Jessica Vogelsang

by Tyler Grogan, CVT

In 2017, I turned 26. Naturally, I started to realize I was creeping farther from my 20s and closer to my 30s. So what do many women I see do as they also notice their approach to a time when certain things may no longer be an option? You sign yourself up for a half marathon. I went throughout my year with the mantra, “This will be my Year of Accomplishment.” Running a half marathon was going to be the icing on the ever present in my mind birthday cake of my year. I trained (by running for a month, doing a 5k, running a day at Uncharted and occasionally having panic moments and jumping on the treadmill for 30 minutes once every month or so). Suddenly, November was upon me. It was time to run for 13.1 miles and not die (because nothing bad ever happens at Disney World). Was I ready? No way. Was I going to do it? You bet I was. [Read more…] about I Am Not a Runner

by Anonymous

I made a mistake. I am embarrassed it happened, but I can’t deny that it did. A patient was transferred to me after spending the weekend at the emergency clinic where she had been treated for possible diabetic ketoacidosis. The patient was stable, but since she had just started on insulin, I wanted to monitor her for the day. The clients called me every hour to ask how her dog was and making demands for treatment. It was a busy day and I was frazzled. When they came to pick up their dog, I was in the middle of two appointments. I grabbed a pharmacy bag from the fridge thinking it was their insulin, talked to them about a plan, then sent a technician in to discuss further monitoring of the diabetes. [Read more…] about What Happened When I Owned My Mistake

by Carrie Jurney, DVM DACVIM

Dr. Phil Zeltzman recently admitted to the room at the Uncharted Veterinary Conference that he suffers from a chronic condition with severe and repetitive flair ups: S.O.S, which of course stands for Shiny Object Syndrome. Phil went on to explain to the room a great and important goal setting strategy that he uses to manage this terrible burden. [Read more…] about Test All Shiny Objects Before Ingestion

by Tyler Grogan, CVT

Over the past several years, the importance of client experiences in veterinary practice has become evident and discussed in detail. The way we approach conversations with clients regarding everything from medical advice by the veterinarian to billing by our client care representatives can make or break your hospital’s reputation. The client experience is one of the most important parts of our profession, but I also feel our expectations about providing excellent client experiences may be skewed in the wrong direction. Many of the conversations I see and hear about client satisfaction in the veterinary hospital are based on the basic principles of customer service. But, when we provide excellent customer service using those principles, sometimes we still see those scary “1 star reviews” appear online with a lengthy anecdote about Fluffy’s heartbreaking diagnosis and how they felt rushed or misunderstood or confused. That’s why I want to stop teaching customer service and get back to where human medicine began — at bedside manner. [Read more…] about Getting Back to Bedside Manner

by Michael W. Miller, DVM

How many of us would be in veterinary medicine if someone didn’t reach down to pull us into this profession?  I owe my career to the first veterinarian who hired me as a part-time kennel technician before I even knew what a heartworm test was! After getting seasick on a deep-sea fishing trip my first semester of college and switching my career path from marine biology to pre-vet, I was desperate to spend time at a veterinary hospital.  I learned so much that first summer, but most importantly was the unexplainable gut feeling that this was where I belonged. I am so thankful that vet gave me a chance. [Read more…] about Reach Down, Reach Up