Vet Times

Tag: Clients

  • 10 minutes

    10 minutes

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    I have been doing this for a little while; at a conservative estimate, I have carried out more than 60,000 consultations during my career. Sixty thousand. That makes me feel a little strange (and a lot old). For the majority of my time in practice, my allotted consulting time has been 10 minutes. Sixty-thousand 10-minute slots…

  • Freebies: do you need them all?

    Freebies: do you need them all?

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    Dan Amos

    I’m still recovering from #BSAVA17. My first time of going for all four days. I paced myself well and avoided the dual pitfalls of only eating free sweets and drinking free alcohol too early in the day. All went pretty well. Now it’s the post-congress time, the pictures of how much free stuff people got…

  • VN training contracts: do all sides know the deal?

    VN training contracts: do all sides know the deal?

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    Dan Amos

    As we face increasing the number of training practices (TPs) to get more student veterinary nurses through the system, it’s time to look at how the relationship between employer, practice and student works. The costs of being a TP are often cited as an issue to becoming one. In last month’s blog, I gave an…

  • Role recognition: credit where credit’s due

    Role recognition: credit where credit’s due

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    Dan Amos

    Bloggers Jane Davidson and Nick Marsh team up to consider how much of each task on a typical invoice for surgery would, and could, be undertaken by a VN or vet. It reveals how, despite its importance, the role of the VN goes unnoticed and unrecognised. When Jane suggested writing a blog together, I thought…

  • CPD – why we do it

    CPD – why we do it

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    The door closes behind the client and you breathe a sigh of relief. The last three appointments are booked off, and even with this extra unexpected cat bite abscess, you’re going to finish in time; you might be there 10 minutes late, but you’ll make it. That’s when your receptionist pops his or her head…

  • Be careful what you say

    Be careful what you say

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    Dan Amos

    I have been comparing our world to the “human” world, mainly in light of some interesting service from my GP. It made me reflect on what a great service we provide and why people have such trust in us. In the past few weeks, G (the husband) and I have both had blood tests. We…

  • An acceptable degree of uncertainty

    An acceptable degree of uncertainty

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    The second I put the phone down and lie back in bed, the uncertainty arrives. Initially, it’s just a nagging feeling at the back of the mind, but a few minutes later it’s in full flow, whirring around my mind, stopping me from sleeping: did I say the right thing? It was a very simple…

  • Good mental health – not just for humans

    Good mental health – not just for humans

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    Dan Amos

    Hollie has had a big month. She’s had surgery and now we’ve started behavioural therapy. To be fair, she’s generally a bit anxious as she hadn’t really been socialised at all until we got her at six years old – so she’s always been a bit behind the usual socialisation time frame. We cope with…

  • What goes around comes around

    What goes around comes around

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    Dan Amos

    For the first time in a very long time I am coping with the horror of horrors – a dog with an EC. A Buster collar. The cone of shame. Hollie (the Peke) had some facial surgery recently, and therefore has a cat-sized collar. I’ve long said I think selecting the right-sized collar and fitting…

  • Anti-science

    Anti-science

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    I gently squeeze the cat’s abdomen. There isn’t much to feel, but the muscles tense and the cat looks at me reproachfully. A tiny bead of bloody urine appears at its vulva and drips on to the consult table. “I think we’re dealing with cystitis here,” I said. Of course, technically it’s probably feline lower…