What I want from a vet - Don't be afraid, Palmbob. ;-)

Have you ever wished you could gather all the vets into a huge auditorium and teach them how to relate to you and your pets as clients? I know I have ... many times! I would LOVE to teach a seminar as a lay person to all the veterinary professionals to let them know what I do and do not expect, what I do and do not appreciate, and what I will and will not tolerate as a client. I believe such a seminar would tremendously benefit all involved, as well as all those future vet clients and patients.

Problem is, what I want and need as a client is likely to be altogether different than what someone else wants and needs, and those differences necessitate veterinary professionals to develop the skill to "read" their clients - 2 parts vet, 1 part psychologist.

I would like to share my veterinary wants/needs as an educational exercise (and just to get it off my chest), and I invite those who read this thread to do the same. In order to avoid the volatile issue of vet fees, I will restrict my comments to non-money-related concerns. I hope the rest of you will follow suit.

Allow me to preface this by saying that I have encountered and/or dealt directly with a great many vets in my day, only three of whom have managed to meet my criteria as a "really good vet".

What Laurie wants (in random order as it comes to mind):

1) Knowledge of veterinary illnesses, injuries, and conditions. Although I must admit that my gut instinct is to expect a vet to know all things and be able to cure all conditions in all animals, my mind really does know better. Realistically, I expect a vet to be knowledgeable of all major and/or common conditions in the animals frequently seen in his/her practice. I don't expect an equine specialist to treat my goldfish, but (s)he sure better know how to handle an impaction colic.

2) Skills in handling and treating patients competently and compassionately. A vet who is fearful or overly aggressive handling animals is of no use to me.

3) Well enough equipped to handle most diagnoses/treatments. A single vet practice is often too limited in diagnostic and/or treatment equipment to care for anything more than the most basic conditions.

4) Willingness to consult with and/or refer clients to other vets without getting a bug up his derriere. I strongly resent a vet whose professional ego is such that he refuses to share care of his patients with other vets who can offer expanded expertise and/or equipment to the advantage of the patients.

5) Willingness to LISTEN!!! No vet will EVER convince me that (s)he knows more about my animals than I do. My vet *usually* does know more about illnesses and conditions than I do, but he NEVER knows more about my animals than I do. If I tell a vet my dog is ill, MY DOG IS ILL, regardless of whether or not the vet can figure out what is causing the illness. The more carefully a vet listens to every single thing I tell him about my dog's behavior and the symptoms I describe as "being off", the better chance he has of determining the cause of the problem. A vet who tunes me out because he's SURE he knows more than I do about my animal is a vet who will NOT be seeing me again!

6) Ability to teach. I truly appreciate a vet who *explains* what he's doing, what he's thinking, what he's diagnosing, and treatment options. A vet who will take the time to answer questions is golden in my book, as long as he also has the ability to ...

7) Communicate without condescension. I am an intelligent woman, and I expect to be treated as such. I appreciate being spoken to as a being of equal intelligence, even if the explanations being offered are basic. My vet knows this about me and sometimes assumes I know more than I do about a particular topic, at which time I request more explanation and always receive it. A vet who makes the mistake of talking down to me quickly receives similar treatment.

8) Willingness to be taught. The flip side of understanding that vets can't realistically be expected to know and cure all things is also understanding that they don't and can't. The "don't and can't" part of this equation sometimes works to the great detriment of a vet with a big ego and his unfortunate clients. If a vet doesn't know the answer, can't make the diagnosis, or can't cure the problem, I expect him to say so. Also, I want my vet to be willing to accept my ideas and research with an open mind and all due consideration. I often research my animals' maladies online, and though I realize the info found online must be taken with a grain of salt, much of it has real value in the care of my animals. A "really good vet" will read any research I give him and carefully consider any potential value it may have.

9) Answer communications in a timely manner. This is one area in which my "very good vet" is sorely lacking. I love the guy, but he makes me crazy by not returning phone calls or emails. A vet MUST answer client communications reliably and as quickly as possible, given his typically insanely busy schedule.

10) Come prepared to do the job. A vet needs to be well organized to make sure he comes to the farm equipped with all he needs to perform the tasks at hand. It irritates me bigtime when my vet comes to remove an equine tumor and forgets his surgical kit. If a vet is routinely that disorganized, he is obliged to hire staff who can handle organizing his farm/house call equipment for him.

11) Wonderful *extras*. These are things that definitely earn my vet bonus points, though they will not disqualify him from "very good vet" status if he doesn't provide them. A) On call whenever I need him. My vet is *almost* always available to me when I need him, though I have been very fortunate not to need him in a true emergency when he was unavailable (knocking furiously on wood). B) Willingness to make farm calls for non-farm animals. My vet will come to my home to treat any animal who, for whatever reason, can not be easily transported to his office. With a farm full of geriatrics and the necessity of euthanasia looming at all times, I am extraordinarily grateful my vet will come here to deliver a peaceful passing, in that inevitable event.

So, those are my "very good vet" qualifications. What are yours?

Palmbob, I invite you to reply with your "very good client" qualifications, as well. I'm sure you vets have got your own list of wants/needs. ;-)

Laurie