
What veterinary students want mostJune 25, 2018When considering improvements in veterinary students' education, veterinary colleges invariably focus on the subject matter of the veterinary medical curriculum. Everyone possesses some expertise in it and therefore believes he or she knows (arguably) what it should contain. However, to be an effective teacher, other attributes are necessary. Colleges should be giving more attention to the human dimensions of education. Recently, I participated in a study that allowed me to meet a number of current veterinary students and recent graduates and discuss their college experiences. This was not a statistically validated population survey; it was simply a collection of opinions. The results were interesting. Perceptions of the material content of the DVM curriculum and the professional and academic qualifications of the teaching faculty were pleasingly positive. However, respondents expressed concerns about rigid lecture formats, information overload, and the impersonal atmosphere of the classroom. What students wanted was a less homogeneous education that respected and accommodated them as individuals with unique backgrounds, needs, and prior learning experiences. Too often, students are persuaded that medical science is a set of hard facts, every detail of which must be memorized and recalled. However, scientific facts are seldom perfect or permanent; many in …
Why #metoo is for the vet professionJune 22, 2018It’s been 32 years since there was a 50-50 ratio of women to men entering the veterinary profession. Veterinary schools now report that more than 80 percent of their enrollees are female, and the percentage of women in the veterinary workforce tops 55 percent.
Should televeterinary medical practitioners be globally certified?May 8, 2018At the second annual Veterinary Innovation Summit (VIS), which concluded recently on the campus of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMUCVM), several of the veterinary startup exhibitors included a televeterinary component in their offerings, and it also was a common lecture and breakout topic. Currently, most state practice acts require a hands-on physical exam to create a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) before a veterinarian can provide any service that might involve animal diagnosis, prognosis or prescription. One of the breakout sessions featured Rolan Tripp, DVM, who spoke on the subject, "Should telemedicine practitioners be globally certified?" Following is an interview with Dr. Tripp about his presentation. How long have you been interested in telemedicine? I published my first futurist article in 1984, "Veterinary Telecommunications," and incorporated a business of the same name in 1986, so I have been interested in this field for quite some time. In that first article I predicted that high-speed broadband internet would be ubiquitous and global televeterinary medicine would be common by the year 2000. Why suggest a global standard now? Control at the state level made sense when every animal patient lived within a reasonable …
