Episodi

  • Holiday Time Off in Vet Med: Is Seniority Fair

    Holiday Time Off in Vet Med: Is Seniority Fair
    Oct 21 2026
    Should the person who’s been at the clinic longest always get first pick of holiday time off? This week on the Veterinary Viewfinder, veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and credentialed veterinary technician Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, tackle a familiar source of tension: deciding who works Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. They weigh seniority, rotating holidays, lotteries, and shift swaps, including what happens when family plans change after the schedule is set. Ernie explains how his practice used seniority to resolve competing requests. Beckie questions what makes a system fair and whether holiday duties should fall only to certain staff members. There’s no perfect formula, but there are ways to make the process clearer and give teams more room to work things out. The discussion covers announcing clinic hours early, setting clear time-off policies, and considering relief coverage. They also explain why holiday boarding checks should involve at least two people and why veterinarians can share that responsibility. Whether you’re making the schedule or waiting on it, this episode offers practical questions to bring to your team before holiday requests become a last-minute scramble. #VetMed #VetTech #PracticeManagement #HolidayScheduling #VeterinaryViewfinder
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    19 min
  • WORLD PET OBESITY MONTH: WHAT YOUR VETERINARY TEAM CAN DO

    WORLD PET OBESITY MONTH: WHAT YOUR VETERINARY TEAM CAN DO
    Oct 7 2026
    October is World Pet Obesity Month, and this episode covers what veterinary teams can do to help patients and clients better understand, prevent, and treat pet obesity. Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor break down APOP’s 2026 Veterinary Clinic Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey, including how clinics can participate, which patients to include, and why asking owners how they perceive their pet’s body condition is such an important part of the data. Qualifying licensed U.S. practices can receive a $50 staff-time stipend after submitting at least 15 complete, eligible records that pass APOP’s data review. APOP has also created extensive support materials to make participation easier, including clinic instructions, BCS charts, printable resources, ready-to-share social media graphics and captions, email and newsletter copy, and other outreach materials. Ernie and Beckie also explore the updated 2026 Pet Obesity Communication Guidelines and APOP’s growing collection of free clinical tools designed to help veterinary teams assess body condition, plan weight management, and have clearer, more respectful conversations with clients. Every score counts. Your clinic can help build the next snapshot of pet obesity in veterinary practice. CLINIC SURVEY HUB + MATERIALShttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/2026-veterinary-clinic-pet-obesity-prevalence-survey SOCIAL MEDIA SHAREABLES + PARTNER TOOLKIThttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/survey-partner-toolkit 2026 PET OBESITY COMMUNICATION GUIDELINEShttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/communication-guidelines #WorldPetObesityMonth #VetMed #VetTech #PetObesity #BodyConditionScore
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    34 min
  • Neurodivergence in Vet Med: What Actually Helps

    Neurodivergence in Vet Med: What Actually Helps
    Sep 30 2026
    Recognizing neurodivergence in veterinary medicine is one thing. Knowing what actually helps is another. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, welcome Ron Sosa, CVPM, CCFP, back to the Veterinary Viewfinder for a practical conversation about neurodivergence at work and the supports that can make a real difference. They talk about executive function, masking, the inner critic, imposter syndrome, and the exhaustion that can come from constantly adapting to expectations that don’t fit the way your brain works. Ron also shares practical tools he’s building for veterinary professionals, including body doubling, structured peer support, coaching, and his C.O.S.T. framework for understanding chronic self-monitoring, over-adaptation, self-criticism, and tension. The conversation also looks beyond the individual. What can veterinary leaders and workplaces do differently to support a wider range of people? If you’ve ever wondered why certain parts of veterinary work feel harder than they “should,” this episode offers a useful place to start. Learn more from Ron Sosa and Syn-APT: Syn-APT: https://syn-apt.me/ Neuroinclusive Voice: https://syn-apt.me/voice Membership and Community: https://syn-apt.me/membership Webinars: https://syn-apt.me/webinar Newsletter: https://syn-apt.me/newsletter The C.O.S.T. Framework: https://syn-apt.me/cost #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMed #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent #VeterinaryLeadership
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    26 min
  • Vet Tech Week: Oct 18-24, 2026 Celebrate the Credentials. Support the Career.

    Vet Tech Week: Oct 18-24, 2026 Celebrate the Credentials. Support the Career.
    Sep 23 2026
    What does it look like to celebrate veterinary technicians and support the careers they’ve worked hard to build? First, a reminder: October 2026 is World Pet Obesity Month. Sign your clinic up for APOP’s 2026 Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey, running October 1–December 31. Eligible U.S. clinics receive a $50 stipend after submitting at least 15 complete, eligible records that pass APOP’s data review. Now back to this week’s episode! This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, look ahead to National Veterinary Technician Week, October 18–24, and explore new resources from the American Association of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians (AACVT). Beckie shares practical tools for requesting a raise, building a résumé, preparing for interviews, and navigating title protection. They also discuss mobile care resources, speaking opportunities, and why celebrating credentialed technicians doesn’t mean valuing anyone else less. For credentialed veterinary technicians, it’s a chance to find support for your next professional step. For veterinarians and practice managers, it’s a reminder to plan ahead, help clients understand who does what, and recognize the education and expertise behind the credentials. LINKS IN THE PODCAST: APOP survey registration: https://www.petobesityprevention.org/surveysignup AACVT resources: https://aacvt.org/resources #VeterinaryViewfinder #VetMed #VetTech #VetTechWeek #AACVT
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    22 min
  • Same Pet, Different Calorie Needs: Feeding After Spay or Neuter to Prevent Pet Obesity

    Same Pet, Different Calorie Needs: Feeding After Spay or Neuter to Prevent Pet Obesity
    Sep 16 2026
    October is World Pet Obesity Month! We need your help in collecting pet obesity prevalence data - and you can earn $50 for your team! Visit https://www.petobesityprevention.org/2026-veterinary-clinic-pet-obesity-prevalence-survey Speaking of obesity in dogs and cats: spaying and neutering may be routine surgical procedures for most veterinary professionals and pet parents, but the nutritional shift afterward is anything but. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, talk with Dr. Yuki Okada, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and Virbac’s Veterinary Medicine and Nutrition Manager, about one of veterinary medicine’s most useful obesity-prevention windows: What should we feed growing dogs and cats in the period surrounding spay or neuter? Dr. Yuki explains why appetite may rise while energy needs and activity fall, and why the feeding conversation should begin before surgery rather than get buried in discharge instructions. The team covers moving away from free-feeding, accounting for treat and supplement calories, measuring food with a gram scale, and giving families clear directions everyone can follow. They also unpack the clinical thinking behind Virbac VETERINARY HPM® Spayed & Neutered diets, including higher protein of animal origin to help support lean muscle, coupled with fiber for satiety. The discussion then moves beyond body weight to body condition score, muscle condition score, mobility, activity, and subtle “micro-pauses” that may signal discomfort. The takeaway: preventing unhealthy weight gain requires an early, practical plan that the entire veterinary team can reinforce. Learn more about Virbac nutrition at iVet.com, find the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) pet-owner tools at petobesityprevention.org, and explore the World Pet Obesity Association (WPOA) clinical resources at worldpetobesity.org. #VeterinaryMedicine #VetTech #VeterinaryNutrition #PetObesity #SpayNeuter
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    43 min
  • We Help Clients Grieve. Who Helps the Vet Team?

    We Help Clients Grieve. Who Helps the Vet Team?
    Sep 9 2026
    The sympathy card goes out. The next appointment comes in. But when a patient dies, who checks on the people who cared for them? This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, turn the conversation about euthanasia toward the veterinary team. They explore why some losses hit harder, from saying goodbye to a longtime patient to losing an animal everyone worked to save, and why being experienced doesn’t mean being unaffected. Ernie shares how making room for memories during staff meetings helped his team acknowledge those losses. Beckie discusses when support needs to happen sooner, how a shared journal can give people somewhere to put their feelings, and where veterinary social workers can help. They also consider how to share difficult news, plan around emotionally demanding appointments, and support a colleague facing the loss of their own pet. For anyone working in a veterinary clinic, this episode offers practical ways to start the conversation before a difficult goodbye. The goal isn’t to make everyone grieve the same way. It’s to give the people supporting your clients some support of their own. #VeterinaryViewfinder #VetMed #VetTech #VeterinaryWellbeing #PetLoss
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    26 min
  • Fear Sells: Is Vet Med Marketing Making Problems Feel Bigger?

    Fear Sells: Is Vet Med Marketing Making Problems Feel Bigger?
    Sep 2 2026
    A missed call becomes a potential ER visit. An overwhelmed team becomes a business risk. And suddenly, an everyday practice challenge can feel a lot more urgent than it did five minutes ago. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, take a closer look at fear-based marketing in veterinary medicine and how the way a problem is framed can shape how veterinary teams respond to it. Using a real veterinary technology ad as their starting point, they explore how messages built around loss, failure, and urgency can add anxiety to already-stretched teams and sometimes push practices toward solutions before they’ve fully understood the underlying problem. Ernie and Beckie aren’t arguing against technology or outside support. They’re asking for a little more perspective before reacting. Are calls genuinely being missed, and are emergency rooms experiencing an overload due to them? If so, when does this occur, and why? Is the problem related to staffing, workflow, priorities, or something else entirely? The takeaway: look at the data, understand the problem first, and recognize when marketing may be turning up the fear. #VetMed #VeterinaryMedicine #VeterinaryTeam #VeterinaryMarketing #PracticeManagement
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    20 min