I don't agree with this therapy. Will my reputation suffer?

Q. My practice is providing a therapy I don't agree with. I'm concerned about what clients will think. Will this hurt my reputation? Should I quit?

It depends on how accepted the therapy is by the profession in general, says Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Craig Woloshyn, owner of Sun Dog Veterinary Consulting in Custer, S.D. "If the therapy is so substandard that it endangers patients or prevents them from getting normal medical care, that's a problem," he says. However, if it's something you personally don't find useful but is accepted and used by other practitioners, you don't need to worry.

"In the end, don't be concerned about your reputation as much as your own comfort with the level of care in your practice," Dr. Woloshyn says. "If you don't embrace your practice's standards, it'll eventually color your judgment and affect your own patient care." If you find the general level of medicine in your clinic disturbing, then it's indeed time for you to go. And when you do, be sure during future job interviews to ask about practices' philosophy of medical care.