It takes four Cs to be completely competentMay 23, 2019What would you do if you could design the perfect, well-rounded, multitalented veterinarian? Which traits would be required? What skills would be indispensable? Our Dutch colleague Roeland Wessels, DVM, has found the ideal recipe.* "Veterinarians (and their team members) are like diamonds. Their worth is defined by the four Cs. Those Cs don't stand for carat, cut, color, and clarity, but for clinical, communication, cooperation, and commercial skills." Let's go over each set of skills. 1) Clinical skills You are trained to provide excellent, evidence-based, state-of-the-art medicine. You are capable of diagnosing and treating patients—or accomplishing whatever your mission is at a veterinary practice. You have vast amounts of knowledge. Regardless of your education, you still need to improve or refine your clinical skills by reading journals and attending continuing education meetings. "Yet, veterinarians usually overestimate how important clinical competence is in the eyes of a pet owner. They expect you to be great, or they wouldn't even be in your exam room," Dr. Wessels explains. Ironically, some clients will brag more about the fact their pet has a 20-cm long incision with 23 skin staples than they will gloat about a tiny spay incision with no …
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Why mastering soft skills equals success in the veterinary fieldAugust 14, 2018In veterinary school, students learn hard skills, the tangible, technical assets that allow us to perform our jobs. Mastery of these skills is vital, but so is developing a complementary set of skills: soft skills.
How the "crossover" speeds learning and increases incomeJune 15, 2018I recently heard about a fascinating concept called “the crossover.” I had never heard anything about it. There is no information online. I had never read a word in an article about it. Yet understanding this concept can dramatically accelerate your career—by several years.
Why you need emotional intelligenceMay 16, 2017Preamble: In case you can never keep it straight in your head (pun intended), left-brain people are more logical and analytical. In contrast, right-brain people are more intuitive and thoughtful.
