Professionals Are Underutilizing Telemedicine Says Top Vet

A senior vet from Portland has told the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) that US vets are still underutilizing telemedicine- even after the pandemic. 
During the AVMA’s Virtual Convention, Dr. Greg Bishop told members that although telemedicine became immensely popular during the pandemic, many US practitioners are scaling back- if not completely ridding themselves of it. 
According to Dr. Bishop, studies show that clients are ‘really happy with telemedicine and are willing to pay for it.’
‘What we lose out on in terms of certain clinical aspects, we make up for by not stressing out animals by coming to the veterinary clinic’. 
He argues that many practices may be missing out by not retaining technologies that may have helped streamline their services during lockdowns. 
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Pet Store Puppies Put Vets At Risk Of Infection 

Research has found that pet store puppies may be responsible for the spread of Campylobacter jejuni strains in veterinary professionals. These strains are resistant to a number of popular antimicrobial treatments. 
According to an article published by JAMA Network Open, between the years 2011-2020, 168 Campylobacter infections were reported in the US. These infections could be traced to puppies bought from pet stores- primarily Petland. 
‘Surveillance data indicate the extensively drug-resistant C jejuni strains have been circulating for at least 10 years and continue to cause illnesses among pet store customers, employees, and others who encounter pet store puppies,’ the article’s authors said. 
‘The commercial dog industry could implement measures to curb unnecessary antibiotic use and improve hygiene and infection control at all levels from breeding facility to pet store, similar to those taken by the food animal production industry.’
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Veterinary Professionals Struggle Amid Vaccine Shortages

Professionals in the UK have experienced additional pressure amid animal vaccine shortages.
A ‘national shortage’ of vaccines has forced several practices to turn away clients- much to the dismay of clinicians and pet owners alike. 
Some of the worst-hit areas are having to delay annual jabs by several months- certainly not ideal given how long many clinics backlogs already are. 
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Veterinary Group Reports Big Wins Amid Pet Ownership Surge

UK veterinary group CVS has reported strong financial growth amid animal ownership rises across the country. 
The group, which owns more than 500 veterinary surgeries in the UK, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Ireland, saw revenues rise by 19.2% to over 500 million. 
CVS’s CEO, Richard Fairman said:
‘We have delivered a very strong performance for the year with credit to every single one of our colleagues for their extraordinary efforts to provide the best possible service to our customers and their animals, against a difficult backdrop of restrictions and evolving regulatory guidance.’
‘These results demonstrate the resilience of our fully integrated veterinary model and our commitment to providing the very highest standards of clinical care.’
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New Australian Vaccine Mandate Hits Veterinary Staff 

The Australian government has called for veterinary workers in Victoria to get vaccinated before the state-wide lockdown ends. 
The new mandate requires 1.25 million authorized workers to get vaccinated to counter the rise in covid-19 cases.
To continue working in practice, citizens of Victoria will have to have their first dose of the vaccine by the 15th of October, and the second by the 26th of November. 
Those who refuse to be vaccinated will not be allowed to go to work. 
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Five Simple Ways To Combat Work Stress

Veterinary medicine can be a stressful business to be in.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are several things you can do (as a leader and as an employee) to tackle occupational stress.

Identify What Stresses You Out

The first step to tackling stress is knowing what exactly is making you feel this way. Is it conversing with clients? Or recruiting? Whatever it is, identifying the source of the problem is the first step to overcoming it.

Create A Good Schedule 

Having a work structure can do wonders for stress. A lot of what makes work stressful is not knowing what’s in store for you. Therefore, having some sort of structure can give employees and bosses some sense of control amid the chaos. 

Outsource When And If You Can

Oftentimes, work stress is caused by a workload that is beyond everyone’s resources. 
Outsourcing your marketing or clinical work (when possible) is sure to down the stress levels of everyone in the clinic. 
For more tips, click here.