All a bit much sometimes

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Natasha Wilks — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:01:59 GMT

Hi Anon,

I found a great article from DVM360.com and I thought you may like it. It's titled "Clients are not your friends" and has a few tips on dealing with them

Here it is.

Enjoy

Natasha

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Natasha Wilks — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:24:25 GMT

Hi Anon,

It's been a few days now and I hope you are feeling better?

I worked in the UK for 2 years in a very busy practice so I appreciate what you mean about having no time to stop all day. I know how exhausting it can be and how you can get worn out and not feel like you care anymore. If this is reflective of your practice every day, then it can be normal that you are beginning to get frustrated.

We all need down time to reset and just to get a break.

Somehow you need to arrange that in your day? Speak to your bosses about needing a lunch break and actually take it.

When was the last holiday you had or has it been a while? Are you able to escape on your days off and do something totally non-vet related?

Unfortunately in this profession, we are expected to work long hours usually without any breaks, don't ask for holidays and definitely don't ask for more than 2 weeks at a time plus a career which has poor compensation. The rate at which vets are suffering work related stress & are burning out is getting higher and the profession has to change.

I created my website to help vets address the stress of veterinary practice and you are most welcome to visit any time. I will also be posting video training over the new few months about communication, building trust & building incomes.

I hope this helps and you are welcome to DM me.

Natasha

Re: All a bit much sometimes

An On MRCVS — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 19:14:03 GMT

Thanks everyone, I just needed some reassurance that it wasn't me being a 'bad vet' for not being smiley Mary Sunshine every day!

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]Wouldn't it be bliss if we could just treat the animals and not bother with the owners? Unfortunately we need them topay the bills[/quote]

This is the ideal Wynne!

Martin, your attitude is fab If I had the luxury of owning my own practice I think I'd be the same! I am of the same philosophy that I don't need to take crap off these people, but sadly an under a bit of an obligation to do so as they pay the bills!

Robin, I've ordered muzzles for the branch practice, I'm not having that situation again. I don't really give people a choice, if I think the dog needs a muzzle it goes on, if the owner won't let me muzzle the dog they can see someone else!

To round things off, yesterday I had some lovely clients, the demanding owners were fine and seem to have seen the light of sense overnight, and I got bottle of wine from a client to say thank you for treating her dog and writing to the insurance company when they wouldn't pay out for dental work, they sent her a cheque yesterday!

I guess overall the good and the bad in life balances out, just sometimes gets overwhelming. This is what the forum is here for though!

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Martin Atkinson — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 09:53:31 GMT

[quote user="Gareth C."]

[my accountant would be proud of you. seeing less people and not selling yourself cheap. out of interest do you do your own on call?

[/quote]

I did my own out of hours for many years and it didn't bother me, I have the ability to switch off and I'm not on call mentally until the phone goes, but I always had sympathetic independant practices around me who I could phone up if I wanted an odd night/weekend off. In all honesty as I run a quiet sole charge practice with well tamed clients I get few OOH calls anyway. I did a rota of 1:4 with the local practices for a while and found that was more stressful because I knew I'd be busy when I was on call and their clients weren't as tame as mine but it was quite amusing to see people who had pissed off to them because I hadn't been empathetic enough for their liking!! Since the explosion of OOH clinics I now use a local one but take my calls occasionally, usually when I've had a quiet week and I'm feeling guilty.

Re: All a bit much sometimes

plantagenet — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:43:19 GMT

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]a bit concerned about my lack of empathy at times. Does anyone else ever feel this way?[/quote]

That sounds normal to me - does anyone else get compassion fatigue: when I've PTS'd what seems like half my clients' pets and just think, I can't do this anymore, I can't be nice and caring and empathic (empathetic?) what about ME!

Be careful of the alcohol though, its a very quick destressing agent but could be a slippery slope.

Talking always good, swap horror stories, discuss ghastly clients, unpaid bills, mistakes the lot - in my opinion, only a vet can understand what its like to be a vet at the moment.

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:33:11 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Just to balance things (as always seems to happen!) A second opinion/new client from our neighbours - grumpy old JRT that they have noted growls so much and cannot be examined, has a go at the vet etc came into my room, sat and ate treats throughout the consultation. No growling, happy dog, happy owner so this vet a bit of a hero!

(Until the next thing goes wrong!!)

[/quote]

Same thing happened to me yesterday, except it was a know-it-all charity client and a cat - she went on for about 5 minutes how i would be unable to take the cat out of the carrier and examine it (I did) and then another few minutes how I would *never* get the cat back in. I could feel the cat was desperate to get back in the carrier...so when I was finished, I spoke to the cat and said "Go back in, please"...the cat scampered back in. (It would have run back in even if I'd done nothing except let go of the scruff!)

Worth the price of admission - she stopped for a moment, then (almost) smoothly changed gears to "I knew you'd have no problem with him, I could tell..."

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Gareth C. — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:16:48 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] up the road who charges half what you do and you'll have a much better and quieter life and you won't have to answer to anyone else who thinks you should act differently. You'll still retain your core of clients who love you because you're a good vet and you'll be nice to them because you respect them and they respect you[/quote]

my accountant would be proud of you. seeing less people and not selling yourself cheap. out of interest do you do your own on call?

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:00:38 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Wouldn't it be bliss if we could just treat the animals and not bother with the owners? Unfortuneately we need them topay the bills

Wynne

[/quote]

Sometimes I wish they would just come in and give me the money and not bother me with their animals.

Only joking.

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:58:12 GMT

(Until the next thing goes wrong!!)

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:50:14 GMT

Wellsaid Martin Mind you-if there's a branch practice,it's a large(ish ) practice, which means high overheads,and staffing costs,so the unpleasant owners have tobe tolerated in order to pay the bills.You and I are lucky to be our own bosses and single-handed

Wynne

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Robin Grimmer — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:43:42 GMT

A lot of it sounds like a bad day in a busy practice but not having a muzzle at the branch surgery is unacceptable.

A range of muzzles is an essential part of any small animal practice. And if they are not going to provide them then I would refuse to work there until

they did.

Why are some owners so reluctant to put a muzzle on their dogs? It doesn't hurt them, it usually only needs to be on briefly.

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:38:11 GMT

Two hypothyroid dogs in 24 hours. An owner determined to buy insulin from the internet (have not broken the news that she will have to pay for a prescription!) a rabbit with an owner who clearly has more veterinary knowledge than me, a fat cat that cannot under any circumstances be fed separately from its much thinner companion, a Shar Pei puppy with eyes 'fixed' and a hernia (determined to breed from her!). We have had to do an extra afternoon clinic because tonight is packed!

Don't you just love working in practice!!

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:25:50 GMT

[quote user="An On MRCVS"]

So a bit concerned about my lack of empathy at times. Does anyone else ever feel this way? I'm worried I'm turning into a bad vet because I am short with people sometimes. The majority of the reason why I am is because I am pushed to the limit at the minute, I have no time to stop all day. But I'm also worried I'm just not very good at communication. I do enjoy actually fixing animals, I just find it hard to handle owners at the minute!

[/quote]

Sounds like a typical day for a typical vet in a typical practice. I think the highlighted sentence is the key, otherwise it sums me up. I hate people which is one reason why I beame a vet but too late realised animals don't come on their own. I don't suffer fools (at all), I have no bedside manner, I have the Richard Branson attitude to business which is: I don't want to do business with someone who won't do business with me because I dont wear a suit and tie even though I'm good at what I do. The answer is to go sole charge, the clients you don't want (well most of them - some are masochists) will clear off to the smartarse bullshitter up the road who charges half what you do and you'll have a much better and quieter life and you won't have to answer to anyone else who thinks you should act differently. You'll still retain your core of clients who love you because you're a good vet and you'll be nice to them because you respect them and they respect you. One of the best vets I ever had the priviledge to know was Trevor Turner. He had a reputation for being offhand to the point of rudeness but he was bloody good at his job and the clients still loved him and he had a very successful practice. I wouldn't begin to say I'm half as good or successful as him but just because you're short doesn't mean youre not a good vet. Life is too short for all the crap.

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:00:24 GMT

Wouldn't it be bliss if we could just treat the animals and not bother with the owners? Unfortuneately we need them topay the bills

Wynne

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:35:20 GMT

Not sure why this was Anon vet - sounds like a pretty typical vets day to me!!!

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:07:38 GMT

I don't really recommend the booze (overdoing it is too easy). That said, communicating can be worked on, if you feel it's a problem...if you want to talk a little more about communication tips, please PM me and I have some resources I can suggest. If you let me know how helpful you find them I'd be delighted to help.

(Not selling anything, just things I've learned and written down that work for me.)

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Gareth C. — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:29:00 GMT

if its any consolation every vet has days like that, sometimes several in a week

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Rachael Winder — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:21:30 GMT

I know exactly how you feel, am having increasing numbers of days like that recently, and am coming more and more to the opinion that part of the issue is that the average IQ of the population is falling whilst their demands and "rights" (i.e. to have whatever damned animal they want no matter what their circumstances) seem to increase. My fall back plan was always to run a cake shop, but now reconsidering that, as even then would have to deal with the public. It's a shame because the job is nice and I enjoy what I do, but some of the morons you have to deal with make it stressful!

Personally I am negotiating a move to a contracted 4 day week as my solution. I really like the practice I work for and don't want to move jobs. In the short term, Thorntons chocolates help... Ultimately the good days make up for it many times over :-)

Re: All a bit much sometimes

Kate Richardson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:04:27 GMT

Don't worry, it probably already feels better now you have had that glass of wine. I have days like that occasionally too, and can especially relate to the bad mannered ill trained dogs theme! Thats why I like cats, as you can't blame the owner for how they behave! I have days where my empathy is low, and I question myself sometimes, but then 2 weeks later when I am in tears over an old animal I have been treating that has to be euthanased, I know that I do have empathy, but sometimes the empathy cup just dries up, especially after a day like you have had. So don't beat yourself up about it, but maybe if your job is pushing you to the limit you need to look for new one? Don't make any rash decisions, but life is too short to put up with sh1t!

Off home now, cos I need a vino blanco now myself!