Veterinarian as Client: When the Tables Turn

Angry, impatient, and emotional clients: They’re a challenge nearly all veterinary professionals have to deal with from time to time. Although interacting with upset clients is a part of my job, that doesn’t make it any easier. And if you’re anything like me, you may find yourself getting frustrated with pet owners who don’t understand that you’re doing the very best you can to treat their pet. So why and what are they screaming about when it’s obvious that your team is just trying to help?

I’m not sure I actually understood what it was like to be on the other side of the exam room table until I recently had an experience as an emergency room client. It was not a situation that I ever expected to be in, since I had just graduated from veterinary school myself. Nevertheless, life has a way of surprising you when you least expect it.

The day had begun like any other and I chatted with friends and family over the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the sounds of happy dogs playing in the yard. Suddenly, the picturesque day came to a crashing halt as I heard my golden retriever yelping in pain. By the time I ran over to her she was panting and her loose flesh was dangling so low that it was almost touching the ground. I could see the muscle belly of her left inner thigh while I watched blood drip from her flesh. She had run by a stake in the ground and impaled her leg. My immediate internal reaction was, “Oh my gosh somebody quick CALL A VET!!!!” After a moment of hesitation, I suddenly had the realization that I was “the vet” and would have to take on the role of reassuring my friends and family that my dog would be okay.

Our drive to the ER seemed like an eternity. My dog lay quietly in discomfort, but wasn’t in critical condition. I walked into the ER lobby and saw a full waiting room and a busy receptionist. Internally I became impatient as I stood there, waiting to be helped. The voice inside my head yelled, “Hurry UP! My dog is hurt, she needs pain meds, antibiotics, and surgery…let’s go!” But externally, I waited patiently for the receptionist to be free and asked politely for a gurney. A technician met me at my car and we took her to the back where she was given pain meds and antibiotics. Unfortunately, with one doctor on staff her procedure would have to wait until the other clients who came before me were seen first.

It bears mentioning that I have previously worked in emergency rooms as a technician assistant, helped distraught clients and patients, and managed a busy waiting room. Yet nothing prepares you for the moment when you’re the client, when it’s your pet in pain. Part of me understood that it was busy and that there would be a wait. But I will admit that part of me silently looked around at the other clients with a critical eye. Did they really need to be there? Could their emergencies have waited until the morning?

On the surface I remained calm and waited until the doctor could treat my dog. But internally an anger that I was not expecting to experience began smoldering. There was no one to blame for what had happened—it was an accident. Yet financially and emotionally I felt like a victim. I felt powerless to help my dog even though I was a trained veterinarian. Her pain and the entire situation felt like a bad dream and I just wanted it to end as soon as possible. In the quiet waiting room, I was able to reflect and see things more clearly and eventually was actually able to feel a certain sense of relief. My dog could have suffered a much worse fate. Had the wound been in a different location she could have impaled her chest or abdomen, or punctured a big blood vessel. So as wounds go, hers was not a critical one.

Having been made to sit in the waiting room with a pet in pain and having to experience those difficult emotions is something I will use and take with me in my career as a veterinary professional. I realize now that the overwhelming lack of control I felt brought out all kinds of emotions that I was unprepared for. The feelings of anger, impatience, frustration, panic, stress, and grief are those often felt by our clients when faced with a similar situation, and our clients lack the training that we, as veterinary professionals, when it comes to staying calm under pressure or witnessing an animal in pain.

In theory, I thought I understood this. But it took being a client to fully experience and internalize it. We need to be sensitive to the gamut of emotions that pet owners go through in our office on a daily basis. As I enter into my new profession, I am vowing to cast a less critical eye on individuals who find themselves in the midst of an emergency or an unexpected situation.

The next time you have a client shouting frustrations about a bill, their pet’s situation, or the wait— try to not take it personally. Multiple emotions are often going through a client’s head and some individuals may not know how to contain them. The biggest thing we as professionals can offer is to approach their situation with understanding and do what is in the best interest of the patient. Just remember to try and diffuse the situation by explaining you have the best interest of the pet and client at heart. Because sometimes all people need is an understanding voice to say: “I am sorry you are going through this right now...let me help.”

Dr. D