I’d like to introduce you to a new appointment type you will find at Felix&Fido. We call them Nurse Led Appointments (NLAs), and we hope they will become commonplace for every veterinary clinic to perform in addition to typical doctor exams for your pet.
Before we go into what NLAs are, let’s spend a little time setting the stage for why they are so important. The veterinary industry is facing a shortage of veterinarians, and we are poised to have 24,000 fewer veterinarians than needed to support the pet population by the end of the decade. How can we make up for this gap between pets needing care and doctors to care for them?
This leads to the next question, which is how can we leverage the talent of the care team as well as our licensed veterinary technicians/nurses and veterinary assistants to help bridge this gap? This is how the idea for the NLA was born.
NLAs are appointments conducted by a licensed veterinary technician/nurse and a veterinary assistant. To begin, they bring the pet and pet parent into one of the exam rooms to get initial measurements of weight, pulse, respiratory rate and temperature. They will ask questions about what is going on with the pet, just like every veterinary appointment. Next, the veterinary nurse will then perform any diagnostic tests the doctor requests and take photos or videos of anything pertinent to the pet’s condition.
All of this information is then transmitted to the veterinarian who is managing the case. The doctor uses all of this data to make an assessment, diagnose the condition, and formulate an appropriate treatment plan for the nurse and assistant to carry out and communicate to the pet parent.
It’s important to note that not every circumstance would be appropriate for an NLA. More difficult cases would still require an appointment with the veterinarian, but a lot of minor illnesses (ear and eye infections, skin issues, diarrhea, etc.) are good candidates for Nurse Led Appointments.
There are several benefits of these types of appointments.
First, since the veterinarian is needed only for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan development, they can then move on to the next pet that needs their attention. This means that instead of helping just one pet per 30-minute appointment time, they could potentially help 3-5 pets in the same amount of time. Each veterinarian is made more efficient by utilizing them for the parts of the appointment only they can perform.
Second, this appointment type really leverages and showcases the abilities of our veterinary nurses and assistants. These members of the care team are some of the most skilled, compassionate and capable people I know. These appointments allow our clients and patients to experience and benefit from one-on-one time with these amazing pillars of the veterinary care team. We are hopeful this will create an environment where our veterinary nurses are able to use their skill and knowledge to their full potential, translating to more nurses entering and staying in the field of veterinary medicine.
Finally, this model of veterinary care delivery has the potential to ease the strain of the impending veterinary shortage so that you and your furry family member can get the care you need when you need it.
My name is Dr. Heather Smith and I have been a small animal veterinarian in the greater Seattle area for 20 years. I am medical director and veterinarian for Felix&Fido – Issaquah. We are reinventing veterinary care by utilizing technology and leveraging the talents of our DVMs, LVTs and assistants in a way that supports and honors pets, pet parents and the veterinary care team. We look forward to serving you!
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