Vet Times

Tag: Clients

  • The messiness of medicine

    The messiness of medicine

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    My career has taken a very academic turn recently; I’m now a resident in clinical pathology, after (mutter mutter) years in general practice. It’s been a huge change and enormously interesting, and one of the things that has surprised me greatly (and said with caution, given I have general pathology exams looming) is how much…

  • Buying or selling a vet practice, part 1

    Buying or selling a vet practice, part 1

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    Last time we looked at some hurdles owners of veterinary businesses have to overcome in finding their way to the exit door. However, once you have one hand on the door handle, what can you expect to follow? Practices that have been on a “buy and build” strategy will be familiar with the acquisition process,…

  • Home visits: a window into curious clients

    Home visits: a window into curious clients

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    It is a truth universally acknowledged – people are weird. It’s something that becomes clear within a few days (or even hours) of any job that has significant interaction with that terrifying, unpredictable section of humanity known by the strangely bland collective term “the public”. Actually, it’s pretty clear in almost any job – except…

  • New year, new me

    New year, new me

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    Kele Harris

    To many new graduates, beginning a new year without a job would be cause for concern. For Jordan, however, it was a huge relief, having realised her first place of employment was, overall, a bad fit.

  • Calling in consults (reprise)

    Calling in consults (reprise)

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    This is a sequel of sorts to my post from early December, where I talked about the different strategies for calling in clients for consultations – the pitfalls, the advantages. It was well-considered and logical. Here’s an example of why, in general practice, logical and well-considered can be about as useful as the Dalai Lama…

  • Is a non-clinical RVN still an RVN?

    Is a non-clinical RVN still an RVN?

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    Dan Amos

    Let’s start off this new year with a “State of the Nation” review. After all, in the murky half-light of January it can sometimes feel sluggish and gloomy if you’re uncertain about things coming in the future. So, let’s banish these feelings (at least for a little while) – where are we now for RVNs?…

  • Pitfalls in the waiting room

    Pitfalls in the waiting room

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    They say never work with children or animals, but I suspect whoever said that didn’t have much of a career in veterinary medicine (or as a paediatrician, come to think of it). In any case, they’re wrong – animals are the easy part. Instead, the question that crosses my mind as I take sink into…

  • Abusive clients

    Abusive clients

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    Dan Amos

    I’ve read some of the reports of vets suffering abuse from clients and it’s upset me on many fronts. First is the misuse of the term “abuse”, but that’s something I’ll leave for another blog. My main issue today is that, as veterinary practices, we have it within our control to resolve many of the…

  • Social media – a blessing or a curse?

    Social media – a blessing or a curse?

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    Kele Harris

    An experienced vet warned me to stay off social media as a new graduate, because comparing yourself to others “drains your confidence”. I’m not sure I agree. As with anything, there are pros and cons to the new age of communication, advertising and sharing information that is social media. Not just in veterinary, but in…

  • Why do we suffer more?

    Why do we suffer more?

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    We lost another colleague recently. I didn’t know them personally, but I have seen the many statements of grief, shock and disbelief left in the wake of their passing, and have been deeply saddened to think of another member of the veterinary profession finding themselves in a place where they felt there was no other…