It takes four Cs to be completely competentMay 23, 2019What would you do if you could design the perfect, well-rounded, multitalented veterinarian? Which traits would be required? What skills would be indispensable? Our Dutch colleague Roeland Wessels, DVM, has found the ideal recipe.* "Veterinarians (and their team members) are like diamonds. Their worth is defined by the four Cs. Those Cs don't stand for carat, cut, color, and clarity, but for clinical, communication, cooperation, and commercial skills." Let's go over each set of skills. 1) Clinical skills You are trained to provide excellent, evidence-based, state-of-the-art medicine. You are capable of diagnosing and treating patients—or accomplishing whatever your mission is at a veterinary practice. You have vast amounts of knowledge. Regardless of your education, you still need to improve or refine your clinical skills by reading journals and attending continuing education meetings. "Yet, veterinarians usually overestimate how important clinical competence is in the eyes of a pet owner. They expect you to be great, or they wouldn't even be in your exam room," Dr. Wessels explains. Ironically, some clients will brag more about the fact their pet has a 20-cm long incision with 23 skin staples than they will gloat about a tiny spay incision with no …
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WellHaven Pet Health welcomes veterinary telemedicineJanuary 11, 2019WellHaven Pet Health, a veterinary health management company, has agreed to implement Petriage’s telemedicine platform in all of its current hospitals.
VCA hospitals to offer Amazon Alexa voice command serviceDecember 11, 2018Pet owners can now receive health care reminders and book appointments at VCA facilities through Amazon Alexa.
Two-way texting service available for veterinarians and pet ownersOctober 24, 2018VitusVet, a client communication company for veterinary practices, has added two-way text and picture messaging to its services available to practices across North America.
Five steps to five-star client serviceOctober 11, 2018When your clinic provides an extraordinary client experience, which entails taking that extra step to help clients and their pets feel welcomed, supported, and understood, there’s no doubt your team is going above and beyond expectations.
Morning huddles: Little effort, max resultsOctober 10, 2018While some dread attending yet another meeting, others enjoy daily get-togethers. Daily, you might wonder? Yes. Daily, brief morning huddles can save time and improve practice communication and culture.
How to listen... and truly hearOctober 2, 2018There are several advantages to being a great listener, and not all of them are purely altruistic. Here are some of my experiences with the power of listening.
Make Facebook work for your clinicAugust 16, 2018Social media is an important tool for any business today, including veterinary medicine. According to Statista, more than 81 percent of the U.S. population has at least one social media account. Importantly, 68 percent of U.S. adults use Facebook, and of that group, 74 percent of them access Facebook daily. When Americans access their Facebook accounts, they spend nearly 20 minutes per session on the platform.
Why mastering soft skills equals success in the veterinary fieldAugust 14, 2018In veterinary school, students learn hard skills, the tangible, technical assets that allow us to perform our jobs. Mastery of these skills is vital, but so is developing a complementary set of skills: soft skills.
Taking the fear out of anesthesiaJanuary 19, 2018During a checkup, you identify dental disease in a senior pet and explain the need for treatment. The pet owner declines care. In situations like this, veterinarians often blame price as the obstacle when fear of anesthesia may be the culprit.
