Cultivating veterinary excellence – mentorship and culture

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For new graduates, finding a veterinary clinic or program that has a mentorship program can be a crucial decision maker. However, even if mentorship is there, having a structured program can help bring in new veterinary professionals while also improving the culture of the clinic for everyone.

On this week's episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Katie Fish, DVM, MBA, and our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, discuss the importance of workplace culture and a structured programs to give veterinary graduates entering the profession for the first time support and resources, plus what inspired Fish to be more invested in mentorship.

Below is a partial transcript.

Katie Fish, DVM: I think there's so many things that we can do to help address positive culture, but it all comes down to being about meeting the needs and showing support for individuals. So all those individuals that make up the team and all contribute to the workplace culture, because it's all about fostering the right attitudes and the right behaviors in those individuals. So for me, obviously I'm a huge proponent of mentorship and [want to] see how that can promote those types of positive behaviors. Because really, at its core, I see mentorship as a means of ensuring that someone is doing the best work that they can in their role. If you're a doctor, we're focusing on how can you be providing the best care to your patients and clients?

Similarly, if you're a technician, how can you be providing the best care to your patients and clients? And then also, the other side of mentorship is, how can you ensure that that person who's performing the role of a doctor or a technician or receptionist—whatever their role in the hospital is—how can we ensure that they're being seen and fully supported as a human, and that we're fostering their needs and happiness in the role?