This week on the Veterinary Viewfinder, veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and credentialed veterinary technician Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, join you from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Congress in Warsaw, Poland, to share why they volunteer and what they’ve learned along the way. Conversations with colleagues from around the world reveal familiar concerns: client communication, workplace bullying, decision fatigue, and work-life balance. Ernie and Beckie discuss how getting involved gives veterinary teams a way to work on these shared problems and learn from each other. Beckie explains why veterinary technicians need a stronger voice in professional organizations. Ernie reflects on how volunteering has shaped his career and taught him to listen, compromise, and work across cultures. They also discuss the work behind speaking opportunities and why a different perspective is a reason to participate. For clinic employees, technicians, managers, and veterinarians wondering where to start, they offer practical starting points: join an association, attend a local meeting, or find a volunteer role that fits your interests and available time. #VeterinaryViewfinder #VetMed #VetTech #WSAVA2026 #Volunteering

Should the person who’s been at the clinic longest always get first pick of holiday time off? This week on the Veterinary Viewfinder, veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward and credentialed veterinary technician Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, tackle a familiar source of tension: deciding who works Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. They weigh seniority, rotating holidays, lotteries, and shift swaps, including what happens when family plans change after the schedule is set. Ernie explains how his practice used seniority to resolve competing requests. Beckie questions what makes a system fair and whether holiday duties should fall only to certain staff members. There’s no perfect formula, but there are ways to make the process clearer and give teams more room to work things out. The discussion covers announcing clinic hours early, setting clear time-off policies, and considering relief coverage. They also explain why holiday boarding checks should involve at least two people and why veterinarians can share that responsibility. Whether you’re making the schedule or waiting on it, this episode offers practical questions to bring to your team before holiday requests become a last-minute scramble. #VetMed #VetTech #PracticeManagement #HolidayScheduling #VeterinaryViewfinder

Veterinary Technician Week is meant to recognize credentialed veterinary technicians. But somewhere along the way, has the celebration become too complicated? This week on the Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, look at why Vet Tech Week continues to spark debate across veterinary medicine. Should practices broaden the celebration to include the entire team, or does that unintentionally diminish the people the week was created to recognize? And has a full week of lunches, gifts, activities, and expectations become more than clinics or technicians actually need? Ernie and Beckie talk about why professional recognition matters, how seemingly small decisions can affect team culture, and why appreciation doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate. They also ask a bigger question: Would one meaningful day of recognition, paired with a week focused on educating clients and the profession about what credentialed veterinary technicians actually do, make Vet Tech Week more effective? Learn more about the American Association of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians:https://aacvt.org AACVT resources:https://aacvt.org/resources AACVT membership:https://aacvt.org/membership #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMed #VeterinaryTechnician #VetTech #VetTechWeek

October is World Pet Obesity Month, and this episode covers what veterinary teams can do to help patients and clients better understand, prevent, and treat pet obesity. Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor break down APOP’s 2026 Veterinary Clinic Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey, including how clinics can participate, which patients to include, and why asking owners how they perceive their pet’s body condition is such an important part of the data. Qualifying licensed U.S. practices can receive a $50 staff-time stipend after submitting at least 15 complete, eligible records that pass APOP’s data review. APOP has also created extensive support materials to make participation easier, including clinic instructions, BCS charts, printable resources, ready-to-share social media graphics and captions, email and newsletter copy, and other outreach materials. Ernie and Beckie also explore the updated 2026 Pet Obesity Communication Guidelines and APOP’s growing collection of free clinical tools designed to help veterinary teams assess body condition, plan weight management, and have clearer, more respectful conversations with clients. Every score counts. Your clinic can help build the next snapshot of pet obesity in veterinary practice. CLINIC SURVEY HUB + MATERIALShttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/2026-veterinary-clinic-pet-obesity-prevalence-survey SOCIAL MEDIA SHAREABLES + PARTNER TOOLKIThttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/survey-partner-toolkit 2026 PET OBESITY COMMUNICATION GUIDELINEShttps://www.petobesityprevention.org/communication-guidelines #WorldPetObesityMonth #VetMed #VetTech #PetObesity #BodyConditionScore

Recognizing neurodivergence in veterinary medicine is one thing. Knowing what actually helps is another. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, welcome Ron Sosa, CVPM, CCFP, back to the Veterinary Viewfinder for a practical conversation about neurodivergence at work and the supports that can make a real difference. They talk about executive function, masking, the inner critic, imposter syndrome, and the exhaustion that can come from constantly adapting to expectations that don’t fit the way your brain works. Ron also shares practical tools he’s building for veterinary professionals, including body doubling, structured peer support, coaching, and his C.O.S.T. framework for understanding chronic self-monitoring, over-adaptation, self-criticism, and tension. The conversation also looks beyond the individual. What can veterinary leaders and workplaces do differently to support a wider range of people? If you’ve ever wondered why certain parts of veterinary work feel harder than they “should,” this episode offers a useful place to start. Learn more from Ron Sosa and Syn-APT: Syn-APT: https://syn-apt.me/ Neuroinclusive Voice: https://syn-apt.me/voice Membership and Community: https://syn-apt.me/membership Webinars: https://syn-apt.me/webinar Newsletter: https://syn-apt.me/newsletter The C.O.S.T. Framework: https://syn-apt.me/cost #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMed #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent #VeterinaryLeadership

What does it look like to celebrate veterinary technicians and support the careers they’ve worked hard to build? First, a reminder: October 2026 is World Pet Obesity Month. Sign your clinic up for APOP’s 2026 Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey, running October 1–December 31. Eligible U.S. clinics receive a $50 stipend after submitting at least 15 complete, eligible records that pass APOP’s data review. Now back to this week’s episode! This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, look ahead to National Veterinary Technician Week, October 18–24, and explore new resources from the American Association of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians (AACVT). Beckie shares practical tools for requesting a raise, building a résumé, preparing for interviews, and navigating title protection. They also discuss mobile care resources, speaking opportunities, and why celebrating credentialed technicians doesn’t mean valuing anyone else less. For credentialed veterinary technicians, it’s a chance to find support for your next professional step. For veterinarians and practice managers, it’s a reminder to plan ahead, help clients understand who does what, and recognize the education and expertise behind the credentials. LINKS IN THE PODCAST: APOP survey registration: https://www.petobesityprevention.org/surveysignup AACVT resources: https://aacvt.org/resources #VeterinaryViewfinder #VetMed #VetTech #VetTechWeek #AACVT

October is World Pet Obesity Month! We need your help in collecting pet obesity prevalence data - and you can earn $50 for your team! Visit https://www.petobesityprevention.org/2026-veterinary-clinic-pet-obesity-prevalence-survey Speaking of obesity in dogs and cats: spaying and neutering may be routine surgical procedures for most veterinary professionals and pet parents, but the nutritional shift afterward is anything but. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, talk with Dr. Yuki Okada, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and Virbac’s Veterinary Medicine and Nutrition Manager, about one of veterinary medicine’s most useful obesity-prevention windows: What should we feed growing dogs and cats in the period surrounding spay or neuter? Dr. Yuki explains why appetite may rise while energy needs and activity fall, and why the feeding conversation should begin before surgery rather than get buried in discharge instructions. The team covers moving away from free-feeding, accounting for treat and supplement calories, measuring food with a gram scale, and giving families clear directions everyone can follow. They also unpack the clinical thinking behind Virbac VETERINARY HPM® Spayed & Neutered diets, including higher protein of animal origin to help support lean muscle, coupled with fiber for satiety. The discussion then moves beyond body weight to body condition score, muscle condition score, mobility, activity, and subtle “micro-pauses” that may signal discomfort. The takeaway: preventing unhealthy weight gain requires an early, practical plan that the entire veterinary team can reinforce. Learn more about Virbac nutrition at iVet.com, find the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) pet-owner tools at petobesityprevention.org, and explore the World Pet Obesity Association (WPOA) clinical resources at worldpetobesity.org. #VeterinaryMedicine #VetTech #VeterinaryNutrition #PetObesity #SpayNeuter

The sympathy card goes out. The next appointment comes in. But when a patient dies, who checks on the people who cared for them? This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, turn the conversation about euthanasia toward the veterinary team. They explore why some losses hit harder, from saying goodbye to a longtime patient to losing an animal everyone worked to save, and why being experienced doesn’t mean being unaffected. Ernie shares how making room for memories during staff meetings helped his team acknowledge those losses. Beckie discusses when support needs to happen sooner, how a shared journal can give people somewhere to put their feelings, and where veterinary social workers can help. They also consider how to share difficult news, plan around emotionally demanding appointments, and support a colleague facing the loss of their own pet. For anyone working in a veterinary clinic, this episode offers practical ways to start the conversation before a difficult goodbye. The goal isn’t to make everyone grieve the same way. It’s to give the people supporting your clients some support of their own. #VeterinaryViewfinder #VetMed #VetTech #VeterinaryWellbeing #PetLoss

A missed call becomes a potential ER visit. An overwhelmed team becomes a business risk. And suddenly, an everyday practice challenge can feel a lot more urgent than it did five minutes ago. This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, take a closer look at fear-based marketing in veterinary medicine and how the way a problem is framed can shape how veterinary teams respond to it. Using a real veterinary technology ad as their starting point, they explore how messages built around loss, failure, and urgency can add anxiety to already-stretched teams and sometimes push practices toward solutions before they’ve fully understood the underlying problem. Ernie and Beckie aren’t arguing against technology or outside support. They’re asking for a little more perspective before reacting. Are calls genuinely being missed, and are emergency rooms experiencing an overload due to them? If so, when does this occur, and why? Is the problem related to staffing, workflow, priorities, or something else entirely? The takeaway: look at the data, understand the problem first, and recognize when marketing may be turning up the fear. #VetMed #VeterinaryMedicine #VeterinaryTeam #VeterinaryMarketing #PracticeManagement

You accepted the new job, gave notice, and walked into what you thought was a better opportunity. Then, within days, the red flags start piling up. The workload isn’t what you were promised. Training is almost nonexistent. The team feels unwelcoming. Now what? This week, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, talk about what happens when a new veterinary job doesn’t match the one you interviewed for, and how to decide whether to stay, speak up, or start planning your exit. They discuss why poor onboarding can be an early warning sign, how money and benefits can make leaving harder, and why simply “giving it more time” can quietly turn a few bad weeks into years of frustration. Ernie and Beckie also offer a practical approach: identify exactly what isn’t working, decide what needs to change, talk with management, and set a clear timeline for action. And for practice leaders, there’s a flip side: what happens when the new hire isn’t who you thought you hired? #VeterinaryMedicine #VetTech #VetMed #VeterinaryCareers #VetMedJobs