Veterinary medicine has a diversity and inclusion problem. While an issue that large may not be something most veterinary professionals believe they can solve, Dr. Valerie Marcano is committed to trying. 

This week hosts, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, are thrilled to introduce you to one of the founders of Pawsilbilities Vet Med, Dr. Valerie Marcano. Pawsibilities Vet Med is an organization created to provide mentorship to minorities, LBGTQ+, and other marginalized communities in veterinary medicine. 

Dr. Marcano shares her journey from growing up in the Dominican Republic, to moving to the Bronx as a teenager to becoming a poultry veterinary specialist. She shares the realities of going to veterinary school and practicing as a minority. Dr. Marcano explains how these experiences inspired her to encourage diversity and inclusion in vet med by providing mentorship and training opportunities for all veterinary professionals. 

Who would guess that choosing a software subscription or medical equipment could cause division and disharmony within a veterinary practice team?  

Join Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, in The Veterinary Viewfinder's latest podcast episode: "Who Decides What To Buy? Veterinary Team Decision-Making For Software and Equipment Purchases." 

This week our hosts delve into the critical aspect of choosing software and equipment in the veterinary world and discover the thought process behind these crucial decisions. 

With expert insights from Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, this episode sheds light on the complex dynamics of veterinary team decision-making and empowers practices to make informed choices. 

Gain valuable tips on aligning technology with practice needs, optimizing workflow efficiency, and maximizing patient care. Stay ahead of the game and elevate your decision-making skills with this engaging and informative podcast episode!

Viewfinders, what do you think? Has this been an issue in your clinic? How did your team or leadership handle it? Please share your experiences on our Facebook and Instagram pages or message us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com.

Who gets to go when it’s slow at your veterinary clinic? This week we tackle a tough topic rarely talked about, yet it happens in a variety of ways. Who gets to leave early can be divisive among your team if you don’t set boundaries and guidelines. 

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, begin with an overview of this seemingly innocuous issue. They share their own personal experiences, and lessons learned the hard way! This conversation is full of practical advice, and we think it should be shared with your clinic leaders!

Viewfinders, what do you think? Has this been an issue in your clinic? How did you handle it? Please share your experiences on our Facebook and Instagram pages or message us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com.

What happens when an animal needs emergency care, and you can’t contact the owner? What if you don’t have adequate equipment or medications? Do you tell the owner? What if that animal is under your care or being boarded? What about giving a boarding pet an anti-diarrheal without explicit permission? Viewfinders, this week we’ve got a multitude of ethical dilemmas concerning veterinary medical consent. It’s a good one!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, share stories from the trenches regarding sticky situations concerning the consent of care. Our anchors cover many moral and ethical issues, from boarding to emergencies to neighborhood kennels. 

 Viewfinders, this is an excellent podcast to share with your friends and colleagues. It will catalyze conversations to help you stay ahead of problems. Please share your thoughts on our Instagram and Facebook pages, or email us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! 

We talk a lot about the importance of rewarding and recognizing your veterinary team members, but what about celebrating them? This week we discuss the difference between benefits, incentives, and rewards and why all are essential in maintaining a harmonious and healthy workplace environment. Viewfinders, there’s much more to this topic than an “Employee of the Month” certificate!

Host Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, take a deep dive into what it means to celebrate veterinary clinic employees. Dr. Ward suggests “inspiring” should be an essential element of any celebration, and Beckie offers real-world tips for highlighting team members.

Viewfinders, what are some of the ways you celebrate your team? Share them on our Facebook or Instagram pages at Veterinary Viewfinder, or email us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com.

As PRIDE Month comes to a close, we wanted to share our thoughts, experiences, and tips for being a better ally for the veterinary profession’s LBGTQ+ community. 

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, reveal their experiences and learnings from their own LBGTQ+ advocacy efforts. Dr. Ward shares lessons from his political campaigning and Beckie reviews how she has grown in her allyship efforts.

Have you ever talked smack about another veterinary clinic? Have you ever had a client bad mouth their previous vet? This week we examine how we talk about our veterinary colleagues and how we may be inadvertently “talking trash” about each other.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, explore the intentional and unintentional ways our comments and questions may negatively impact our colleagues. From clients questioning prior care to veterinary professionals publicly dismissing others’ opinions and actions, this episode features a bevy of thorny ethical and moral dilemmas.   

Viewfinders, how we treat each other affects our personal and professional self-esteem and joy. While we point out that we’re not against speaking out when negligence or malpractice occurs, we question how seemingly innocent remarks can “throw a colleague under the bus.” 

Viewfinders, this is another good podcast episode to share with your colleagues and friends!

Do you have a boss or manager who constantly checks everything you do? Do you feel excessively supervised? Does your boss tell you what task needs to be accomplished and by when… but then watches your every move and frequently criticize your work and processes? If so, you may be micromanaged.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, begin this podcast by defining micromanagement in the veterinary clinic. They discuss a micromanager's typical traits and actions and why some people are more likely to micromanage than others. They explore how harmful - and counterproductive - micromanaging can be and the negative impacts on team morale and job satisfaction.

Our hosts share techniques for talking to a micromanager, reducing the anxiety-creating impacts of a micromanager, and how you can foster a trusted, collaborative workplace.

Viewfinders, this is an excellent conversation to share with your entire team. It's also a great one to share with a micromanager (anonymously, of course!). 

Please share your experiences and thoughts on our Facebook and Instagram pages or email veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com.

“Sweetie, can you help me?”

“Hey, Doc, can you check this out?”

“Honey, that’s very kind of you.”

Do any of these terms make you feel disrespected? Uncomfortable? 

It doesn’t matter why; if terms like these make you feel uneasy, you’re entitled to speak up. This week, we discuss inadvertently hurtful words and phrases that veterinary professionals frequently encounter in practice. We also discuss ableist language and how you can become a more sensitive a respectful communicator.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, explore the world of words meant to help but may accidentally harm. They discuss common terms to discuss with your team along with ways to politely - and civilly - let others know a term is upsetting. 

Viewfinders, this is an excellent conversation to share with your team. Please share your experiences and comments with us on our Facebook or Instagram pages or veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com.   

Veterinary appointment no-shows can wreak havoc on your schedule, decrease revenue, and lower team morale. This week, we examine strategies for dealing with veterinary clients who fail to show up for their appointments.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, tackle the too-common problem of veterinary appointment no-shows. Dr. Ward shares the history of strategies to deal with no-shows over the past 30 years and why the issue is more critical than ever.

Beckie offers several solutions to curbing and controlling no-shows and chronically late clients. 

Our hosts discuss solutions that have been successful and additional problems created by late and no-show clients. They also review if they believe it is getting better or worse.  

Viewfinders, share your thoughts and experiences on our Facebook or Instagram pages or email us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com

This is another conversation about violence in veterinary clinics that we wish we didn’t have to have. This week we want to discuss some of the lessons veterinary professionals can learn following the fatal shooting of a veterinary team member at the Shively Animal Hospital in Kentucky.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, discuss the growing threat of workplace violence in veterinary clinics and steps to take to prepare your team.

Dr. Ward recounts his personal experiences with gun violence and the staff training he implemented in his veterinary clinics after his first encounter as a young veterinarian. 

Beckie calls for more conversations with team members on how to respond to threats, and both hosts call for more attention to the issue from national organizations such as NAVC. 

Viewfinders, have you been the victim of workplace violence? What steps are you taking to keep your staff safe?

The video and article Dr. Ward refers to in the podcast can be found here.

Viewfinders, we've got lots of questions about swapping stuff with other veterinary clinics! Chances are you've asked to borrow or been asked by a neighboring veterinary clinic for medications or supplies you've run out of. How do you charge for them? What happens if you discover your price is significantly different than your competitor's? Do you even send clients to another practice or business to pick up something you're out of?

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, tackle the tough - and surprisingly complicated - the topic of sharing meds and supplies with nearby veterinary practices. From delivery charges to who asks and answers, this is another wide-ranging conversation that starts on borrowing medications but ends up discussing employee benefits. Viewfinders, we think you're going to enjoy this one!

Please join us in congratulating Beckie on her latest adventure as President of the Veterinary Technician Program at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina! Hooray! We wish her the best of luck!