COS - 147 - When Veterinary Clinics Get Cancelled

What's it like to have your clinic torn apart online? When thousands of phone calls roll in telling you that you're awful, what impact does that have on the staff and how do you handle it? Do you respond? What if that just makes things worse? This week, Dr. Andy Roark is joined by Dr. Meghan Vaught and Sarah Mills from the Maine Veterinary Medical Center. Last month, their clinic found itself on news channels across the country and the front page of reddit. What followed was a harrowing experience no one should have to go through. Along with it, however, can an outpouring of support from clients and the veterinary community as a whole. Since the incident, Sarah and Dr. Vaught have dedicated their time and energy to raising awareness of the impact that public shaming and "cancel" events can have on veterinary teams, and to creating resources to help others who may end up defending themselves against online retribution. LINKS Not One More Vet: https://www.nomv.org/ AVMA Online Reputation Management and Cyberbullying: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/practice-management/reputation WORKSHOP: Managing A Negative Team Member: https://unchartedvet.com/product/managing-a-negative-team-member/ NEW Dr. Andy Roark Exam Room Communication Tool Box Course: https://drandyroark.com/store/ What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: https://drandyroark.com/training-tools/ Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark ABOUT OUR GUESTS: Dr. Meghan Vaught obtained her doctorate from St. George University in May 2013 after completing her clinical rotations at the University of Pennsylvania. In June 2014, she completed a small animal rotating internship at Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment and Specialties hospital. Dr. Vaught completed a three-year Emergency and Critical Care Residency at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2017. Later that year, she earned board certification as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Dr. Vaught’s clinical and research interests include but are not limited to respiratory disease/mechanical ventilation, sepsis, polytrauma and severe acid/base or electrolyte disorders. Dr Vaught’s priority is to provide the highest quality of care and medicine to each patient and their family. In her free time, Dr. Vaught enjoys spending time with her husband, their young daughter, and their cat. Sarah Mills has spent her career advocating for accessible wellness care. She is passionate about animal health and helping all pets live their best lives filled with treats, naps in the sun and zoomies. Sarah spent nearly a decade as one of the founding members of Vets First Choice (now Covetrus) before joining the FidoCure mission to bring personalized medicine to dogs with cancer. Her time has been spent in sales, marketing and serving veterinarians. Sarah holds a BS in psychology from Simmons University and was trained by the Disney Institute in Quality Service. She shares her little farmhouse in Cumberland Center, Maine, with 3 teenagers, a Goldendoodle named Ted, and a smallish bunny.