PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020 - 13

Listening:

An Important Concept
to Building Life-Long
Relationships
By Heidi Rizkalla
Practice Manager, Johnstown Veterinary Associates
In the end, all that people really desire is a sense of purpose and
belonging and to know that someone is really listening to them.
This is such an easy concept, but for many of us who take care of
four-legged patients, we sometimes don't have the time to get
to know or to listen to their human parents. And this is a mistake.
I never thought in my wildest dreams-and believe me, I've
had wild dreams (of becoming a college English professor, a
criminal defense lawyer and a reality television star)-that I
would "manage" a veterinary practice. Never! I went to college
to become an English teacher. And that I did for a couple of
years before becoming an education director for an educational
nonprofit. My job consisted of many
tasks, most notably developing and
implementing educational programs
within school systems, hiring and
unfortunately sometimes the firing
of educational staff and creating and
marketing outreach programs. In the
nonprofit world, you basically have to
justify why your job is important and why
you need to remain on payroll. So we
had to be creative, disciplined and, most
importantly, good listeners.
When my husband called on me to help him run his veterinary
practice, I didn't think that it would turn into a full time job. I
thought that I would help him on the side when I had time. After
all, at the nonprofit, I worked over 40 hours per week. His need
for my help led to me leaving the nonprofit. It basically came
down to the need of family first. The one fantasy I did have-and I
thought it would be a perk of working for my husband-was that I
could come and go as I pleased. I could have an hour lunch with
my girlfriends. I could "step out" for a little bit and visit T.J. Maxx.
I could call the office and tell the girls that I would not be coming
in. And for almost eight years now, none of these scenarios have
actually taken place.

Pet parents all have stories. All kinds of stories. But for me, the
one story that really intrigues me is the one that involves their
relationships with their pets. The veterinary day is involved and
fast-paced. It's filled with birth, death and everything in between.
But how many of us have really taken the time to understand
why one parent is vigilant and committed to coming to weekly
(sometimes daily) appointments for their poodle to get fluid
therapy while another parent may have chosen euthanasia
months prior? If we take the time to listen and have compassion,
we may find out that the poodle in kidney failure is the last living
connection to a deceased human family member, and that's the
reason for the pet parent's dedication.
Sometimes we encounter pet parents who
walk in the door aggravated and stressed
even before we say hello to them. As client
service representatives, we have several
options when handling this. We can ignore
their "moods" and go on our merry way.
We can react to their moods and become
combative. Or we can, when we have
a moment in the exam room, ask them
how their day is going. I'm not saying that
this question will change their mood, but
maybe, just maybe, you may have a pet parent who responds
honestly and tells you that they were involved in a fender bender
on their way to the clinic. All of a sudden, their sullen mood
becomes justifiable and understandable.
I'm sure that we all have encountered the pet parent who comes
in and tells us right away that they don't have a lot of money
to spend. And that we should just do what is "necessary." I'm
not going to lie, sometimes when I hear this, I do an automatic
internal eye roll because I want to say, "You're coming in with a
pet that is near death, what do you consider "necessary?" When
we take the time to tell them that what is necessary is A, B, C
because of D, E, F, they begin to understand and trust that the
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Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association | 13
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020

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