Ep 198: Mastering Difficult Conversations in Veterinary Medicine, with Dr. Sarah Wolff (Part 2)

The 'So You're A Vet... Now What?' Podcast

Episode Description

In the second part of last week’s episode of the ‘So You’re a Vet, Now What?’ podcast, host Dr. Moriah McCauley continues her conversation with Dr. Sarah Wolff. Dr. Wolf discusses the importance of allowing clients to express their concerns in their own words and avoiding any miscommunication. Dr. Wolff highlights that the clinical story can often change from when a team member gathers the history to when the veterinarian enters the room. Therefore, it is crucial to directly ask the client about their concerns and allow them to explain in their own words.

This approach ensures accurate information and minimizes misunderstandings. By actively listening to the client's perspective, the veterinarian can address their concerns more effectively and provide appropriate solutions.

Dr. Wolff also emphasizes the significance of expressing genuine sympathy and appreciation for the client's feedback when addressing their concerns. Dr. Wolff believes that people are not accustomed to receiving positive reactions to negative feedback. Therefore, by showing genuine sympathy and appreciation, it helps to calm the client and address their underlying concerns.

To begin addressing the client's concerns, Dr. Wolff suggests expressing concern for the pet's well-being and assessing the clinical situation. This demonstrates that the primary focus is the pet's health and that everyone is working together as a team to provide the best care. Addressing the clinical situation first helps alleviate any guilt the speaker may feel and shows genuine care for the pet's well-being.

Overall, the episode highlights the significance of expressing genuine sympathy and appreciation for the client's feedback. By doing so, Dr. Wolff believes it can effectively address the client's concerns, calm them down, and facilitate a productive conversation.

Episode Outline

• [00:01:47] Dealing with client frustrations.
• [00:04:09] Capital C Communication.
• [00:10:53] Handling abusive client behavior.
• [00:12:52] Dealing with ethical dilemmas.
• [00:14:12] Handling ethical dilemmas in practice.
• [00:17:49] Client communication in veterinary practice.

Quotes

• "If there's something that is becoming an issue, be proactive. Sit down with your management team and say, hey, here are my values as a practitioner and here are the things that I am and I'm not comfortable with. They're clearly different than the practice at large. Where do we go from here?"
• "I hate that this happened to you guys. This isn't how we want to be as a practice. This isn't how I want to be as a veterinarian."
• "I can't let you yell at my staff, though. You know, the team here deals with a lot of tough stuff every day, and I'm going to ask you to not take it out on them emotionally. And if that's not something that you're comfortable with, I can respect that, but that's not something we can have happening here."

Episode Links

Dr. Sarah's Website: https://www.drsarahwolff.com/

Dr. Sarah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahwolff

Mentioned in this episode:

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