Love Yourself, Love Your Practice!

Everyone knows February is the month to celebrate love. Sure, you are a stressed-out veterinarian with too much on your mind. Maybe you think you don’t have time for love. While much of the focus this month is on personal relationships, it is also a great month to love yourself and love your practice. Read on for some tips on how to accomplish some positive change.

Love Yourself

Veterinary medicine is one of the topmost stressful professions, where the joy of animal care is laced with a unique set of painful pressures. Sadly, male veterinarians are 1.6x more likely to commit suicide than the general population, while female veterinarians are 2.5x more likely. “Check-in” with yourself and use this month to make a conscious effort to reduce your stress. (“Special Report: Auburn-CDC study examines frequency and means of suicide among veterinary professionals.”) Here are four great ideas to help you love yourself!

• Leave work on time! You are not ‘super vet’ and you cannot keep your patients healthy if you are not.
• Turn off social media and stop reading negative reviews. Pet owners who want services and products for free, are loud and soul-crushing. Do not cave to cyberbullies.
• Dedicate one night each week to go to bed 30 minutes earlier. Your body needs rest. That last email or text message can wait until tomorrow. Better yet, keep your phone out of your bedroom!
• Make a list of the top 5 reasons you love your veterinary medicine job and post it on your bathroom mirror. Everyone needs a reminder!

Love Your Practice

Speak to any person who works in the veterinary field and ask them why they chose their career. Over 90% would say they love how rewarding it is to provide good health for animals. Most would also agree that communicating with people is one of the most important aspects of being a great veterinarian. This month take a good look at how your practice is functioning and consider these tips to improve good health for your patients, and great communication for your clients.

• Make a pledge to improve your patient’s preventive care and be sure to express the importance of preventive care to pet owners. February is Dental Health Month and a great way to communicate the importance of preventive care. Read more about Dental Health Month here.
• Train your support staff! Veterinary technicians are your biggest practice asset, and you are not utilizing them to their potential. Having trouble finding staff? Support your local technician school programs by accepting student interns. You will be providing great education while meeting potential permanent team members. Click here for a list of veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA.
• The pandemic has changed your practice – but please don’t let it ruin your communication skills! Clients love you because you take the time to share and explain. Curbside service is not going to go away, and turning curbside communication into Concierge Service will make your practice shine. Start by using Zoom® or Skype® to re-join your clients face to face. Use email and screen sharing to send images and lab results directly to pet owners.
• Love your practice and be cutting-edge! If you missed last month’s webinar, watch it now and get excited about how veterinary thermal imaging can speak FOR the patient and TO the client. Designed specifically for veterinarians, there is no better communication device than Digatherm®.

Resources

“Special Report: Auburn-CDC study examines frequency and means of suicide among veterinary professionals.” AVMA, https://www.avma.org/news/press-releases/special-report-auburn-cdc-study-examines-frequency-and-means-suicide-among. Accessed 02 Feb 2021.