Toxic veterinary practices

If you enjoy going to work every day because you're employed at a veterinary practice where you're rewarded for doing your job well, treated with respect by your superiors, and surrounded by kind, competent peers who collaborate closely, well ... you can probably skip this article. If you're stressed out, burned out, or feeling low because of your job, then you might be part of a toxic practice.

Shawn McVey, MA, MSW

There are new realities facing today's team members: greater work pressure and demands (with fewer people to meet them); increased cost cutting; an increased focus on collaboration and working in teams; and a continued focus on technology. All this sets the stage for a potentially toxic practice environment.

Toxic breeding grounds

The syndrome of toxic work overtakes you when what's happening at the practice causes long bouts of distress—ones where work lives rent free in your head even when you're at home—that culminate in emotional suffering or physical symptoms. Truthfully, team members at every practice have "junk" to deal with. The situation becomes toxic when you feel like you have no ability to change the "junk." In short, work becomes toxic when you feel out of control.

The worst thing that can happen to you as a veterinary team member is to be employed at a practice where the demands are high and you have little control over how to meet those demands. This circumstance is even more prevalent in tough economic times when employers can offer little job security and employees may feel trapped in a toxic environment. When you really need your paycheck, it's hard to just up and leave your job, even if you feel frustrated, disrespected, stressed out, or angry.

Still, remaining in a toxic veterinary practice—or allowing the poisonous situation to continue—can create another negative consequence: Lost confidence in your skills and yourself. You might start thinking, "Am I stupid? Do I not know what I'm doing?" This leads to avoidance. You avoid dealing with the issues and engaging in the discussions you need to have because you're afraid that your attempts won't go right and that no one will listen to you.

Contaminated co-workers

The hard reality is that only you are in control of your career. So if there's toxicity in your practice, it's up to you to take the necessary steps to identify and correct it. Often, one individual—whether doctor or receptionist or so on—causes the noxious feeling in a practice. Therefore, to take action, you must first ask yourself, "Who is the toxic employee?" (Note: It could be you. Click here determine your own level of toxicity.) Toxic people are often those who are in power. And that power doesn't always come with the title of "veterinarian." Sometimes a favored employee can be at the root of a negative environment. For example, a doctor might prefer one technician and work only with her. This preferred technician can hold an unwritten power over other employees because the doctor is willing to tolerate or ignore her bad behavior.

If the toxic person poisoning your practice is your superior—or is in a place of power—then confront her using "I" sentences (such as "I feel...") to describe how her behavior affects you. If she's not willing to change her behavior—or if you're simply too worried about your position to address the issue—then you might need to reconsider why you want to work at the practice.

If the toxic employee is a peer, then there are three similar action steps to take: Tell the person what it is that's bothering you about his behavior (not about him as a person). Again, use "I" sentences here rather than "you" sentences. Next, tell him exactly how his behavior is negatively affecting you. Finally, ask for his commitment to change the behavior. If these steps don't work, talk to your supervisor and ask for help finding a solution to the problem. Practices inadvertently reward toxic behavior when issues crop up (as outlined above), and it's a manager's job to address such issues and come up with a fix.

However, you're still at the root of the solution. The real way out of toxic work issues is through direct communication with the person or people who are the source of your stress. You must be willing to stand up to these people and take back some control in your life.

Rise above the slime

Does this sound impossible? One of the biggest blocks to your career will be your inability or unwillingness to talk about what you need and what you want (usually respect). You're probably an amiable person, someone who chose to work at a veterinary practice because you wanted to be in a helping profession. And you probably have gotten by most of your life avoiding conflict at all costs. But stress and conflict are not companions. Conflict—and resolution—is the tool that you should use to relieve your stress.

Luckily, you can go around rather than through. You don't always have to confront people head on and cause big drama or crisis. Instead, you could ask your manager to include an overall issue as part of a team meeting agenda. Then your whole team can work toward a solution that's focused on behavior rather than feeling. After all, it's only after working toward a solution that a toxic practice will get on its way to being a pleasant practice.

First Live

Meet McVey: Get expert advice about your most toxic work situations when you attend Firstline Live on May 7 in Washington, D.C. Shawn McVey will provide personalized advice for cleaning up—and preventing—a poisonous practice. Visit thecvc.com for more info and to register.

Shawn McVey, MA, MSW, is a member of the Firstline and Veterinary Economics editorial advisory boards and is CEO of McVey Management Solutions in Chicago. To discuss this article, visit dvm360.com/comment.