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In this bonus episode of the Uncharted podcast:
What should you be doing right now to prepare your clinic for, or deal with, COVID-19? Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss break it down into actionable steps.

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10 COVID-19 Action Steps Your Clinic Can Take RIGHT NOW

1. Survey your team to determine who might be in a high-risk situation & who could be affected by school closure.
2. Develop an updated hospital cleaning policy (especially in exam rooms).
3. Stock up on supplies and have a plan on how to get more if needed.
4. Clearly state your sick policy to your staff. When should they stay home?
5. Cross-train and write down protocols – share information to increase staffing flexibility.
6. Develop a plan for a positive COVID-19 test among your staff/clients.
7. Develop a plan for fluctuations in your business (either increased or decreased caseload).
8. Waiting room management – minimize people spending time here. Update cleaning protocols.
9. Provide access to information and support to clients that doesn't involve them coming in (phone, text, telemedicine, blog, social media, etc.).
10. Train your staff to answer client questions about COVID-19 and their pets.

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To help you find the most up-to-date and relevant information on COVID-19, here are some resources we trust:

Information from the AVMA on how to address the COVID-19 virus from a veterinary standpoint: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19

WSAVA Addresses Coronavirus: https://wsava.org/news/highlighted-news/the-new-coronavirus-and-companion-animals-advice-for-wsava-members/

CDC on animals/pets (in the FAQ section): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

We invite you to take a peek into part of what makes the Uncharted Veterinary Community so unique: our members! We sat down to interview some of the amazing people who have joined us on our amazing journey since the first conference in 2017. This week’s interview is with the positively wonderful Dr. Keri Elliott from Southern California! As a newer member of the online community, Keri has already contributed fantastic advice and positivity to our group. Enjoy!

For anyone who doesn’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself? 

I am fiercely loyal and very committed in all things. I am married to my best friend and partner in this adventure called life, and together we are navigating the uncharted waters of raising 4 lovely yet determined children. I am a small animal practitioner by profession and all things water (SCUBA, swimming, and just playing) by play. I am an extrovert with those who know me, but I get quiet in large groups. Spend enough time with me and you will know my next move –predictable at best. In my defense, I have recently begun driving different routes to and from work. I am full of joy and love to get to know people and understand what makes them who they are, this helps me understand how I can encourage them later on. I am a cheerleader in life and a runner in sport. I will always choose joy and forgiveness and happily ever after.

What were you looking for when you joined Uncharted?

I started listening to Stephanie and Andy's podcast last January and the more I listened the more I realized, yeah that's my kinda people. I joined in hopes of improving my skill set specifically in human relations (clients, staff, friends, family). In addition to learning more fun ways to engage with other souls on this planet, I have gained a whole gaggle of awesome new people I think of as friends here at Uncharted. And wait, there is more! I have found a plethora of resourceful and kind people that are more than willing to help in every situation and at any time! What an altruistic and encouraging group of people!

Who is one of your favorite people you’ve met through Uncharted and why?

Why can I only choose ONE?!? Everyone is so awesome, but Saye Clement has been extraordinary and AMAZING. She is so compassionate and humble and funny and willing to help others. She has helped me through some tough days and for that, I am eternally grateful.

What is your favorite hobby and how did you discover it? Would you recommend it to others?

Running is my favorite hobby, but yoga is a close second. I love to be outside and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature (no headphones for me!). My sweet doodle joins me too, so that is a plus. I started running in high school and ran through college and vet school. It is a great stress reliever and helps me to work through my thoughts, reduce those knee jerk reactions and to be more proactive, plus you really can't beat that “runner's high!”

What is one thing you never thought you could do (or were afraid to try) that you’ve done since joining Uncharted?

I was bobbing up and down in the ocean of chaos that is veterinary medicine before joining Uncharted. As a college athlete, I always had goals and clear cut paths to achieve those goals, but with veterinary medicine, my only goal seemed to be to survive the day. After joining Uncharted and going through the strategic planning masterclass I realized how to set goals for myself and the team in the hospital. I have a passion for client education and one of my goals was to start a YouTube channel for my clients to have access to additional information on common issues their pets face. So far I have 2 videos uploaded. So much encouragement from such a great community keeps me smiling.

What is your end-of-workday guilty pleasure?

A hot bubble bath and watch a little TV (The Office and ER are two of my favorites).

Tell us a story of how another Uncharted Member has helped you.

I was having an exceptionally hard day and I reached out to Saye Clement via Workplace chat. I was thinking she might get back to me within a day or two. She immediately responded and her first question was if I was OK. As the doctor, rarely does anyone ask if I am OK. That is what I needed most at that moment and Saye was there and ready to help with a virtual ghost hug. For that small token of kindness and compassion, I am forever grateful and will make sure that I pay that forward as often as I can! But wait, there is more! On several occasions Ron Sosa has been extremely helpful in sharing resources such as templates for job descriptions and other documents that are needed in vet med hospital management, I haven't needed any spreadsheets, but he is the spreadsheet guru so just ask and he will share! Everyone is so supportive here!

Have you ever worked outside of the veterinary field? What was it like?

Before veterinary medicine, I had the pleasure and the joy of being a divemaster guide on dive boats in the Cayman Islands, specifically Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The beauty that is below the surface of the water is astounding and calming. I still try and get back there every 3-5 years to visit friends and the fish. Working with people on the dive boats taught me tons about making every interaction an experience to remember. The guests on the dive boat were on vacation, but they were also participating in a sport that has some risk involved. The skills I learned helping each guest enjoy their stay and have the best vacation ever, I have transferred to the exam room in helping each client and their furry family member has the best vet visit ever.

Is there anything we haven’t asked you about that you would like to talk about?

As homework for a recent class here at Uncharted, I was asked to look back at what I had learned. That sparked a thought about looking back to last year. Last year was tough for me for many reasons, but overall a hard year emotionally. I realized that a year ago, I often found myself crying on my to work and on my way home from work, too. The reason I realized this now is that here at Uncharted I have found a group of people who are going through the same issues (we all know how lonely it is at the top) and they are helping each other through these tough spots. This group is here to help each person grow, not to lay blame or tear down to further their own career or ego, they are truly here to help each other. This has been an avenue of positivity that I have needed and I am so thankful for it.

Since joining Uncharted I have found my joy for my job again. I laugh at work and laugh in the car, I sing and dance at work and fully enjoy myself, some of this has come from the liberation of a few toxic employees, but mostly understanding I can't be all things to all people and that is OK. Uncharted has helped me to gain some skills to build a better culture at work, at home, and at church. The skills I am learning here are universal and humbling and enlightening. I love to learn so I love everything about Uncharted.

You can join the Uncharted community and meet people like Keri by visiting www.UnchartedVet.com and joining our online community!

By Cherie T. Buisson, DVM, CHPV

You never know when something you put out there is going to help someone. Sometimes, it helps in a small way – you cheer someone up, inspire someone to take a baby step or make someone feel a little less alone. 

Sometimes, you save someone in a crisis. 

At the end of 2019, The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast pulled me back from the edge. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss were recording themselves talking to each other over the internet with no idea (as they often lament) as to the impact they were having. Although I told them at the time, I want to tell them publicly how much their work means to me.

In October, my husband had an MRI of his spine that was so bad, they thought he had cancer. The intense pain he’d been having was bad enough when he thought it was arthritis from decades of helping other people in his chiropractic practice. He was prepared for repetitive motion injury, osteoarthritis, disc disease. What he wasn’t prepared for was two radiologists telling him he needed an oncology consultation STAT. When he looked at his films, he was strangely subdued. I didn’t realize that to his experienced eyes, the films showed more than just an old, tired back. I thought he was merely having a moment of realization that he was aging. I thought the sight of his back on film made him sad. Then he told me his concern, and I was floored. I instantly thought he was doing what most of us doctors do when we are too close to a case – he was imagining the zebra while staring a horse in the face. When the radiologists agreed with him, I still couldn’t be convinced. 

We scheduled appointments with his current doctors and an oncologist. Derek is a prostate cancer survivor, and recurrence with metastasis was our worst-case scenario. Our happier options were lymphoma and multiple myeloma (you know things are bad when you’re hoping for these). We had to wait a week before getting in to see all of the doctors, and in that time we vacillated between imagining at least a couple more decades together and planning his funeral. I was still heavily in denial, my usually obnoxiously anxious gut refusing to get on board with a cancer diagnosis. I’m usually the first person to give in to panic in a situation like this, and I just wasn’t feeling it. I told him to tell me whatever he was feeling and not to hide anything from me. This was not exactly the best idea I’ve ever had. We rode the roller coaster (have I mentioned I loathe roller coasters?) for 3 weeks. 

The Friday before his first doctor’s appointment, my mind decided to accept that losing my husband to cancer was a possibility. I was driving 50 miles away to help a family with an emergency euthanasia. My chest was tight, and I couldn’t get a deep breath. My incredibly fertile imagination was birthing the most amazing images of death beds and funerals. 

I put on a podcast to distract my mind so that I could pull myself together. I love The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast, so I picked that one. My practice is a one-woman show with a relief vet once a week. I don’t have a staff to manage or contracts to negotiate, yet I use the wisdom from this podcast on a daily basis. It makes me laugh and makes me think. As I sat at a red light, I scrolled through the episodes and stopped at “41: Help! I’m Totally Overwhelmed.” 

If ever there was a podcast I needed, I thought, this sounds like it.

I tried to concentrate, but the bands around my chest just kept getting tighter. I started to wonder if I was having a heart attack. I fought with everything I had through the podcast, alternately listening, crying, and overthinking so hard that I had to rewind to catch what I’d missed. Then Andy shared some Navy Seal level wisdom, and like magic, I could breathe again. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the pain and panic that had me thrashing around inside my head. I lived the rest of the day 10 minutes or one task at a time. I was able to help a lovely family through the loss of a pet that was in crisis (a kindred spirit). I was able to drive home safely. I was able to spend a quiet weekend with my husband. On Monday, his primary care doctor expressed skepticism about a cancer diagnosis but agreed that a PET scan was in order. His urologist assured us that there was no way this was metastatic prostate cancer. The oncologist gave us an 80% chance of a good diagnosis. My breathing got even easier.

Three weeks after the MRI, we got word that his PET scan was normal. From his eyes to his thighs, there is no cancer. We cried with relief. Andy and Stephanie sent me flowers, and I was thrilled to thank them and tell them the good news. Our friends and family also breathed a sigh of relief that we had a good outcome. 

We’re so incredibly lucky, and we are acutely aware that the people around us are often getting the news we feared. Like most people who dodge a bullet, we vowed to stop putting off the things we wanted to do. Derek decided to retire from practice. We grew closer as a couple, for which I am eternally grateful. We both agreed to be kinder and gentler to our bodies so they last longer. We became more mindful about how we spend our time. 

As a veterinary educator, I often wonder how much I’m helping. Some days, I feel like I’m tilting at windmills. Other days, I feel like I’m really reaching people. Now I know that I will never hear about most of the people that I help. So, I decided to tell Andy and Stephanie exactly what they did for me. 

For all of you out there who put yourselves on the line, you are doing good in the world. For anyone who is vulnerable to another person in order to seek or offer help, you are doing good in the world. For anyone who is having a crisis and feeling the world close in: there IS good in the world, even if you have to fumble or thrash in the darkness to reach it. 

From now on, I will listen to the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast with a little extra joy and a heaping dose of gratitude. Though I’ve already reverted to some of the habits I vowed to give up, I will keep trying. I will put myself out there and make myself vulnerable in hopes that I will be able to give someone else the gift that Andy and Stephanie gave me. 

With all my heart, thank you.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Unchartedvet.com editorial team.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Cherie Buisson is one of the first Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarians in the world. She is an international speaker and author. She spends her time in feline-only practice, hospice practice and teaching other veterinary professionals about hospice, euthanasia and compassion fatigue. Dr. Buisson is the owner of Helping Hands Pet Hospice in Seminole, FL as well as the founder of A Happy Vet.