Ep 197: Mastering Difficult Conversations in Veterinary Medicine, with Dr. Sarah Wolff

The 'So You're A Vet... Now What?' Podcast

Episode Description

In this week’s ‘So You’re a Vet, Now What?’ podcast, host Dr. Moriah McCauley is joined by Dr. Sarah Wolff. They discuss the importance of veterinarians avoiding negative mindsets and interactions with clients. Dr. Wolff highlights the common occurrence of veterinary professionals engaging in negative conversations and gossip about clients, which can create a sense of superiority and hinder effective communication and empathy.

Dr. Wolff emphasizes that this negative mindset is unhelpful for everyone involved, including the clients. She explains that when veterinarians engage in negative interactions or gossip, it creates a negative feedback loop that perpetuates more negative interactions and can lead to conflicts with clients. She cautions against entering the examination room with a negative mindset, as it can impact the quality of care provided and hinder the development of a trusting relationship with the client.

Instead, Dr. Wolff suggests that veterinarians should focus on reading the client's body language and subtle signs to understand their emotions and concerns. She explains that clients may not always explicitly express their frustrations or concerns, but their body language, short responses, or avoidance of eye contact can be indicators of a disconnect or stress. By recognizing these signs, veterinarians can show empathy and understanding towards the client's situation.

Episode Outline

• [00:02:02] Dealing with angry clients.
• [00:03:12] Dealing with difficult clients.
• [00:10:34] Empathy and problem-solving
• [00:18:38] Checking in with clients.

Quotes

• "I think the more common thing that happens is that clients are frustrated, maybe not even with us, right? Oftentimes it's not with us, it's with the entire situation that's led them to be sitting in that room with you that day."
• "If your safety is at risk, your physical safety, leave the room and seek help."
• "Approach everyone with empathy and the benefit of the doubt."
• "If you can just add that moment, that open moment of expecting that there might be some concerns and making it normalizing having concerns, I think that's a really powerful thing to do."

Episode Links

Dr. Sarah's Website: https://www.drsarahwolff.com/

Dr. Sarah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahwolff

Mentioned in this episode:

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