Sarah Parsons joins Dr. Andy Roark on the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast to discuss the power of positivity and humor in boosting morale within veterinary clinics. She emphasizes the importance of creating content that veterinarians and staff can relate to, avoiding client bashing, and fostering a culture where the daily stresses of vet medicine can be met with humor and light-heartedness. Tune in to learn how Sarah uses her unique style to promote a healthy, positive work environment in veterinary settings.
You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Soundcloud, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts!
LINKS
Sarah Parsons on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watreallyhappensatthevet/
Sarah Parsons: www.vettechsarahparsons.com
Team Leads Summit: www.unchartedvet.com/tls2024
Dr. Andy Roark Exam Room Communication Tool Box Team Training Course: https://drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/
Dr. Andy Roark Charming the Angry Client Team Training Course: https://drandyroark.com/charming-the-angry-client/
Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop
All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Sarah Parsons, LVT, is a distinguished social media Influencer within the veterinary community, renowned for her engaging portrayal as the “silly vet tech” Through vibrant videos showcasing life in Vet Med, Sarah inspires laughter and learning among Veterinary Professionals. She is deeply passionate about fostering a joyful and fulfilling workplace environment. Her dedication has led to being one of the co-founders of Camp VetMed. In addition to her impactful career, Sarah is a devoted mother to two boys. She resides on a ranch in Houston, Texas, where she cherishes outdoor activities, sports, and quality time with friends.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Andy Roark: Welcome everybody to the Cone of Shame veterinary podcast. I am your host, Dr. Andy Roark. Guys, I got a fun one here today. I am talking with Sarah Parsons, LVT.
Sarah is the creative mastermind behind what really happens at the vet clinic, which if you’re on the young people’s social medias like TikTok and Instagram. You’ve probably seen Sarah. She’s got And she her videos rack up literally millions of views. They are made for vet professionals and pet owners.
They love watching them. She’s very very funny and very very creative. She is going to be speaking at the Uncharted Team Lead Summit coming up in September and that was one of the reasons I wanted to talk to her today. It is a really interesting conversation about boosting morale in the vet clinic.
And so we really, we talk about humor. We talk about bringing positivity into the clinic. We talk about bringing positivity as a, as a veterinary technician, as opposed to a doctor and what that looks like. And so anyway, it’s a really interesting conversation. I hope you guys will enjoy it. Let’s get into this episode.
Kelsey Beth Carpenter: (singing) This is your show. We’re glad you’re here. We want to help you in your veterinary career. Welcome to the Cone of Shame with Dr. Andy Roark.
Dr. Andy Roark: Welcome to the podcast, Sarah Parsons, LVT, thanks for being here.
Sarah Parsons: Hello! Thank you so much for having me! Y’all know I’m a huge fan.
Dr. Andy Roark: Oh, you’re very kind. I am. I am a huge fan of yours. It’s like, this is, this is, it’s almost the first time we’re meeting. We met briefly at a dumpling restaurant one time, but the waiter was like, Hey sir, your table’s ready. I was like, I’m sorry. I have to, I have to leave.
Sarah Parsons: He’s like, I must go. The dumplings are calling me.
Dr. Andy Roark: That was a very short conversation.
Sarah Parsons: I was like, okay, bye!
Dr. Andy Roark: Well, so for those who do not know you, you, you are very interesting. I, I, I just, I’ve really enjoyed your work. So you are an LVT. You are a, you are probably one of the biggest veterinary social media influencers that is out there. You have your handle is what really happens at the vet and so I think a lot of people are like, oh It’s that person.That’s her.
Sarah Parsons: Oh, that crazy girl.
Dr. Andy Roark: You, you have a very distinctive style. Yeah. And yeah.
Sarah Parsons: Thank you.
Dr. Andy Roark: So you, you’re going to be speaking at the Uncharted Team Lead Summit, which is for lead technicians, lead CSRs, receptionists, people like that. It is September the 18th when this episode comes out, early bird registration will be going on.
And when you’re there, you’re going to be talking about sort of boosting morale in the vet clinic. And I kind of wanted to talk to you a little bit, looking at your videos, looking at kind of what you do, and the impact that it sort of has. That’s kind of what I want to get into. Are you okay with that?
Sarah Parsons: Yes, of course, I’m super excited to speak whenever it comes up. So, oh my gosh, I’m so excited.
Dr. Andy Roark: Well, you know, I it’s funny. I watch a lot of your videos, and they remind me a lot of kind of stuff that I would do back in the day, as far as like that, just you have so what I admire the most about you, and why I’m such a fan of yours is, you have this you are you’re goofy, you’re silly, and you’re, like You but you have, you have a, such a positive humor and it’s really fun stuff.
Like one of the videos I saw from you very recently was the different types of dogs getting on the dog scale.
Sarah Parsons: Yes! That was so much fun to film!
Dr. Andy Roark: You were so, like you did not bail on the bit. Like you were so invested in each type of dog getting on the scale and it was, it was as ridiculous as it sounds, but it was also just joyful.
And fun and harmless and the comment section was so full.
Sarah Parsons: Oh my gosh.
Dr. Andy Roark: Oh, so full of people who were like, Oh, that one. Oh, that’s this dog. I saw this dog today. And it was this beautiful thing, Sarah, that, that like, I haven’t seen it really in years. And like I, it’s social media is, and I have a lot of sort of mixed emotions about it, but at its best, the feeling of people who work in vet clinics to say, Oh, Everybody else sees this too.
Yeah. Or it’s that thing when somebody cracks a joke and you’re like, I thought I was the only person who was thinking that. And it’s so funny because you feel so like as like you’re so part of a group that you didn’t, you didn’t recognize that other people were having that experience. And so I just think you capture that so well.
So talk to me a little bit. Let’s kind of talk a little bit about your group. Your sort of social media resume like like overall you do you do a lot of stuff on instagram and tiktok things like that Lay out for me kind of a little bit of like what you do and kind of how you got started with that
Sarah Parsons: Sure. Of course. So what really happens at the vet. Honestly, whenever I started, I did not think it was going to be as big as it got. And whenever you look at social media, of course, we talk about the bads of social media. We talk about people, using it as a platform, but it can be used as a platform for good or not so good.
And we see a lot of veterinary professionals using it for a, not, such a not really good, side. We, there’s a lot of, there can be client bashing, there can be bashing, with each other. There’s, people love to, use social media as a place to for them to feel connected, feel validated.
And a lot of times that can be used, for harm. And they keep going because it gets them engagement, it gets them comments, it gets them likes. There’s that release of dopamine. We all know that social media, isn’t the greatest platform if you’re not used for harm. So whenever I started my social media, I, you know, there was a couple of videos that I would do here and there.
And then I started realizing that people really responded to the ones that were funny and relatable because I know the industry and because I would put out these silly videos where people in the veterinary industry could relate to it and be like, Oh, Oh my gosh, yes, that happens to us. Or yes, oh my gosh, but it’s just never put on display.
I think that there’s just this hidden part of veterinary medicine, that I wanted to show people that actually there’s these funny stories that happens. There is this things that happen in veterinary medicine that you will only know if you work in the industry and so I love putting out the videos that are funny. That are positive and that show vet med in a good way because we all know the horrible side of vet med.
It’s euthanasia clients, the hardships of veterinary medicine obviously get talked about a lot.
Dr. Andy Roark: Yeah. Well, I mean, I, I just, I think, again, one of the things I, just like so much about what you’re doing is, all the hardships of vet medicine are real, but, but your career is what you focus on. It really is. And like, if you go and you live in euthanasia world, that’s, that’s what your practice is gonna be.
I don’t, a lot of people, Anyway, I’m not trying to get into people’s ideas about euthanasia as a good thing or a bad thing and it’s it’s not that but If you go in and live in the angry part of that medicine That’s going to be the experience that you have in vet medicine But if you go and there’s there’s so many good funny wholesome things in vet medicine.
And if you choose to live in that part or to focus on that part, you’re just going to have a different day to day experience. And that’s not trying to invalidate anybody. It’s just our lives really are what we, what we focus on. You can’t, you can’t focus on laughing at the video about the scale and also cry about the hard euthanasia at the same time.
You, you have to pick one, and I’m not saying we do one and lock the other one out, but we can choose most of our day, where, where do we want to live or where we want to spend our time? And so I just, I think that you do such a great job of, of pulling from those positive places. And then, you know, one of the, one of the best parts about humor is the inside joke.
It’s everybody likes to feel like they’re included in the joke. And I feel like your humor really hits on that. And I think the other part is, and you, I saw this way back in the day when I was getting started in, in social and, and in just sort of broadcasting and making videos and stuff, the best stuff was a stuff where the vet professionals were like, that’s the inside joke.
And the pet owners watched from the outside and they were like, Oh, I, I can see how that would be. And so you’re like, you’re humanizing the vets or vet professionals in a really positive way. So I just, I just think you do that so well. What’s what’s been your most popular video so far, or did you have one that really kind of broke out and made you go, oh wow, this is maybe something I should take more seriously.
Sarah Parsons: Well, I can touch on two really quick. The first one, the one that I went super viral. I posted a couple months ago, most random one ever. I did not expect for it to go viral was this one where, , vet techs, whenever we see a dog with the black spots, , on their tongue, the black, know, pigmentation and how it’s kind of an inside joke with veterinary medicine.
Oh, they’re going to be a little naughty and whatnot, but it’s not actually, we all know that at some point. It’s not actually what happens. We know it’s just pigmentation. It’s not related to behavior at all. It’s just this kind of like inside joke. Oh, they’re kind of like a chow, blah, blah, blah, you know?
And so whenever I posted that video, I got. That one went crazy viral, half of the reason I think was people saying, Oh my gosh, that’s so true. And then the other half were like, what, what’s going on? And they kind of wanted to know more. And they’re like, my dog has those black spots. Does it mean he’s a black dog?
So I’m like, no guys, that’s not what it means at all. And then the other one that kind of was the whoa, light bulb moment was the video. Whenever I had the underwear, everyone has a story where the dog eats the underwear and it’s not, it’s not the wife’s underwear and it’s the mistress’s and so I made that video and that was really whenever I think things kind of took off and people really responded to that video.
I think pet, because pet owners and veterinary professionals can both relate to it. You know, veterinary professionals are like, Oh my gosh, that happened to us too. And then pet owners are like, That’s hilarious. It’s not a, it’s not a video that makes fun of pet owners. Everyone, like, I try to steer clear away from multiple topics, actually, whenever I put out my content.
One of which is making fun of pet owners. I don’t wanna make fun of them. I don’t want to portray them as stupid and like, that’s just not professional. And I like to put the silly videos in, but without actually being demeaning or anything.
Dr. Andy Roark: Well, I think that that comes around and it’s one of the reasons that I have just sort of been paying attention to the work and stuff that you do is because when we talk about building positive culture in vet practices, when we talk about team morale, I, I, it’s dangerous to build team morale making the pet owners the bad guy or making the pet owners the joke.
Like, I’ve seen a lot of people who are like, Oh boy, the team really laughs when we make fun of the clients. And I go. They do, and they kind of come together into a squad. The downside is, you’re, you’re bonding them together around the idea that the pet owners are the adversary. If you don’t watch out, or the, or the pet owners should be mocked, and I’ve just, I’ve seen a lot of people do that.
And it, it always, it’s, it’s a dangerous game, and it generally doesn’t go well. And, but
Sarah Parsons: It just bugs you a little bit, you know?
Dr. Andy Roark: It does. And I’ve just, it’s just something I, you know, I decided I love to hear that you sort of made these decisions and it’s obvious from your work. Cause I just haven’t seen you do the client bashing stuff.
And so, it’s, And also, I just want to applaud you here for a second, you know, as, as someone who pays a lot of attention to this, like, the, the algorithms reward dunking on clients, like, you, the stuff, the stuff, and so, I, I used to always sort of say the hardest thing is not being funny, it’s not being funny. Which means, If you’re a funny person, the hardest part is passing on jokes that you know will do very well. But they’re not they’re not what you want to put out and you just do that. And like your commitment is obvious. And so I just I anyway, it’s just something I sort of admired about you and the work you’ve done so far. Let’s let’s talk a little bit about I mean in the same vein.
Let’s talk a little bit about I want to talk about morale and shenanigans. So talk to me a little bit about sort of the humor that you bring and then also sort of how you see that interfacing. And obviously you, you get this response, especially from technicians, but you get this great response to people who are like, Oh man, I feel seen, you know, talk to me kind of about as an LVT who’s sort of making content, what does that, what does that, what are your objectives when you start to make something to try to lift people up and like, what are, what are the big buttons that you, that you try to push?
Sarah Parsons: So there’s so much that could be said about this, and that’s why , we’re having a, , longer team summit , about this one, because I could go on and on about it. But I think there’s just, there’s just so much that could be said about , bringing positivity into the workplace, because we all know it is a, such a difficult, workplace.
It is just, there’s so much emotionally going on that it can be very, very overwhelming. And so whenever people realize that they can have fun, you can joke around, you can poke a little fun at your veterinarians. You can, , do this and it’s going to be okay, you know, knowing the boundaries, then you can have such a fun time with your co workers. if you imagine veterinary medicine as a stormy sea, right? There’s a stormy ocean going on and we all know what a lighthouse is and that’s what I want to be. Then that’s what I want a lot of other people to be as well.
There’s a quote that I’m gonna, , like say really, really quickly. And it says, like a lighthouse that guides the waters for boats and ships to keep them safe in the darkness, we as people should find ways to be a lighthouse for others who may be in the darkness. So, we need more lighthouses. We need more people to show, to show up and talk about, The fact that you can have positivity in veterinary medicine.
It’s almost like there’s an unspoken rule that says you have to be ashamed of being in veterinary medicine. I remember vividly being at an event one time. Actually, I’m a professional face painter. That’s another random fact about me, but I was actually face painting at this event. And there was a clinic that had their booth, , at this event as well.
And, you know, we got to talking and they found out I was a vet tech and they’re like, Oh my gosh, , we’re hiring like everybody else nowadays everyone’s hiring and they said , yeah. And I said, Oh, well do y’all, y’all like working there? And they stopped and they looked at each other. And were like, well….Yeah.
And I was like, you want me to work there, but you don’t even like working there. Like, but what I’m talking about? Whenever people just are they’re not proud sometimes to be where they’re at. Or in the position that they are. And I think that’s so sad because you’re with these people constantly and we’re in this profession.
I want to be proud of what I do. And , and I know that pay is an issue and , there’s other things that goes into it. But let’s be lighthouses. Let’s talk about it more and let’s, show people that there’s, there’s good in the world. Haha
Dr. Andy Roark: Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love that. That’s right. And the story ends with them quitting their job and coming to work at your practice.
Sarah Parsons: That’s right.
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Dr. Andy Roark: So a couple, a couple questions. I agree with this. And the way that you sort of lay this, this down, I, I really like this lighthouse metaphor.
And I really like the idea of being proud about where you work in. It, it, my, my question to you is sort of going to be, do you think that you need an internet component to be this sort of lighthouse? Like, do you have to, do you have to film videos to, to sort of bring this philosophy into practice?
Sarah Parsons: I think it really helps. I think it really helps because it’s shown a whole lot of people in, yeah, that lighthouse metaphor could apply to that where I am, that lighthouse trying to show, , other people , what I know and I’m trying to help as in any way that I can to help educate and to help bring that light because you have no idea the comments.
I mean, you have an idea because you, I see you’re, you know, you do a lot of the same type of content as well, but knowing that you’re making a difference in somebody’s life and knowing that people are watching this and people are saying I didn’t quit today because I saw your video and it just resonated with me and, and whatnot.
That just makes my whole world and just knowing that so many bonds can be created and so many people are affected that keeps me going.
Dr. Andy Roark: Yeah, yeah, you don’t, I when you say that, that’s totally true. You don’t realize what people are going through and every now and then, you you show up and, and you, and you, you say nice things to people or you, you, you decide that you’re going to smile today. You decide that you’re gonna be encouraging.
You stop that person and say something nice or positive to them. You give somebody some positive feedback and a lot of times they go, oh, okay, and they’re just gonna go on. You never know when somebody really needed that and you just gave it to them. Do- in that vein, do you think you have to be funny to, to be a lighthouse like we’re talking about?
Sarah Parsons: Oh, that’s a good question. I don’t, I don’t think so. I think a lot of people resonate with the videos whenever I do talk about positivity and morale boosts and everything whenever it’s not funny. But I think also people really love to relate and they, and people love to laugh. So People love humor. People are coming home after a hard day of being a veterinarian or vet tech or, whatever you are in the vet clinic.
And they don’t want to go and look at videos of just people bashing the field they want to go and they want to be like, Oh my gosh, yes. That’s so true. Or I did this today.
Dr. Andy Roark: So do you think that it helps to, when you, so in the work that you do, and it’s sort of, again, going back to sort of morale, do you think it helps to be a technician or does it hinder or is it, is a mixed bag? What do you, what do you think? How do you look at that?
Sarah Parsons: I think it helps. I think people do confuse me to the veterinarian a lot because, there’s just the videos, but I am quick to, you know, correct them and everything. But I think it also really, really does help. And here is why. Veterinarians and I started off this way as well because I get a lot of veterinary technicians that follow me and especially, the baby veterinary technicians or vet assistants that are starting off.
And I can relate to them on the level that I used to be that person. I used to be super scared, self conscious, and intimidated by all the veterinarians, whether you’re a new grad or not. And so the way that I poke light fun at the veterinarians, you know, like make fun of them, it humanizes them. So you can talk to your veterinarians on the same level as anyone else really, but I used to be so scared and intimidated and, , and if they would, , snap at me, I’m like, Oh my gosh, my career’s over.
It was just so, so scary. And I don’t think the veterinarians realize that either. They’re just going on with their day. They’re focused on whatever case they are. They’re, , they’re on and they don’t realize this, that these baby vet techs are like, Oh my gosh, like about to cry, you know?
And so I love to humanize them a little bit. And and the veterinarians, I love my veterinarians because they’re okay with it. They’re okay with joking around and the fact that they can’t tape catheters. They’re okay with that. So,
Dr. Andy Roark: It’s, it’s that kind of humor. I think you, I think you do that really well. I mean, you, you punch up, , which is what we sort of say in comedy of sort of, I, you know, I, I would not make fun of technicians. But I’ll make fun of myself and other doctors and you know what I mean? It’s sort of there’s sort of that there’s sort of those nuances in how we sort of make humor but I think you give a great example of the veterinarians you know, if you can’t take a video of technicians making fun of you of doc of a general doctor taping a catheter in like come on I think we’re taking ourselves a bit too seriously, but that’s that’s kind of the type of stuff that you do. I think it’s a really good point that you humanize the doctor.
I’m gonna have to sit with that a little bit It’s just in terms of I had not thought about the service of saying to the techs, Hey, the doctors are just normal people too, and, you know, we all kind of have to have to we also have to deal with them and get along. I think that’s I think that’s really fun.
I love that. I love that you do this as a technician because again, when it comes to sort of building morale, I think this is probably a good you take home for generally building morale and teams as a veterinarian I try very hard to come in and be positive and to be encouraging and lift people up.
Sarah Parsons: Which you do a great job of. Which is a fantastic job of. I love that you advocate for veterinary technicians as well. So applaud. Yay.
Dr. Andy Roark: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. But it’s not lost on me that I’m not a veterinary technician. And if somebody wanted to say, Well, he he doesn’t really have the same experience that we do. That’s, there’s truth to that. And I can’t, I can’t, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t deny that. I go, yeah, it’s a bit different being a veterinarian.
Like your, your position is different. You, you know, you, your job is different. And so I, all that to say, I think that there’s great value in whatever role you have in the practice, being that lighthouse, being that beacon, because you’re inside of groups that other people are not inside of. And so even if you say, oh boy, our practice manager is so positive and she’s really great.
Well, she’s not, she’s not in the kennels with you. And your perspective is going to be different. And so you can bring something unique and special to the group that you work with from the position that you’re in. And so I just, I think that that’s, I think that’s great. I’m really, I’m really happy to see sort of the work Sarah that you’re doing out there.
I’m really excited to have you at the Team Lead Summit in in September. And yeah, thanks. Thanks so much for being here. Where can people find you online? I’m sure there’s people who are like, I want to see this black tongue video. I, I, yeah. The underwear video sounds fun. Let’s take a look at that.Where can people find you?
Sarah Parsons: Oh, yes. Everyone loves a good underwear video. So, y’all find me on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook under the handle at what really happens at the vet. That’s W A T, what really happens at the vet. And you could also find my website vettechsarahparsons.com. So any of those channels you can find me on, I super appreciate any sort of follows or anything.
I love having, you know, or seeing new faces and comments and everything. So, so yeah, I love it,
Dr. Andy Roark: Cool. Thanks for being here Sarah. Guys, take care of yourselves, everybody. I’ll talk to you later.
Sarah Parsons: Bye.
Dr. Andy Roark: And that’s what we got. Guys, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you got something out of it. Thanks to Sarah for being here. Guys, I would love to see our team leads. Our Our technician team leads our front desk team leads I would love to see you guys at the virtual Team Lead Summit on September the 18th It’s a one day summit just for team leads and we’ll be doing leadership development growth. Sarah will be running one of our one of our workshops that’s there.
Anyway, it’s gonna be a great time. Guys, take care of yourselves. I’ll talk to you later on.
