Veterinary Professional Practice
PART A: Communication and Consultation Skills
Consultations tended to be initiated with a friendly, semi- casual greeting. This allowed clients to feel at ease with the veterinarian, as it would come across as less intimidating for them than being addressed in an overly rigid, formal manner. It is a way to establish a rapport with the client early on, and indicates that the consultation has a more relationship focused nature as opposed to a slightly condescending paternalistic approach. This demonstrates to the clients from the beginning that they will be respected and their concerns heard (R. Shaw, 2006). If children were present, they too were always acknowledged, which reinforced a welcoming, positive environment in the consult room. The patient would then be greeted …show more content…
The veterinarians did not consider themselves ‘above’ carrying out jobs typically done by the nurses, such as answering phones or greeting clients. It was very obvious that the nurses felt respected and in turn, respected the veterinarians. This fostered an impressive environment for effective teamwork, and enhanced general cohesion in running the practice. Keeping a good rapport with the nurses would seem like something common sense would dictate. However, I did hear several anecdotes about other practices where veterinarians would let a phone ring, or any job go undone, simply because they considered it to be a ‘nurse’s job’. This would be a foolish (not to mention exceedingly arrogant) attitude to possess, as it would be bound to decrease a veterinary practice’s efficiency exponentially. Remaining on good terms and possessing a healthy respect for veterinary nurses is crucial to the veterinary profession as nurses play an essential role in running the practice and should thus be treated as
PART A: Communication and Consultation Skills
Consultations tended to be initiated with a friendly, semi- casual greeting. This allowed clients to feel at ease with the veterinarian, as it would come across as less intimidating for them than being addressed in an overly rigid, formal manner. It is a way to establish a rapport with the client early on, and indicates that the consultation has a more relationship focused nature as opposed to a slightly condescending paternalistic approach. This demonstrates to the clients from the beginning that they will be respected and their concerns heard (R. Shaw, 2006). If children were present, they too were always acknowledged, which reinforced a welcoming, positive environment in the consult room. The patient would then be greeted …show more content…
The veterinarians did not consider themselves ‘above’ carrying out jobs typically done by the nurses, such as answering phones or greeting clients. It was very obvious that the nurses felt respected and in turn, respected the veterinarians. This fostered an impressive environment for effective teamwork, and enhanced general cohesion in running the practice. Keeping a good rapport with the nurses would seem like something common sense would dictate. However, I did hear several anecdotes about other practices where veterinarians would let a phone ring, or any job go undone, simply because they considered it to be a ‘nurse’s job’. This would be a foolish (not to mention exceedingly arrogant) attitude to possess, as it would be bound to decrease a veterinary practice’s efficiency exponentially. Remaining on good terms and possessing a healthy respect for veterinary nurses is crucial to the veterinary profession as nurses play an essential role in running the practice and should thus be treated as