A Glimpse at Today’s Education for the Future of Veterinary Medicine

continued from page 7 they want their employer to have them in the practice, because they know it will benefit the care they give their patients.

(B) Another draw is the option of payment plans for clients, and the potential to offer low/no interest money borrowing plans to them. This generation is very cost conscious and understands how this impacts client compliance.

(C) “Incremental Care” is a growing concept, whereby instead of one expensive estimate being the only option for a client, this type of plan outlines the most important treatment option first with fewer initial tests and (therefore lower costs) which can be added to as needed until a diagnosis is reached. Employers need to keep in mind that these graduates WANT to be able to help EVERY pet; maybe they can’t help them all to the same extent but at least they can help all of them at some level with the support of the practice owner and a financial plan. Again, this is a different mentality. The result is often pet owner loyalty because they don’t have the perception of being gouged.

PVMA: Let’s talk about externships/mentor opportunities a potential employer can participate in, and when to start investigating these opportunities with plenty of time to be competitive in hiring.

TD: At my current institution, and from the 4th year student’s perspective, rotations are arranged at private hospitals all across the country; to them, it’s almost like having multiple four-week job interviews at their host practices throughout their clinical year. Our students often accept job offers from these sites. I therefore highly encourage practitioners to get involved with externship programs offered by one or more veterinary schools. These experiences allow an employer to work with the students, and students benefit by learning the culture of the practice, of the clientele, and the specialists/referrals in that area.

Students have a high awareness of shelter medicine with concerns about population control and infectious disease. Currently, many practices align themselves with shelters, which enables students more hands-on practice of skills in turn resulting in better veterinary skills, better associates. It may be worth nurturing relationships with these organizations because it can be attractive to students (who may become future associates), and the public service work is very rewarding.

Additionally, it will also help to ask if there is an online job board available at the various veterinary colleges where you can post employment opportunities. One final thing would be to sign up for and participate in any Career Fairs these sites may have.

PVMA: Are there specialty trends you have noticed?

TD: There is a desperate need for Emergency/Critical Care specialists on the small animal side. The problem is that most board certification processes require internships and residencies, so folks must endure a high stress position with long hours which is not very attractive when coupled with financial challenges. There is a lack of Board Certified specialists. Some of the setbacks are because of the lack of specialty programs, internships and residencies, but again money talks and this is hugely cost prohibitive.

PVMA: What are your final thoughts from your perspective as an educator?

TD: Stretch your comfort zone! When hiring new grads/ associates, give them a lot more time in surgery to feel comfortable. Challenge them with urgent cases, NOT to the detriment of the health of the patient, but allow growth in learning. Don’t jump to turn over to a specialty hospital by default. It is about growing abilities to give quality care within the scope of your experience, taking care of your clients to the utmost before referring out. If new associates aren’t challenged to grow in the breadth of the cases they feel comfortable seeing, if they don’t experience this soon after graduation, they will lack confidence to take tougher cases and will more likely farm out everything. This could impact the client’s faith in the general practitioner, and subsequently the finances of the practice.

About the Author: Dr. Christina (Tina) Dougherty has had a varied career in Veterinary Medicine. Over the last 30-plus years since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, she has practiced in mixed animal, small animal, and exotic animal hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, completed a small animal surgery and internal medicine fellowship in Hungary, and spent time on the regulatory and pharmacovigilance side of the pharmaceutical industry with Pfizer Animal Health/Zoetis.

As of February 2019, Tina joined the faculty at Lincoln Memorial University’s School of Veterinary Medicine as a Clinical Relations Lead Veterinarian and Assistant Professor, and remains an adjunct professor at her alma mater, UPenn, where she had also been on staff teaching 4th year students in their Community Practice service.

Her passion is in teaching and coaching veterinary communications skills. While in industry, Dr. D developed a keen interest in Veterinary Communications, and became trained as a Veterinary Communications coach and master coach at Colorado State University under Dr. Jane Shaw. She is DiSC certified in behavioral analysis, and is a certified adult trainer through Langevin Learning Services, as well.

Dr. D has been involved in various roles within organized veterinary medicine for over a decade, having completed the Presidential cycle of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association’s Executive Committee and remains on the Board of Trustees. Tina still stays involved in the concerns of the profession as the delegate for Pennsylvania to the AVMA’s House of Delegates.

Tina lives with her husband and 3 four-legged children outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while her 3 two-legged children are either studying for a master’s degree, working in politics, or deployed overseas with the Army. She enjoys music, reading books, and learning languages.