Veterinarian-Client Agreement for Effective Equine Care

The Effective Equine Care Guide is a resource that veterinary teams can leverage to help foster healthy lines of communication and a positive partnership between staff and horse owners. This comprehensive, single-page guide outlines matching expectations for both veterinary teams and clients. The primary aims are to strengthen the veterinary team-client partnership; encourage a supportive, safe, and inclusive environment for all; and thus provide the best possible care for patients.

Using the guide

Each equine practice is unique, with its own business model, culture, policies, processes, and clientele. Here are some general suggestions for putting the Effective Equine Care Guide into use:

INTRODUCE THE GUIDE TO YOUR TEAM

• Share the guide and supporting rationale with your team and check to ensure all members understand the content. Stress the importance of having the entire team on board with all expectations outlined in the guide, and encourage conversation. If some elements of this guide don’t exactly match your circumstances, work with your team to tweak them, and make this guide your own. This will help everyone feel more confident and aligned before introducing the guide to clients.
• Emphasize that once the guide is introduced to your clients, you are officially pledging to honor your share of the expectations, as you expect clients to honor theirs . This may require making changes to your usual workflows or processes and developing plans for monitoring the continued application of the guide’s principles, and addressing any difficulties.
• Talk about how the team might handle client feedback—good or bad—or clients who struggle to honor their share of the expectations. This may include identifying a teammate or two to serve as a contact should clients have questions or concerns and developing plans for addressing any expectations that clients may not meet.
• Work with your team to develop some goals for the guide that are meaningful to you all. For example, you may seek to reduce the number of after-hours calls you receive on nonurgent matters, or the number of client complaints voiced on social media as opposed to directly to you. This will help you determine what’s working or not as you test and learn from its implementation and will make it easier to get clients on board.

INTRODUCE THE GUIDE TO YOUR CLIENTS

Any of these approaches may work for you, and your team may have other ideas:

• Integrate the guide into your new client welcome materials.
• Post an electronic copy of the guide on your practice’s website or on social media.
• Post a printed copy of the guide on your front desk, front doors, exam room walls, or other places where it’s certain to catch clients’ attention.

Remember to always be concise, clear, and empathic in your messaging about the guide. Clients may immediately tune out or reject the ideas conveyed if they feel you are being accusatory or defensive. Here are some suggested talking points:

• “Both our staff and our clients are connected by a shared commitment to the health and wellbeing of horses.”
• “The goal of the Effective Equine Care Guide is to help foster an environment that’s supportive, safe, and inclusive for all, and supports the best possible care for your horse.”
• “You’ll notice that expectations are outlined for both our clients AND our staff. We are committed to upholding our responsibilities as care providers, and we’re hopeful that this guide will only strengthen our relationships with horse owners.”
• “We are on the same team—working to support your horse’s health and wellbeing. We believe this guide will help us work together for this shared commitment.”

Responding to unmet expectations

Despite everyone’s best efforts, things can go wrong. For the guide to have its intended effect, it’s important that veterinary teams and clients work together to address any issues and continue to cultivate a positive partnership for the benefit of all horses.

EXPECTATIONS FOR TEAMS

Be open and honest with yourselves and your clients about times when your team might not be able to uphold your share of the expectations. Maybe your practice was so busy one week, you missed giving clients a heads-up on appointment delays. You can take that as an opportunity to let clients know you’re aware of the issue and are aiming to do better. This will build trust and might encourage clients to consider whether they’re honoring their share of the expectations.

EXPECTATIONS FOR CLIENTS

When a client disregards or challenges certain expectations, work with your team on how to address the situation so that staff can feel confident and aligned with the chosen approach. This may be as simple as a gentle reminder or empathic explanation or could involve conflict resolution. Here are some ways to start these conversations:

• “We believe that a veterinary team-client relationship rooted in mutual trust and respect is essential to support the best possible care for our equine patients.”
• “While we will always welcome and thoughtfully consider constructive and respectful feedback, in order to nurture and protect our partnership, we expect our clients and our staff to honor these expectations.”

In addition, several webinars or courses are available through the AVMA to help grow your team’s skills and comfort in addressing unmet expectations:

AVMA Axon®

• Conflict management for a healthier workplace
• Rudeness on the job: What to do when work hurts
• Emotional blackmail: How to end the cycle

 

Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (To access, sign into your VHMA account or create a free nonmember guest account.)

• VHMA 2021 Legal Symposium: Nipping conflict in the bud—skills that help de-escalate
• Coaching employees through negativity and conflict

This guide is produced in collaboration with the AVMA and was inspired by the AVMA’s Positive Pet Care Guide. We extend special thanks to the individuals and organizations who collaborated on its development.