IN THE COLLEGE
{ UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY VETERINARY MEDICINE }
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PANDEMIC
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t’s no surprise that veterinary workers faced new challenges when the coronavirus pandemic began. Those difficulties included more than just the need for social distancing, and the solutions needed to overcome them have changed how many professionals in the field are approaching the way they treat patients and work with clients. One of the largest problems veterinary practices have faced is an increasing number of patients even while staff shortages and safety measures limited how many animals could be seen in a day. Emily Ione-Kinney, a veterinary technician in emergency and critical care at Mountain West Veterinary Specialists, attributed the shift to more people working remotely. “There’s been an increase in early recognition of chronic illness since owners are at home and watching their pets more closely,” Ione-Kinney said. "General practices are often fully booked as a result, which in turn leads to people bringing animals to the ER for situations that don’t require immediate care.” Some veterinary medical professionals have turned to telemedicine to keep up with the increased workload.
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Winter 2022
Dr. Kara Tassone. Photo courtesy of Tassone.
By identifying which patients are in need of urgent care and which are not, doctors can see more patients and use their time more wisely. Dr. Kara Tassone, a veterinarian at Mountain West Veterinary Specialists and past president of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association, has seen the benefits firsthand. “It’s much easier to triage multiple patients at a time without running back and forth to exam rooms,” she said. “We can accommodate more patients per doctor at one time.” However, communication became more challenging with the pandemic, and telemedicine can’t help with that. “Without face-to-face conversation,” said Tassone, “Clients have a hard time trusting a new veterinarian and facility. It’s already difficult for people to trust a doctor who is not the one they normally see. Adding the inability to come into the building and see the faces of those who take your pet dramatically increases their stress.” That, in turn, often leads to staff taking the brunt of people’s frustration. Ione-Kinney noted that while many clients showed veterinary workers patience and generosity, others were less than understanding.
Dr. Isaac Bott. Photo by McKay Jensen.
