PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2021 - 14

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Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword
Cyberbullying Resources:
AVMA has some great resources for online reputation management
and cyberbullying. You can find these at bit.ly/AVMA-Cyberbullying.
AVMA Members must login to view content.
of bully comes to the veterinarian hoping that their pet's illness,
that has been left untreated for years, will be " fixed " without
having to spend any money. They, too, will also threaten to tell
everyone they know about their experience.
A third breed, which is tricky to identify and can be easily
confused with the former, involves the person who believes
that the veterinarian is super human. This type of bully will
quickly voice their opinion (to the world) if a diagnosis isn't
readily apparent. This person will often use words and phrases
like " misdiagnosed, " " keep going back, " " not getting better, " or
" unnecessary testing. " This person usually lacks patience and
has a hard time understanding that sometimes a pet needs to
be seen multiple times in order for the veterinarian to come to a
definitive diagnosis. Just like a human doctor, a veterinarian may
require that a pet have testing done to figure out what is wrong.
Having a pet parent who is vigilant, compliant and appreciative
is the ultimate trifecta. We love these pet parents because
their actions speak louder than their words. They listen to
the veterinarian and follow recommendations. But some
of these clients can become cyberbullies as well. These are
the " helicopter " parents who are extremely demanding,
unreasonable, and lack empathy. For example, if their phone call
isn't returned within a couple of hours, they become irate and
frustrated. They don't care that the reason their phone call was
not returned quickly is because the veterinarian is performing
surgery on other patients or seeing sick, back-to-back patients.
This type of cyberbully will use words and phrases like " have
poor communication, " " only care about you when..., " or " too
busy for their clients. "
A final breed of cyberbully involves the person who doesn't
understand or wants to ignore the Veterinarian-Client-Patient
Relationship (VCPR). This relationship is established when the
veterinarian examines the pet in person and is maintained by
regular veterinary visits. In its simplicity, this person usually
wants the veterinarian to prescribe medication without bringing
the pet in for an exam. They treat the veterinary office more
like a pharmacy. When they're told that the veterinarian cannot
dispense medication because the pet has not been seen in over
one year, they become combative. When they provide their
feedback on social media they'll use words and phrases like
" refused medication for my pet, " " will let my pet suffer, " and
" didn't do anything; just wanted money. "
Responding to Cyberbullying
When it comes to finding a veterinarian, pet parents have many
resources: they can ask friends and family, search the internet,
or call a veterinary practice directly to " interview " the team and
ask as many questions as they want. On the other hand, the
veterinary practice doesn't have the same luxury. The veterinary
team just hopes that when a pet parent calls to make an
appointment for their fur baby they are honest and trustworthy.
We never think that a client will be unappreciative or abusive.
When this happens, it can be devastating to the entire team.
Sometimes, it is our job as professionals to make pet parents
aware of their actions-whether it is by calling them directly,
answering their review publicly, and, unfortunately, sometimes
by firing them. Even though in our practice 99% of the time, our
client relationships are positive and honest, we sometimes fixate
on that 1% that isn't. Why? Because those who choose to work
in the veterinary field are usually a different breed of human
themselves-they're overly sensitive and compassionate and
don't have a thick hide, even if they may appear so.
No one in the veterinary world should accept being a victim of
cyberbullying, because it is not acceptable. The best way to have
any concern addressed is by directly communicating with the
veterinary practice-either by phone, letter, and/or scheduling
an appointment to meet with one of the managers. Encourage
your clients to reach out about their experience using a form on
your website. You can easily add this to your invoice so the client
knows exactly where to go. This way you can collect responses,
address any concerns or praise a team member if they went
above and beyond for that client's visit. After all, the overall
mission of any veterinary team is the welfare of those patients
we treat.
About the Author: Heidi Rizkalla is a 1997 graduate of the
University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary
English and Teaching. She has taught abroad and locally and was
the education director for The Learning Lamp for over 5 years.
She has been with Johnstown Veterinary Associates since 2013
as the Practice Manager. She believes that having an education
background has been advantageous in her role as manager
because she continues to educate staff and pet parents alike.
14 | Keystone Veterinarian
http://www.bit.ly/AVMA-Cyberbullying
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2021

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