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I Took a Sick Day and Survived

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I wanted to share with you what I’m feeling because I’m pretty sure many others feel this way and many don’t do it because they feel this way.

I took today off work because I’m sick. I have a nasty sore throat, I’m coughing up green mucous, I’ve got a nasty headache, and I’m exhausted. Meds help but I feel like crap – so I called in sick.

Yet I feel bad that I’m letting down my coworkers and clients. I feel bad that I’m putting extra work on my boss. My boss thanked me for letting him know, my receptionist told me to rest up and tell them this afternoon if I think I will be in tomorrow. I have a supportive team and yet I still feel guilty. I realize I’m doing it to myself. It’s easy to blame others for why I feel this way as others have hassled me in the past and clients will complain about the inconvenience.

I realized today that I am my own worst critic. I am the reason I don’t let myself heal. The perfectionist tendencies, the putting others before myself attitude, and caring about the bottom line has led me here.

However, today I realized that I am best off resting. I am best not infecting my coworkers with my cold. I am best maintaining my high standards by taking a day off to allow my body to heal. I am best because my brain can rest too. I am setting an example for my colleagues and my coworkers that self-care is important. I am taking care of the long-term health of the business, my friends, and my family by caring for myself.

I took a day off for a nasty cold. I don’t feel good about it, but I should. What does it take for you to take a sick day?

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Guest Author JASON SWEITZER DVM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Sweitzer, DVM, RVT is an associate veterinarian at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He does general practice and emergency medicine for small and exotics animals, as well as wildlife, with special interests in behavior medicine, management, and teaching. He balances his life with family, playing field hockey, and voluminous quantities of bad jokes and puns.

There, I Said It: Not My Circus and Not My Fleas

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I want to dedicate this to all my fellow associate veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and vet assistants… basically anyone who doesn’t own or run the clinic.  You’ve got a difficult and challenging, yet rewarding job.  Don’t worry, the managers and owners have their own sets of challenges and tasks to take care of because they have a lot of responsibility.  But your job has its limits and it very likely isn’t your show to run.

Now this may sound awkward, but yes, it’s not your circus. This may bring a flood of conflicting emotions, or maybe it won’t.  Many of us in the veterinary field are those type “A” personalities.  We want to take charge, make change, do things for the greater good.  Yet, for a large number of us, this may not seem possible and it can get very frustrating.  This may bring on a whole new level of stress or displeasure in your job.  You may choose to quit, let your job performance suffer, or lash out at co-workers.  This was me….and I hated my job but also the stress I had let creep into my life.  It’s difficult but – stop.

Some of those things you might think are so important or other facets of running the clinic you might think are crucial or the most important things in your day aren’t.  Face it; some things just aren’t yours to deal with and that’s okay.  If you keep jumping in to take charge, it’s an excess burden on yourself but you’re also usually picking up the slack for somebody else.  People need to be accountable for their own responsibilities.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t help but instead of taking charge, ask what you can do to help.  Let someone else take the lead.

Remember, above all other things, you have one job to focus on…the welfare and care of animal patients and their families.  You may be asked to help out or work on projects that will ultimately help the clinic reach that goal but that means that you should not focus your energy on seeking those things out especially if the animals aren’t all taken care of first.  Trust me, running around like a bull in a china shop with ideas is not the way to get things done.  It might feel good to vent all those ideas, concerns, or problems, but chances are less than 25% of it will actually lead to the change you want to see.

You may be in a unique position.  Chances are you may have experience at another veterinary clinic and have some valid ideas.  Ask yourself though, what your reason for getting involved is or what will it do to you in terms of your time and energy?  Take that moment to step back, think, and maybe don’t spearhead the project.  There’s a time and a place to share and try to implement some positive changes so that everyone can benefit. Remember, “not your circus, not your fleas.”

There I Said It

The views and opinions featured on There, I Said It are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

The Biscuit Rule of Effective Teamwork

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Have you ever had a really good biscuit? I mean the kind that are fluffy, steamy, pillows from heaven and perfect under gravy, with some apple butter, or even stolen off the stovetop before time to leave for the potluck. Now, I know I am going a little too southern for some, but biscuits are important in certain circles.

Until I met my wonderful, truly southern husband and his family, any biscuit I made came from a can. I was then privileged to receive his mom’s biscuit recipe. It was deceptively simple: self-rising flour, shortening, and milk- and yet it took, and is in fact, still taking, a lot of practice and tweaks to make a really good biscuit.

There is a secret, though. Connections. To have a batch of biscuits rise correctly, they need to touch. You can mix the dough, have the oven just right, and space out the cut out biscuits and you will have flattened pucks that taste like biscuits, but not really.

Have you worked at an office that should work, but doesn’t? Shiny equipment, cool medical toys, knowledgeable staff, and yet daily conflicts and errors lead to stress, anger, and even poor patient care. What about the practice that has people as different as can be, is crazy busy, but hums along comfortably? I am willing to bet that communication and relationships are the difference.

Now, I am not suggesting you touch your coworkers a lot (that would be weird). But, building connections inevitably makes working together better. As humans, we judge, rightly or wrongly, and that can quickly set in place conflict and miscommunication. But, if you get a little closer, ask a few questions, and establish a relationship with a person, it is much more difficult to speak poorly of them, ignore them, or allow other people to judge them.

You may not think you have much in common with the new staff member, but maybe you both like the same music or both want to learn to SCUBA dive. You won’t know until you ask. Feel like you are always butting heads? Try a different way of approaching them. Try a compliment before asking for something. If nothing is working, ask for help to sit down and talk. I think we can raise each other up by getting a little closer, but things are tough if we distance ourselves from the people with which we spend so much time.

If all else fails, and you just can’t bear it after a rough week, and everyone is driving you crazy, just bring in some biscuits. That will usually work, too.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

How to be a Good Boss: Make Your Employees Feel Safe

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When I was a baby vet, I worked for a taciturn male veterinarian who never failed to surprise me with his forward thinking. He always asked me questions, not to quiz me, but to soak up some of my fresh-out-of-school knowledge. He pushed me and protected me during the three years of my employment. If we had a misunderstanding, he was the first to pick up the phone and try to smooth out the situation.

I struggled with being female and looking very young. I had clients ask “where is the real doctor?” or “is your dad the doctor here”? I found this annoying and embarrassing but never really looked beyond the surface of these comments. One day, a backyard Chow breeder came in with his aggressive dog and her tragically aggressive puppies.

He insisted upon standing close to me on my side of the exam table instead of on the bench where he belonged. He commented about how cute I was and told me he bet my boyfriend loved to have me examine him all the time. He never touched me, but it was pretty clear that if he wanted to, he could. If I’m being honest, his horrible dogs bothered me much more than his behavior. I did blush and get out of the room as quickly as possible. I breathed a sigh of relief to have some space.

I casually told my boss about the guy – again, highlighting that he had aggressive eight week old puppies. I mentioned that he was also a “close talker” and had made a “pitiful” attempt to hit on me. My boss was enraged. I remember looking into his angry face and blinking, not really understanding what he was getting so worked up about. “You NEVER have to see that client again. You tell me right away if anyone ever says anything even slightly off-color to you. You don’t have to put up with that!”

Another boss of mine had one of her wealthy clients lay into me because I wouldn’t give treatments that her cat had received in the past. She was cruel and threatening. I went to the treatment room to gather myself and dry my tears. The technicians gathered around me and soothed me. They got me through the appointment. When my boss found out, she went into the room and had it out with the client. This was someone who spent thousands of dollars with the clinic every year and we earned every penny putting up with her behavior. She told the client to apologize to me or leave for good. She apologized, and I never saw her again.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what a good boss does. A good boss does NOT force you to see abusive clients. A good boss does not require you to stand silent while a client yells or curses at you. A good boss does not permit bullying behavior no matter how long someone has been employed or how valuable they seem. A good boss doesn’t allow a 40 year old man to physically intimidate a 25 year old woman in a small enclosed space because he’s “been a great client”.

A good boss takes care of their work family first and expects that because they are safe and supported, they will take excellent care of clients and pets. And a SMART boss knows that requiring you to tolerate those situations can have serious legal consequences. It is not a kindness to protect employees from harassment, it’s an OBLIGATION. We should all make sure we remember that and act accordingly.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Why You Need to Be OK With Change

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“Change is the only constant”- Truth Potato

If you haven’t experienced the Truth Potato I highly recommend it. Sometimes we need little truth bombs placed throughout our days to realize what is most important. Change is really the only constant in life.  As part of a veterinary community we all experience change in our daily work life. Change is scary. Change is hard. Change is complicated.

At this moment I am going through a major change. I have been working for the same clinic for the past six years since graduating from veterinary school. Together the clinic and I have been through many changes like personnel changes, renovations, new technology, and new leadership. But now my husband and I have decided to make a change and move closer to a big city, which means leaving my current job.

Yes, I’m a little scared. Yes, I’m fairly nervous. But change is the only constant in our lives and in an ever-changing field we must embrace the change or get left behind.

In the veterinary field, we have all been faced with many changes.  Every couple of years a treatment plan falls out of favor only to be back in favor in another few years. Yearly we go to conferences to learn the most recent updates in medical treatments for conditions we deal with daily.

On a smaller scale as a veterinary clinic, we go through changes in technology and protocols. What once was simple and easy will eventually get replaced with something else that may not seem as simple at first. Change happens and how we respond to that change will either allow us to succeed or fail.

We all have seen it. I’ve been through a few clinics that transitioned from a written appointment book to using the computer. I even went through a transition from a DOS system to a Windows-based system.

Or maybe your clinic went from hand-dipped radiographs to an electronic system.  It’s amazing how easy or hard the transition can be depending on how you and your team approach it.  There are the people who are excited because they want to see the clinic become more efficient and make things easier. And then there are the people who complain… for years… about how great the written appointment book was or how terrible the computers are now.

These people don’t really want the clinic to fail, but their approach to change is making it harder for the clinic to succeed.  These people eventually get left behind.  I get it. Change is scary.  But as a whole, we have to realize that this change is happening with or without us on board.  And getting in the way of that change can make your life and work-life harder than it has to be.

I’m a realistic person. I’ve never really had my head in the clouds or been a super optimistic person. But when it comes to change I think we all need to take a more optimistic look at things.

We need to not get stuck in our ways- especially in this medical field. We need to stop doing things just because we have always done it that way. We need to embrace new vaccination protocols and anesthesia medications. We need to continue to improve our pain control for patients. We need to continue to improve our technology and efficiency for our clients and patients. We need to strive to be better and change.

Don’t worry- I’m still scared about the changes in my life but I’m embracing them for what they are- exciting, new, and a step forward. Don’t let yourself or your team hurt your future. Change is going to happen- it is the only constant.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Five Little Phrases for a Happier Workplace

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I’m from the south. I was born in Kenner, Louisiana and spent the first 9 years of my life immersed in southern hospitality.

My parents kept up their southern traditions when we moved to Florida. I still have trouble calling someone by their first name if they are my parents’ age or older. Seven years at Mississippi State University were the icing on the cake.  I fell easily into my southern manners and made “ya’ll” a permanent part of my vocabulary.

When I was working in private practice, my habit of saying “thank you” was frequently noted by my coworkers. My colleagues mentioned how nice it was to be thanked when handing me something, calling a client for me or when I left at the end of the day.  I was taken aback the first few times it was mentioned as an oddity. Doesn’t everyone say “thank you” all the time? Apparently not.

I’ve started paying more attention to how people at work and out in public speak to each other, and I’m appalled, ya’ll!

A little bit of kindness and respect goes a LONG way. I’m going to share with you my five go-to phrases that bring some positivity into my daily life. Most of us were taught these five words as children. Let’s bring them back and see if we can create a culture of respect in our practices!

1. Please

Put this in front of whatever you’re asking, even if you’re not technically asking. “Would you please call Mrs. Smith and let her know Tiger’s blood results are all normal?” Yes, you expect this to be done, but there’s no reason you can’t ask respectfully. If you say “please” to another veterinarian but bark at your staff, they see it, and they lose respect for you.

2. Thank you

It’s such a simple thing. Two little words to let someone know you appreciate what they’ve done. If you don’t already thank your staff at the end of the day, try it for two weeks. “Hey, thanks everyone – you did a great job today!”.  I’m betting you’ll notice an increase in morale and helpfulness pretty quickly.

3. No, thank you

If someone took the time to track you down and ask you if you’d like to order lunch, the least you can do is thank them for offering. Plus, there’s a bonus of practicing using the word “no”, which we all need to say more often!

4. Excuse me

I’ve been told to “MOVE!” more times than I can count, both inside and outside the clinic. Being elbowed aside and told to get out of the way is insulting. “Excuse me” may have two more syllables to contend with, but the person hearing it isn’t likely to wish you’d stand up quickly and bang your head on a cage door.

5. I’m sorry

If all else fails and you end up treating someone badly, seek them out when things have calmed down and apologize. When I apologize, the staff usually laughs at me. They didn’t notice I was being snotty, but I know when I’m being impolite or unkind. Most mature professionals understand that things said in the heat of the moment weren’t personal. Hearing you say it lets them know you respect them and don’t want to upset them.

These phrases may not create huge changes in your life, but I guarantee you the difference will be noticeable. Obviously, if there’s an emergency, all bets are off, but most of the time when our colleagues are rude, it’s laziness and not panic that is to blame. Making the effort to be kind shows the people around you that you respect them.

Keep in mind as well that clients are watching everything you say and do. If you treat your colleagues disrespectfully, how are you treating their pet behind closed doors? I’ve had clients remark to me in private that they couldn’t believe people actually thought it was ok to speak to someone that way.

And speaking of clients, make sure that you take the time to let them know they are appreciated. If there’s a client who makes your day better just by showing up, say it out loud.  Be sure you acknowledge that they are special and that they mean the world to you and your fellow staff members.

Are there things you say that make the day better? Has a colleague said something to you that lifted you up? Share with us!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.