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Everything I Know About Gardening I Learned in a Veterinary Clinic

In May, we launched our brand new group Plant Parenthood in the Uncharted Veterinary Community and it has really blossomed! Everyone has been sharing tips and tricks about gardening, and an abundance of photos of their plants. One of our Community members shared that this was her first year planting her own garden. She pulled her knowledge from caring for pets in the clinic to help her get started. Here is her story about how everything she knows about gardening she learned in a veterinary clinic:

variety of small plants
Credit: Mara A., Uncharted Veterinary Community

“All winter I have obsessed over my new little garden in St Jacobs, Canada, and finally it should be warm enough to plant this weekend.

I know nothing about plant parenthood so am applying mammalian biology to my new patients and mostly getting away with it.

Avoiding under or over feeding or hydrating makes sense. ✅

I also thought it wise to avoid dwarf or weeping plants but cannot resist anything golden. I'm currently trying to socialize my seedlings by leaving them on the balcony every day for a week. Planting the Creeping Jenny on the wall in the back where she will have lots of room to play and the succulents in the front where they can relax in the sun.

The professional breeder's plants are the healthiest, the sick ones are from the market, and my home grown seedlings appear stunted. ?

Did I miss any ‘everything I know about gardening I learned in a veterinary clinic' ideas?

Explore groups like Plant Parenthood, Management, Practice Owner's and so much more with an

Uncharted Veterinary Community Membership!

Invasion of Privacy – When Clients Ask Your Vaccine Status

Uncharted Veterinary Podcast Episode 126 Invasion of Privacy - When Clients Ask Your Vaccine Status

What’s This Episode About?

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Practice Manager Stephanie Goss tackle invasions of privacy – what do we do when veterinary clients ask the team “Are you vaccinated?” If you don’t want your team to have that deer in the headlights look, listen in to the discussion Andy and Stephanie have about not only what to say and how to say it but some cautionary thoughts for making sure you are protecting the privacy of your team.

You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Discussion Points We Cover

  • Please do not be caught off guard by this question. If it hasn’t happened yet, it will! Clients want to protect themselves AND this is a source of small talk as we all begin to re-enter the world and start sharing airspace again.
  • Andy suggests a great idea to consider with your team – what if clients ask if you are vaccinated and on the flip side, what if they ask why DID you get vaccinated? Having these conversations with your team early and often will help them start to wrap their brains around both sides.
  • Just because this is likely to become more common, doesn’t mean the invasion into their personal lives is right or acceptable. Your team needs to have a common approach that everyone can use, regardless of their personal stake in the situation and their personal opinions. They aren’t representing themselves, they are representing the business.
  • Your team has a right to privacy. Clients don’t actually need the answer they are seeking when it comes to private medical information. You can help your team feel confident by giving them some language that feels comfortable. Two of Stephanie’s favorite suggestions shared by friends are:
    • “We cannot disclose anyone’s individual vaccine status. We have team members who have just become eligible for vaccination and/or who aren’t medically cleared to be vaccinated yet. Even with 100% of the team vaccinated, we want you to know what we are doing in addition to vaccine access, to keep you and our team safe. Safety measures include…”
    • “We are trying our best to make it as easy as possible for our team members to access the vaccine. However, their medical information is private, so I can't disclose anyone's vaccination status, including my own. I appreciate your respect for our privacy.”

Got a question for the mailbag? Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Upcoming Events

Last chance to sign up for New Grad Mentorship 2.0 with Dr. Lindsay Gallagher! Lindsay is going to use her experiences as a new grad and help you harness energy, excitement and formulate a plan to set your new grad up for success. unchartedvet.com/product/new-grad-mentorship/

All upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

A UVC MEMBERSHIP IS YOUR KEY TO FINALLY GETTING THINGS DONE AND GROWING YOUR VETERINARY PRACTICE.

Learn More About Membership

Advice for New Graduate Veterinarians

new veterinary graduates advice

Congratulations, vet school graduates of 2021! Veterinary school graduation may not have happened in person last year, or for many, this year, but we didn't want you to go without that dose of inspiration that comes with reaching this important milestone! We compiled some of the best advice we got from the Uncharted Veterinary Community as you take the first steps with the letters, “DVM” behind your name. Welcome, new graduate veterinarians, to the best profession in the world!

new graduate advice

“Remember with angry clients who say hurtful things – It's almost always not about you. Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.”

“Listen to your gut, and never be afraid to ask for help!”

“The veterinary technicians you work with are rockstars. They will likely teach you more than you will have ever learned before! They will help you succeed. Be kind to them.”

“Medicine is always changing.”

“As a new grad, you have a lot to offer in regards to fresh knowledge. Don't be afraid to speak up if what you learned isn't what you are seeing practiced – but remember to always assume that what is being practiced was one recommended as best practice. Just because it wasn't what you were taught, doesn't make it wrong – but you have an opportunity to share your fresh knowledge and help your practice improve.”

graduation caps

“Make time for you. Something that brings you joy and doesn't involve animals or veterinary medicine in any way. You need to recharge. You will not be effective otherwise.”

“Always be present and in the moment with your clients. They appreciate your undivided attention, even when we are thinking about 7 other to-dos and cases at the same time.”

“There will be pets that survive terrible things despite us thinking and saying there is no chance, and there will be pets that die when everything went perfectly or we had no reason to expect it.”

“This is not a reflection on our skills, this is the nature of veterinary medicine.”

“Stay connected with your classmates! They will understand what you're going through that first year better than anyone else.”

“Don't be afraid to admit you don't know something BUT you DO know ways you can find out!”

“You are well educated and deserve to be paid for your expertise! Just because you're new doesn't mean you should discount your knowledge.”

new graduate advice

Recommended Resources for New Graduate Veterinarians:

The Uncharted Veterinary Community is filled with veterinary professionals whose years of combined experience is matched only by their infectious positivity. Find the coaches, mentors and peers to support you through your first year as a new graduate veterinarian and beyond. We can't wait to see what you'll bring to our profession!

Welcoming a new graduate into your practice? Don't miss our NEW workshop, New Grad Mentorship 2.0 on May 30! Here is a sneak preview list of Dr. Lindsay Gallagher's must-have resources for new graduate veterinarians:

Bad Review Coming

Uncharted Podcast Episode 125 Bad Review Coming

What's This Episode About?

This week on the podcast, Andy and Stephanie dive into a repeat mailbag question – what do we do when someone is in their first 90 days and their performance “review” is coming due and it is looking not so great? We have received a handful of emails from people asking about how to handle giving feedback that things aren’t going as well as the hospital expects and how to handle moving forward beyond 90 days when you just aren’t loving someone’s performance.

You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Discussion Points We Cover:

  • The world is messy. Our job as leaders is to balance the needs of the business and the support of our team members. If we have gotten to 90 days and we are just now talking about performance issues or giving a bad review, we aren’t really doing our jobs. This is a classic case of where we can set someone else up for failure!
  • Know the law. Consulting with an employment lawyer before you decide how to proceed with probationary employment is super important. Even if you aren’t considering termination for someone, knowing what should be in your handbook policies and what your probationary period should look like from a policy perspective is super important!
  • In veterinary medicine, we are often rushing from one thing to the next and we do not take the time to slow down and actually be in the moment. This is where we fail ourselves and our teams. Giving feedback when it is actionable and someone can affect change in the immediate future is absolutely key. Focusing on something that someone already did and cannot change does nothing but make them feel guilty! Imagine if you were stacking a handful of things that happened in the past together and then sharing them with someone – that could feel super demoralizing and make someone immediately disengage.
  • We talk through “the mention”, as Andy calls it, and how to effectively lean forward so that we are focusing on actionable change that someone can take to improve!

Got a question for the mailbag? Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag

Upcoming Events

May 30: New Grad Mentorship 2.0
Dr. Lindsay Gallagher will guide you in creating a plan to help you support a recent grad veterinarian in your practice.
Set your new grad up for success, learn the common new grad struggles and how to spot them early, and supercharge your mentorship skills so your new grad will learn faster, work smarter, and love you for it!

All upcoming events: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

A UVC MEMBERSHIP IS YOUR KEY TO FINALLY GETTING THINGS DONE AND GROWING YOUR VETERINARY PRACTICE.

Learn More About Membership.

Taking Criticism Is Hard…Tips for Getting Feedback

This month in the Uncharted Community, Andy posed a question that stimulated a thoughtful discussion about taking criticism, no matter how constructive in its intent. We got some great advice, and a few key phrases that help our community members when receiving feedback. Take a look:

Andy Roark

“When someone tells us we didn’t ‘do it quite right' or that we could ‘maybe do a better job next time,' it’s not easy to hear. We think ‘What does she know?!' as emotional alarm bells clatter between our ears, our confidence crashes down, and we are flooded with emotions like uncertainty, shame, and anger.

When we take criticism, there’s no shame in not responding immediately. Processing is not the same as agreeing or accepting. It’s just taking time to weigh and consider. We should all get more comfortable with stepping away and thinking of receiving feedback as a two-part process.

So with that, let me ask you, what approaches to taking feedback have been most helpful to you?“

Read More in the Uncharted Community

1. Listen First
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“When getting feedback I listen and ask questions for clarification. I do not respond in the moment and give myself time to digest and reflect on the facts and what is emotional. Time heals all wounds.”

“I just stay connected and listen. If I open my mouth, it’s over. I’ll say something reactive.”

The first step for our community members was to listen to the feedback they were receiving. It can be difficult not to react in the moment, but if you listen first and speak later, the conversation is going to be much more productive.

2. Know your emotions.
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“I stay real connected to my emotions. Because they are real. I FEEL and honor the ego hit, the gut punch, the feeling of wanting to retreat or jump out with claws. If I stay connected I work through what story is underlying that emotion, then can work through it.”

“Verbal negative/constructive feedback will often make me cry … it's hard not to turn that off.”

Like Andy said, taking criticism is going to trigger emotions. Our Community members agree that giving yourself some time to acknowledge those is a key step to hearing feedback. One Community member reminded us that ice cream is helpful through this part!

Many of them discussed how receiving feedback automatically made them cry (relatable!). Stepping back for a moment and saying “not right now” when someone asks if they can give you feedback can be enough to give yourself time to get your mind ready to hear constructive criticism and potentially curb those tears.

3. Create the best possible situation to receive feedback.
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You might not know the feedback is coming, but if you do, we love what this Community member had to say!

“If I know I am in a situation where I am likely to receive feedback I will try to be in my best light – well rested, well fed, not rushed.”

5. The phrase, “Thank you for sharing this with me. I need to process it for a while.”
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The best thing to do when taking criticism? Give yourself some time to process it before you respond! This was the number one piece of advice our Community members had.

 “I simply believe it’s too challenging for normal human beings to receive feedback, rise above our natural emotional response, and take the conversation in a maximally productive place in one sitting. The “time to process” step is absolutely vital!”

“That 24 hr processing rule is HUGE!”

“Try not to react right away! I’m getting the feedback for a reason and I will need time to process it. Then make a plan for improvement. Always stay in the mindset that I will need improvement along the way and that’s okay.”

“For me, it absolutely necessary to step back, take a breath and a little time before I answer. My usual is can I call you back in a bit or let me check of that and get back to you.”

“I started taking 24 hours to contemplate and reflect on any difficulties, personal and professional. It is crazy how many things are really not a big deal the next day. I think this works in so many areas – personal conflicts, relationships, criticism, complaints, you name it. But back to Andy's point, we are never going to eliminate our reaction to criticism, but we can mitigate the physical/emotional response by asking for time.”

More Resources on Feedback:

Uncharted Veterinary Podcast Episode 51: Critical Conversations for People Who Hate Conflict

Uncharted Veterinary Podcast Episode 42: Am I A Good Boss? How Do I Receive Honest Feedback?

Watch the Workshop: Five Things Better Than A Performance Review with Stephanie Goss

Submit your questions for the Podcast at unchartedvet.com/mailbag