Veterinary Team Training

Saying goodbye is never easy, and unfortunately, the way veterinary professionals handle end-of-life care can sometimes fall short. This podcast explores practical steps that every hospital can take to enhance the care provided to both clients and pets during their most difficult moments.

Got an idea? Think you want to write a book? I'll explore my own journey and what you should know to get your book from an idea to print!  This podcast will review why to write a book, publishers versus self publishing, how much money you may make and how to advertise your book. 

Are you an introvert who feels like extroverts get more in life than you?  You're not alone. This podcast will dive into whether extroverts get more raises, better promotions or more perks in veterinary medicine. Let's look at the differences between these two personality traits.

Prominent leaders are frequently observed, analyzed, and written about. Managers, supervisors, and business owners often derive valuable insights from public figures to enhance their own leadership skills. This podcast examines the leadership qualities of Donald Trump, focusing on the first 30 days of his second  presidency term. It draws parallels between his actions as a leader and the actual skills needed to be an effective leader.

Do you want to ask for a raise? How about being utilized more in your current role? What about a promotion? Advocating for yourself is hard. This podcast reviews the basic steps to advocating for yourself so you can get what you deserve!

"I don't have time for a vacation." " No one else can do my job." "We're too short staffed to allow anyone to take a vacation." Stop making excuses on why you or others cannot go on vacation. Employers: Your employees need to go on vacation so have a good policy. Employees: Use your vacation time!  Owners/Managers: Stop making excuses. RESOLVE TO TAKE A VACATION!

Most people struggle to be kind to themselves. Without knowing it, most degrade, deflect, downsize and detract from who they are and their amazing accomplishments. The author of this podcast is notorious for it! Let's talk about healthy self talk and how little words can make a big impact on how we and others view us. We need to learn to be nicer to ourselves.

It's election time here in the United States and millions of individuals are voting, an action that drives change. Do actions really make change happen? What can you do if you're not in a leadership position to impact change in your hospital? Let's talk about action to make change in the veterinary profession.

Is veterinary medicine ready for a new vet tech position? Is the current state of our profession ready with all the tools and resources needed for it to be successful. In this episode I talk about what a mid-level practitioner is and my thoughts on whether our career house is ready for a new guest. 

We often think about toxic traits like gossiping, bullying, and negativity. What about those on our team that are carrying around hidden toxic traits that may not be as obvious? Maybe you have one of these traits and are contributing to a less ideal workplace. Let's dive into 4 of the less known toxic traits. 

Failure sucks. It doesn't feel good and in 2024 I have failed to complete most of my goals I set out to do. What is failure, how is it defined and how can we move past it when we do fail?

Do only the wealthy have good mental health or access to better resources? I created this podcast after a post on my facebook page sparked conversation around this topic.  I did a deep dive into research and share my thoughts along with the data of mental health, money and happiness.

Mentoring another individual can seem time consuming and too much responsibility. Many individuals back away from it because of that reason, but without knowing it most people are mentoring others every day. This podcast reviews what mentoring is and formal versus informal programs. You are likely a mentor to someone and you don't even realize it.

Veterinary technicians do not want to become veterinarians.  Every vet tech is tired of being asked "when are you going to vet school?" Never. We need doctors to support us, allow us to perform our job the fullest ability, and not live in fear we are trying to be veterinarians. Let's talk about supporting the vet tech profession instead of fighting it.

Delegation is not just about freeing up more time for yourself. It's about growing others!  Stop being afraid to delegate. You're not only holding yourself back, but you are stifling others as well!

The amputation of tails and ears are still fairly common in the United States. In most every other country in the world these practices do not occur or have been banned. What is docking and cropping and why is it still being done with such regularity here in the United States?  Are there any benefits? How often do injuries of tails and ears actually occur?  Don't judge the title alone. Instead, listen to the podcast in which I spent months pulling together data and studies to educate individuals on this topic. 

Yes, veterinary medicine costs a lot of money if you want the best care for your pets. However, compared to human healthcare it's a fraction of the cost. If you own a pet you must listen to this podcast as you will gain insight and an understanding into the cost of veterinary medicine and how you can help you and your pet.  If you work in vet medicine this podcast is also for you to help change the narrative that is hurting the profession.

How is the bar set in your hospital? Are you setting expectations too low where your superstar performers are sliding down to meet the low expectations? Is the level of expectations the same for all team members? Too often leaders start to move the bar of expectations lower to meet the poor performance of those on the team. When low expectations are set for some team members, this will eventually cause all team members to come down to the low bar.

How you decide to let someone go is a direct reflection of what type of leader you are. Do you terminate someone on their wedding day or the day before a much-sought after vacation OR do you terminate with empathy? Join me on this podcast as I recount way too many terminations without empathy and how you can let someone go with respect and kindness.

My YouTube vlog on this subject resonated with a lot of people...like a lot...more than I would have expected. It's individuals like the veterinary technicians who graduate with a degree and are told they can't perform the skills they are legally allowed to do OR the regional director who is micromanaged and who are not permitted to develop out new programs that would help the hospitals. Turns out, it's a plague in veterinary medicine and it results in people quitting and sometimes quitting the profession. While this podcast doesn't have all the answers, it offers a more in-depth view on why this is so common and steps you can do for yourself if you're in s similar position. 

I dislike when someone intentionally or unintentionally puts up barriers in front of others which results in them being blocked from their success. We don't talk enough about people being the roadblock to success. This podcast dives into the types of road-blocking people and shares some ideas of how to kick those roadblocks out of the way.

Short staffed? Concerned everyone is leaving the profession? Who isn't?! In this podcast I talk about the key things that ALL veterinary professionals really want in their job. And no, it's not petting puppies and kittens all day.

Most everyone I know in veterinary medicine has a side hustle.  But can you turn your side hustle into a real business? Is it worth it? I dive into my own experiences and what it's like to take a side hustle to your only source of income. 

One of the biggest stresses in veterinary medicine is the affordability of care. Veterinary professionals go into the field because they have huge empathy for pets and the people who own them. Unfortunately, when clients can't afford services this often results in huge stress for the veterinary teams. Is giving away your services for free the right thing to do? How do you stop feeling guilty about charging for medical care? While this podcast does not have all the answers it touches on a few concepts to think about and some systems to have in place to help clients in need.

Hospital leaders and doctors will often say, "We can't live without our veterinary technicians." Then the same hospital leaders and doctors will say, "We don't trust our vet techs, they shouldn't do that skill and anyone can be trained to do a vet techs job."  Utilization of the veterinary technician/nurse continues to be an issue worldwide. Why? I dive into some of the roadblocks and why it's important to start FULLY utilizing vet techs/nurses. 

Do managers expect more from their childfree employees? The answer is a resounding "yes". Let's talk about some data around this topic and things that managers and employees can do to ensure equality in the workplace. 

Breaks are not only required, but essential for employees. If you are in a leadership role, stop telling employees, "there's always something to do so sitting is not allowed" and encourage people to take breaks. If you are an employee, stop saying, "I have no time to take a break" and take your break! This podcast dives into data behind the importance of breaks and ways to have a real break instead of shoveling food into your face at lightning speed.

Unfortunately the way most people provide feedback to each other is simply terrible. However, when managers provide terrible useless feedback to an employee it causes distrust, resentment, self-loathing and gossip. This podcast is for everyone who wants to improve their feedback skills.  Stop giving terrible feedback where your employee is left confused and angry. Learn the steps to productive healthy feedback.

Anger is an important feeling, but did you know there's healthy versus unhealthy anger? Let's embrace anger in a healthy way. Healthy anger can help with burnout and other life challenges. Time to get angry!  

One point of contention I hear from many veterinary professionals is the divide between some doctors and techs. Let's talk about the key things to grow the relationship between any veterinary technician/nurse and doctor. 

I hear from so many managers "Gen Z is so lazy! They have no work ethic! They are the most difficult generation to manage!" Is there any truth to these statements? What do we need to do differently, if anything, to support Gen Zs?  Tune in to hear my thoughts on the generational divide. You'll be surprised by the data which may have you changing how you speak about younger generations.

"One toxic person can't really be that bad, can they? After all, it's my highest grossing doctor. It's my best veterinary technician of 20 years. How can we run a hospital without a practice manager? I can't afford to get rid of them! Sure, they are cranky and negative, but they are a high performer!" Too often I hear these statements from hospital leaders justifying why they retain one toxic employee. Can one toxic person ruin your whole team? Let's talk about some interesting studies and what to do if you have that one negative team member.

How should we manage the client that is screaming at us? What should we say? How should we act? I've been lecturing on managing difficult clients for almost 8 years now and wanted this podcast to include tips and tricks on how to deal with what I term the Exploding Bully client who is out of control. 

Stop blaming the profession for all its problems. It's time we all start figuring out what we each have the ability to fix and start fixing it. We ALL have influence over something in this profession; ourselves, our teams, and maybe even more. Complaining doesn't fix anything. Use that energy to fix what you have control over!

Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then you are contributing to them leaving the profession.  Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then your hospital is not as profitable as it could be. Fact: If you are not fully utilizing your vet techs/nurses/assistants then your doctors are burning out at a higher rate. I understand we are all short staffed, but the failure to utilize the team to their highest potential is adding to the shortage. It is a reason why people are turning OUT of the profession all together.  Let's talk about the complex issues of utilization, define some misconceptions about the profession, talk about why rolling back licensure is not a solution (I'm looking at you Washington) and what effective utilization looks like. 

There are some really terrible clients who bully, berate, belittle and harass the veterinary team for unjustified reasons. However, most clients are normal, nice human beings who love their pets and want the best for them. Unfortunately, many veterinary professionals have lumped all clients into the "clients are bad" bucket when that is not true.  This "clients are bad" mentality has resulted in many complaining about every little thing that a client does wrong. If a client asks about a charge on the bill, it leads to a vet tech complaining about that client for ten minutes. If a client asks to see a different doctor, they are labeled as difficult.  We need to stop treating all clients as the enemy. When we learn to embrace clients as part of our team we suffer less frustration and therefore less burnout. I talk about my own change in perspective over my 25 year veterinary career in this podcast.

The year 2023 is the "Year of the Vet Tech & Vet Nurse!" No one has actually proclaimed it but it's great seeing actual movement on so many important issues in our profession. We still have a long way to go, but this podcast talks about some of the great changes and steps being made as well as calls to action everyone in the profession. It takes all of us to make changes and every one of us can make a difference. https://www.vetteamtraining.com/

Unfortunately, there are too many crappy terminations being done by bad leaders. These are the terminations where the employee is not provided any information as to the reason, feels blindsided, and leaves the place of employment confused. Terminations are bad enough, but that doesn't mean we can't treat the employee with respect, kindness and compassion.  Employees should feel cared for, even during the termination process. 

I'm often asked, "how did you get started lecturing/publishing?" While there is no blueprint or foolproof method that works for everyone I talk about my own journey, thoughts and suggestions in this podcast to help those that may be interested in publishing or lecturing. The introvert in me would've never thought I'd actually enjoy lecturing but I'm so grateful for stepping outside of my comfort zone over 17 years ago. Hope this helps some of of you start your journey!

Let me be clear. Frenchies are cute. There's no arguing that. In fact, they, along with most brachycephalic breeds are some of the cutest dogs on the planet and some of the most popular breeds worldwide.  I went into veterinary medicine to save animal lives, to do no harm and to care about what's best for the animal. I'm tired of certain dogs dying simply because of how they look. In this podcast I talk about the importance of responsible breeding and argue that perhaps brachycephalics should stop being bred all together. The breed standards we have today specifically in the United States are killing many of these dogs. Why are we still cropping ears and docking tails? Why do we keep breeding for shorter noses? The question I ask is, "Is it what is best for the animal?"  Yes, rescue is a great option, but for individuals in certain areas of the world finding puppies are near impossible and some individuals are looking for certain traits (hunting, herding, retrieving) in a companion dog. Regardless of what dog you do decide to get make sure you consider the breed standards and ask "is it being bred to look a certain way because that's what is in the best interest of its health or is it being bred that way because it's appealing to people?" I am not a breeder. I have owned dogs from both rescue and breeders.

"I'm momma bear/poppa bear and they are my cubs" "It's like I'm managing kids" "We're like a family" All these statements make me cringe. Leaders and even team members need to realize they are a coach and part of a team, not a family. Coaches focus on individual performance and what's best for the team. I dive into the difference between the two terms.

How do you know if the veterinary hospital you are working at or thinking about applying to is a good hospital? What are the green flags? Too often we find red flags after we join a hospital. I list what I think are the most important green flags that represent the best of veterinary hospitals. I hope you find many of these green flags in your own hospital. 

I decided to jump into hot water and address two of the biggest topics for veterinary technicians here in the United States. Should we be titled registered veterinary nurse? Should we have a mid-level practitioner certification? I've never once provided my thoughts on any social media platform until now. This was an uncomfortable podcast for me to create but I decided to be brave. This quote in my podcast summarizes my thoughts on both, "It became a dilutional effect to a very important mission."  I looked at both of these topics from a project management standpoint looking at multiple factors.  I think it's important for everyone to stay up to date on important initiatives within our profession. Keeping an open mind and sharing thoughts with kindness is a must. I look forward to any thoughts about these topics.  

When I was younger I would say, "They shouldn't own a pet if they can't afford it." Decades later I no longer have that narrow opinion. I believe everyone (regardless of money) should own a pet, including the homeless. That said, it's a complicated topic. How do we help those who don't have the means to own a pet? Should we be helping? I jump into this topic with the statement I don't have all the answers, but wanted to challenge the view of "they shouldn't own a pet if they can't afford the best care." 

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS SUCK   The way most hospitals conduct their annual performance reviews is terrible. Once a year a manager sits down with an employee and vomits a slew of feedback at them. The employee is then expected to improve themselves without any guidance. Sometimes the employee's salary is adjusted without any rationale. A year later this horrible event is repeated. The manager can't figure out why there hasn't been any improvement.   For most hospitals, the way performance reviews are conducted NEEDS TO CHANGE. This podcast shares some ideas for change and ways to motivate rather than demotivate employees.

Everyone needs to be responsible for their own behavior. Claiming it's "just who you are" doesn't mean you have the right to belittle, berate, or bully others. Having high emotional intelligence is important for everyone. Let's talk about how to take responsibility for ourselves as well as how to manage those who are struggling to do so in our teams.

The veterinary technician career has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Veterinary technicians/nurses are doing more procedures, caring for pets on a higher level and are direct contributors to the hospital's revenue. And yet, salaries have largely gone unchanged. Hospitals and doctors still restrict the skills that veterinary technicians are trained to do. Roughly half of the general public is unaware that veterinary technicians/nurses perform medical procedures. Let's talk about advocating for the profession that my core and soul belongs to. 

Senior pets are special. Every moment with them is special. How can we help them when they come into our hospitals? Let's talk about ways we can provide the best care to our older pet patients. 

How the hell did I get here?! I ask that question several times a week. I was told there was no market for a veterinary leadership book so I took a leap of faith and self published Oops, I Became a Manager two years ago today (09/12/2020). Up until 2020 I mostly hid myself from the veterinary community, but once I published the book I had to put myself out there. It's been a fun, scary and crazy two years and I am humbled and in the debt of everyone who supported my little book with a unicorn on the cover. I decided to sit back and reflect on "how the hell did I get here" in this podcast starting with my wrong choice of college major and now sitting with a book that keeps making the best seller list and recently won a gold medal in the Reader's Favorite Book Awards. Pinch me. All I can do is say thank you. You are the reason I wrote the book and you are the reason a second book is coming soon.

What the heck is quiet quitting? Is it happening at your hospital?  Is it a good thing or bad thing? There's two sides to every story so let's dive in to this catch phrase created by individuals on Tic Toc. 

Here's your shift differential now good luck on the overnight shift. After more than a decade of pulling overnight shifts I realized one thing. Money can't buy sleep or quality of life. What else can we do for our overnight team members? Let's dive into some ideas to help support the overnight team.   Thank you to everyone who filled out my online survey where I asked, "Besides money, what else can we do for our overnight staff?" You came up with some great ideas!